What is Google Analytics?
Google Analytics is a data collection platform that presents data in reports which can be used to inform internal marketing decisions. The quality of the data provided by Google Analytics is frequently improved to help users learn more about how their website or application is being used. Google has a specific help centre that provides guidance on how to effectively utilise Google Analytics.
Why is Google Analytics important?
Understanding how users behave on a website provides insights on website performance and can help you identify areas for improvement. Google Analytics also reports on user behaviour and how a website is being viewed, including what pages are visited the most. It also reports on common navigation paths within a website which identifies any patterns in how users are navigating websites. Regularly reviewing data in Google Analytics can help businesses identify any patterns and changes that can inform current actions as well as future strategies.
Important Google Analytics metrics to track:
With its wide range of data and metrics, Google Analytics is an essential tool for thoroughly understanding user behaviour.
Below are some metrics that are beneficial to track consistently on Google Analytics:
Active users measures the total number of people that have visited a website or application within a specific date range, e.g. last 28 days. Businesses can also compare the number of active users for the previous period to check if they have increased or decreased significantly.
Average engagement time per active user gives an average of how long active users are spending on a website within a specific date range. If a user spends too much time on a website, it may mean they’re struggling to find what they need. If they spend too little time, it could suggest the site isn’t relevant or failed to capture their attention.
Bounce rate is a percentage calculated based on the number of visitors who leave the site without triggering an “engaged session” in Google Analytics.
An engaged session is triggered when one of the following criteria is met:
- Lasts longer than ten seconds
- Has a key event (an action set up in Google Analytics by the account owner)
- Has two or more screen or page views.
Google Analytics also tracks traffic for specific pages, which can help identify opportunities to increase traffic to those pages. Google has an extensive guide to the different dimensions and metrics that could be relevant to your business.
How can Google Analytics inform marketing strategies?
Google Analytics can be utilised to help businesses develop an effective digital marketing strategy. Without data tools like Google Analytics, it would be difficult for businesses to make informed decisions internally regarding marketing strategies. Google Analytics can also help measure the success of strategies and campaigns. When conducting a marketing campaign, businesses can set a target based on a specific metric. For example, a business could aim to increase their average engagement time from 30 seconds to 1 minute by the end of the campaign. A target can be informed by current performance for that metric to set a realistic, measurable improvement.
How can Hydra Creative help with Google Analytics?
We recognise that Google Analytics can be overwhelming, especially since it is always changing. Hydra has an experienced SEO management team that use Google Analytics data daily to inform marketing strategies, as well as to analyse performance of websites. We recommend using Google Analytics to help make informed decisions about your business marketing. As a certified Google partner agency, our team is well equipped to utilise Google Analytics effectively to help improve your online presence. If you would like to find out more about how we can help your business, please get in touch with our expert team.
