The ability to measure numerous metrics is one of the biggest advantages of digital marketing. Among the best measurement tools for doing so is Google Analytics.
However, if you’re a newcomer to the world of tracking user behaviour and measuring website performance, you might have this frequently asked question: what is Google Analytics, and how does it work?
If you’re unsure and confused, don’t panic; this guide contains everything you need to know. We’ll explain how to set up Google Analytics, how it works, and answer other common questions about this popular – and highly effective – tool.
What Is Google Analytics?
What is Google analytics, exactly? To avoid any confusion, we’ll take the definition straight from Google itself:
“Google Analytics is a platform that collects data from your websites and apps to create reports that provide insights into your business.”
These insights include how many people visit your website, audience demographics, page loading speed, and the effectiveness of your marketing campaigns. This data then helps to analyse and improve your marketing efforts – including search engine optimisation (SEO).
For example, say you run a small eCommerce store and want to learn more about your website visitors. With Google Analytics, you can discover how many people have visited your online store over a given timeframe. Not only that, but you can also find out their location, how they found your site, the device they used to access your website, and a whole lot more.
Is Google Analytics Free?
After discovering what are Google Analytics, those that haven’t signed up for an account yet generally ask this follow-up question: is Google Analytics free? The answer: Yes!
You don’t have to pay an outright fee to use Google Analytics or sign up for a subscription service. Like many other tools the search engine giant supplies, it’s free of charge.
What Is a Metric in Google Analytics?
So, you know what is Google Analytics, and you know that it’s free of charge. The next question to answer: what is a metric in Google Analytics?
According to its technical definition, a metric is a quantitative measurement. In the digital marketing realm, it’s a dimension – a set of data – that helps you analyse website and marketing performance.
Although the definition is straightforwards, it’s not simply a case of knowing what is a metric in Google Analytics. You also need to know what metrics are available – and which ones you should track for your website.
With this in mind, here’s a list of important Google Analytics metrics to monitor:
- Number of users
- Average session duration
- Average pages per session
- Average time on page
- Bounce rate
- Organic traffic vs. paid sessions
- Google Ads
- Email open rate
- Top search queries
- Pages with the most visits
- Conversion rates
What Is a Dimension in Google Analytics?
Metrics and dimensions go hand-in-hand – but what is a dimension in Google Analytics? While metrics are quantitative measurements and give you numerical data, dimensions are attributes that are applied to the data.
Say you’re looking at the number of visitors to your website. You can then apply a dimension such as “city”, where you only see data from visitors within a specific location. For example, you could use “London” as the city, which will display the metrics with that dimension in place.
How to Set Up Google Analytics
You have all of the basic information you need. Next, it’s time to understand how to use Google Analytics. That begins with learning how to set up Google Analytics.
The good news is that it’s incredibly easy to start up. Simply sign up for a free Analytics account at: https://www.google.com/analytics/. Once there, click the “Get started today” button and follow the instructions.
When your account is created, you then have to set up the service on your website. Once you have arranged different attributes for your “Property” (your website), such as currency and time zone, you add a “data stream” (again, your site) to your Google Analytics account.
However, for data collection to occur, you must add your Analytics tag to your website – and this step depends on the configuration of your site. For instance, if your website is on WordPress, you’ll need to go to Tools > Marketing > Traffic – here, there’s a handy “Google Analytics Measurement ID” box that allows you to enter your tag. Though this method is easy, the process can be trickier if you want to add the tag manually.
Conclusion
You no longer need to wonder how does Google Analytics work. With this in-depth guide, you know how to get started, you know about metrics and dimensions, and you know how to use Google Analytics. The next step is to sign up for an account and start enjoying the numerous benefits this platform offers!
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What are Google Analytics without knowing how to use the platform correctly? Once your account is up and running, it’s all too easy to get overwhelmed by the masses of data and features the application has. As such, you’ll need to practice and test out different metrics and filters, navigate the platform, and gain an understanding of how everything works.
For more tips on how to use Google Analytics, we’ve answered a few frequently asked questions below about the tool’s particular features:
Goals are used to measure website performance against your target objectives. If you’re wondering how to set up goals in Google Analytics, you first go to the “View” column and select “Goals”. You can then set goals such as events, duration, and destination – a task made easy using the Google’s provided goal templates.
An audit into Google Analytics is an independent assessment of the current configuration of your account. This is done to ensure that the accuracy, relevancy, and quality of your gathered insights are in optimum shape.
You may have seen the term “secondary dimension”. This option simply adds an extra layer of sorting and/or aggregation to generate a more specific report analysis. For example, “City” can be used as a primary dimension, while “User type” is the secondary dimension.
Do you want to remain GDPR compliant and anonymize your IP address? If so, it’s possible. To learn how to anonymize IP in Google analytics, you can use the anonymize IP feature provided by Analytics.
