Google Analytics holds a wealth of information about your business website. The free analytics tool from Google doesn’t only track the number of visitors to your site. Google Analytics also tracks visitors’ behavior. A lot of people don’t make full use of Google Analytics. This might be partly down to the non-intuitive user interface of the service.
Even so, once you get past the confusing interface and the jargon, Google Analytics has a lot to offer. If you want to know what works and what does not on your website, you need to analyze several important metrics. Google Analytics has all the data that you will need to do that.
Some of the largest companies in the world are learning how to know their customers like never before using the combination of Google Analytics and marketing automation tools. However even small businesses can glean critical insights from their online user behavior.
Here are ten of the key metrics that a business should be tracking with Google Analytics.
1. Bounce Rate
The bounce rate shows you the percentage of visitors who left your site after viewing only one page. A high bounce rate could be a sign that people didn’t find what they expected on your website. It could also be a sign that your site is taking too long to load. Bounce rates will differ with different types of websites. As a guide, though, a 40-55% bounce rate is the average.
2. Session Duration
Google Analytics can show you the average duration of each user session on your site. Analytics will also show you the average time users spent on each page. Both these metrics are indications of the relevance and quality of your content. You can assume that the longer that someone spends on your site, the more likely they will be to convert. You can use page duration to assess the effectiveness of each of the different types of pages on your website.
3. Acquisition
The acquisition stats show you how people discovered your website. The acquisition data shows you the number of visitors broken down by source. The sources include social media, organic traffic, and Google Ads. Acquisition metrics are useful for gauging the success of search engine optimization campaigns. They will also help you assess the success of marketing and advertising campaigns.
4. Landing Pages
The landing page is the first page that a visitor arrives at when they visit your website. So, a landing page is what drew someone to your site. The landing page stats will show what types of posts are drawing people to your site. And it will help you identify the most successful keywords that you have used in your content.
5. Behavior Flow
The behavior flow shows the journey that visitors took through your website. The behavior flow graph displayed on Google Analytics looks a bit confusing. If you follow the route that people take through your site, though, it can reveal some valuable information. So, persevere with the complicated looking graph and experiment with the parameters. You might discover ways to keep visitors on your site for longer.
6. Audience
The audience data show you who your visitors are, where they live, and what type of device they use. This type of demographic data will help you refine your content to suit your target audience. Audience data will also help you discover if you are attracting the right type of people to your website.
7. Conversions
You can also track conversions with Google Analytics. Conversions might be sales, or they could be other actions taken by your visitors. You will need to do some setup before conversions will provide you with useful information. Even so, tracking conversions will provide you with some very useful detailed performance data.
8. Exit Percentage
You will find the exit percentage alongside the behavior data in Google Analytics. The exit percentage is the percentage of visitors that left your site after viewing a page. You would hope that most people exit your website after they have bought something. If exit rates are high on other pages, though, you may need to revisit the content on those pages.
9. Pages Per Session
Pages per session appear alongside acquisition source and landing page data. Pages per session show the average number of pages viewed by visitors. By analyzing the number of pages per session, you can assess how engaging your website is. Pages per session will also show you if you are attracting the right audience to your site. If people are interested in what they find on your websites, they will visit more pages per session.
10. Site Speed Statistics
The Google Analytics speed statistics are located under the behavior menu option. The speed statistics show you how fast your pages load compared to an average site. The speed at which your pages load is an important ranking factor. So, if you have any slow pages, it will be affecting your search engine rankings. Slow loading pages will also increase your bounce rates.
Conclusion
Google Analytics is a very powerful tool. It allows you to analyze in detail how your audience interacts with your website. It also allows you to see who your audience is, know who your customer is, and adapt your digital strategies accordingly. Tracking the metrics in Google Analytics will help you to refine your website. Google Analytics will also help you target your future content and marketing campaigns.
