In the wonderful world of digital, it is the ability to capture user and campaign data, as well as analyse interactions and results that has made digital marketing methods so powerful for businesses of all sizes and industries. When looking at programs that power these online analytics, there is no tool more loved and widely used than Google Analytics, allowing businesses to measure the results of their campaigns in real-time, compare data against previous campaigns, periods and market segments and learn, in real-time, what they could do differently to optimise for better results.
Google Analytics shows customers all of the data from channels that direct traffic to the website, including:
- Organic Search (SEO)
- Paid Search (PPC)
- Social Media
- Referrals (Backlinks)
- Direct Traffic
The beauty of Google Analytics is just how comprehensive it is. Think about everything that goes on online. There is barely a shred of the internet that Google is not somehow related to. It is for this reason that their solution can be so comprehensive, giving businesses access to all of this data, in one location, for the most effective ability to compare, analyse and improve.
Despite all the benefits that come from Google Analytics, it is a shame to see that many businesses still underutilise the tool. If you’re sitting on the fence and need a little nudge over the side, here are some of the most impactful areas of the platform that makes Google Analytics a necessity for businesses the world over:
1. Acquisition Channels
What if you could see where your website visitors most often come from? This would be a mighty insight to help direct digital marketing efforts to the place where you’re most likely to get results. Google Analytics allows businesses to see this data. A quick click on Acquisition, then to Channels, and Google Analytics show you exactly where your website visitors are coming from, and allow you to tailor campaigns to reach your most engaged market.
2. Conversions/Goal Completions Overview
Google Analytics allows you to set up conversions, or goal completions, to track desired actions on your website and how many times they have been completed. This means that businesses can program Google Analytics to learn what their desired outcome looks like and then track when this is being achieved. Companies can even add a monetary value for each conversion/goal completion so that this information can go into business reports. If you have a website or run a campaign without goal completions set up in Google Analytics, you’ve missed out on valuable data.
3. E-commerce Overview
The beauty of e-commerce is the ability to track everything, from where your customers have come from (which can be found through Acquisition Channels), to learning about the business transactions that have gone through the site. Are customers dropping off at the last step? Is there a product with unusually low sales? Or one with high sales? All of this information can be gathered through Google Analytics and harnessed to improve the shopping experience and boost product sales.
4. Landing Page Performance
Landing pages play a critical role in online advertising. Setting up landing page performance allows businesses to track the success of their ad campaigns, both from the campaign level and in terms of what happens to the customer once they reach the landing page. Google Analytics can show businesses which landing pages are performing, and which are not so that they can compare and tweak layouts to optimise performance.
Beyond these four areas, there are innumerable ways that businesses can leverage Google Analytics to enhance the performance of their website and their digital marketing campaigns. Data gives insight, and analytics bring that insight to life, giving businesses the ability to predict, make changes, track and continually enhance their online performance.
In today’s online world, no business can afford to miss the benefits of Google Analytics.
If you’re not sure where to start, why not get in touch with AdVisible? We’re the go-to digital marketing agency in Sydney for all things Google Analytics.
