Google Analytics is a fantastic tool for every business out there and is definitely a must have tool. We have discussed Google Analytics in our previous blog about Measuring SEO but in this blog we want to talk about how use it to its fullest.

First things first, what is Google Analytics?

In short, Google Analytics is a free tool by Google that helps you understand how visitors use your website.

More than that, it is a fantastic tool which can help you see where visitors are clicking, where they land, who they are and if they are converting. It can also show you where they are coming from and where in the world they are. The tool can help businesses see if their business goals and objectives are being met and can help them make improvements to their website.

Most people will have it installed on their website because a lot of people say they should. However, not a lot of people know what they are doing when it comes to the Analytics application and don’t use it to its fullest; only seeing the first page and then leaving. But there is so much more to it!

Keep reading this blog and we will go through all the other bits of Google Analytics and other tool within the application that can make analysis better.

Explore All of Google Analytics!

When you go into analytics it first takes you to the Audience Overview page. This page shows you basic stats that give you a good oversight of your website, such as daily sessions, average time spent, bounce rate and percentage of new and returning visitors.

A lot of people will just use this page to monitor how their site is doing, but there is so much more to go through that can help.

On the left hand side you have a menu. If you click into the menu you can find out more analytic stats about your website. These include:

Audience: As well as the overview section, you can find out more about your audience such as where they are from, what age range they are from, their gender and even what their interests are and what device they are using.

Real-time: a real time look at your website! You can see who is on your website at that exact time and see what they are doing.

Acquisitions: Where your visitors have come from, such as search engines, social media, or through PPC or ads. You can also view adwords if you can campaigns running.

Behaviour: See how your websites use your website. Where they land and exit, what pages they visit the most and what they are searching in your website

Conversions: See which product is converting and see whether goals are being met

By exploring analytics more you can gain a very details insight to how your website is doing and who your visitors are. This way you can make improvements to help convert visitors and tailor campaigns to match the target audience.

Install the Google Analytics Chrome extension!

If you use Chrome (if not, then you really should) then you know that there are many extensions you can install to make things easier.

One of those extensions is the Google Analytics one. A fab tool which will allow you to see the stats of your website right before your eyes. You can change the attributes in the menu and also check different things such as clicks, adds to cart and also real time visitors.

It’s a nifty tool to get a quick insight without having to login and go through Google Analytics. You can download the extension here.

Add Annotations to Google Analytics

Another handy tool on Google Analytics is the annotations tool. If you have made changes to your website or add bits to it, had a campaign running then you would want to monitor the stats and check to see if there was any difference.

The annotation tool is great as it allows you to mark on your analytics account when the changes were made or when the campaign was running, meaning you know exactly when to check and monitor or compare. It beats having to try and remember all the dates that’s for sure!

To add an annotation, click “Admin” in the menu panel on the left. In the third column on the right, look down til you find “Annotations”, click in here and then click “New Annotation”. There you will be able to add in your comment, and add a date as well. Once saved, if you go back to the Audience overview section you will notice a little speech bubble on the date you set it for - this is the annotation!

Customize your Google Analytic Dashboard and Reports

If you have set out specific goals and KPIs for your business then customisation is great for you. Rather than going through every part of Google Analytics, you can customise your dashboard and report to only show things that are important to you and your business.

To make a custom dashboard or report, just click “Customisation” at the top left of the screen, in the menu bar. You can then click either “dashboard” or “report” and start making your report. Google has basic dashboard templates which you can use, this will be easier if you are new to Google Analytics, or you can start from scratch and add in your own segments and attributes.

Use Other Tools to Maximise Google Analytics

Google has a lot of fantastic tools to help people gain a better understanding of how their website works and how people use them, and what is great about these tools is, as well as being free, there are also a few that work great together!

Google Data Studio

This is a new tool from Google which allows you to set up reports of your analytic stats. It is still in beta mode but it works pretty good from what we can see. They have pre-made templates and all you do is link your Google Analytics account. From there you can pick and choose what to include in the report and then share it with whomever you want. You can even customise the colours so it matches your branding.

What is great about it is is it updates live as well. Just change the date range and it will update automatically, meaning you have everything you want on one report without the faff of going through Google Analytics and with the ability of sharing without sharing login details!

Google Tag Assistant

Another fab tool by Google is the Tag Assistant tool. If you are not tech savvy, you probably had your web developing company to add all the relevant analytics code to your website, but with Google’s Tag Assistant you can do this all yourself!

Google Tag Assistant allows you to see where code or tags have been added and where they are needed. You can then add them easily with a click of a button and monitor if they are working correctly - all in one place! Using Google Tag Assistant means you have more control over what is being analysed and also means you can add in new tags if you are starting a new campaign.

You can install the tool here and it even includes a Google Chrome extension!

Having a better understanding of Google Analytics can do so much for you and your business, and all these are great tips and tools to help get the most out of the free tool!