Why Every Site Needs Google Analytics
If you're not running Google Analytics on your website, then you're missing out on an opportunity to tap into vital performance-based marketing information. Formerly known as 'Urchin', and acquired by Google in 2005, Google Analytics is a free tool that allows website owners to track and gather information about user experiences from almost every aspect of their live websites. The data is gathered from a small JavaScript code that is placed within the live site's code, unseen to the end user.
The kind of data that can be collected and analysed includes visitor and page view numbers, bounce (exit) rates, traffic sources, keyword sources, and users' average time on site. But Google Analytics allows you to delve much deeper, allowing website owners to adjust their pages accordingly to increase traffic, conversions, and provide an excellent return.
Google Analytics can be used to set up 'goals' - the simplest way to describe Analytics goals is a means to measure your marketing and business objectives, and conversions. The beauty of Analytics is that it's flexible enough to allow you able to set your own goals, so they will always be pertinent to your business requirements. Perhaps the most common goal that's set up is the tracking of sales funnels (tracking how users behave during the entire checkout process, from the landing page through to confirmation of the sale). This allows you to see where users are dropping out, potentially why they're dropping out, so that you can adjust your website to encourage better conversions.
But goals can be used to track and review almost any aspect of your site, from lead-based sales/ enquiries (and subsequent conversions to sales), newsletter or feed subscriptions, to new account openings, call back requests or widget usage. It's all about defining your own business objectives and setting up a customised goal that allows you to review and improve on your findings.
Google Analytics also allows website owners to track which keywords are actually making money, via the Traffic Sources menu. Here you can see how users are arriving at your site, and whether they choose to stick around. You can also see which keywords are converting, which keywords are pretty useless, and how you can use your popular keywords to search engine optimise (SEO) your site. If you're running Pay Per Click (PPC) campaigns, you can also tie in your findings to achieve a greater return on investment.
The Traffic Sources section also allows website owners to quantify and review the most advantageous traffic sources from referring sites and direct traffic (as a result of marketing campaigns or organic search engine results) that are resulting into business enquiries or sales. Reviewing this data is a great way to evaluate and capitalise on marketing or business objectives, and can provide valuable data that would otherwise prove elusive.
