Cutting Through the Google Analytics Data Clutter
Google continues to add complexity to the Google Analytics tool. It is great to be able to take a deep dive, but Google Analytics data can also be overwhelming. Here’s a guide to getting the insight from analytics that you most often need.
Page Level Analysis
Google analytics data can tell you how popular a page is and if it’s worth the effort to spend time and resources on the page. Go to the All pages report in Google Analytics: Behavior> Site content and search for the page
- Note the overall position among all pages
- Note how often the first page or “entrance page” is visited
Click on the page name to see the metrics of that page. Try to understand what the metrics are saying and how it compares to the site’s average.
Trend Analysis
Look at the page over time by expanding the date range of the data. Does the page perform best during certain days, weeks or months of the year?
Session Level Analysis
In the Sessions area, go to landing pages and look at the All Pages report. The number of pages per session, the bounce rate and the number of new users can all be insightful.
Google Search Console Analysis
In addition to Google Analytics data, take a look at Google Search Console to find information about the keywords that your site ranks for. Go to your Google Search Console account and click on Search results. You can look at data for your entire website or filter to look at a specific page.
Listen to the Data
Analytics and search data can help you get the most from your efforts to market online. Pick a few data views that are most meaningful to you and take time to review them periodically. Also, look for other sources for great data to inform your digital marketing.
