Better Google Analytics: Meaningful Insights from Data James Little Chief Innovator, Destination Toolbox @bransonjames destinationtoolbox.com
Managers Suffer from Analysis Paralysis We have more - and better - data than ever before BUT we are drowning in the millions of data points at our disposal Many managers are overwhelmed and relying on their data less and less
Managers make better decisions IF they have understandable and timely data linked to the organization s goals
The Secrets to Getting Actionable Info Stop caring about global data! Aggregate info tells us very little Total site visits Monthly pageviews Average time on site Average bounce rate Facebook followers
Typical Google Analytics Dashboard Stats only a webmaster could love kinda
5 Steps to Getting Usable Information from Google Analytics
The Secrets to Getting Actionable Info Step 1: Enable GA Demographics Optional, free upgrade to your analytics Gives you additional data about your visitors: Age Gender Affinity Categories (and sometimes additional preferences) Comes from 3rd party data (Big data, ad pixels, etc)
Demographics Data in Google Analytics
The Secrets to Getting Actionable Info Step 2: Segment analysis Define your audiences Common user segments Demographic Geographic Socio-economic Behavioral A segment is simply people grouped together by shared characteristics
Setting up Segments in Google Analytics Click Add Segment to start customizing your audiences Configure manually...or Google has 80 pre-defined Affinity Categories that match AdWords targeting Interest clusters, so they don t line up exactly with lifestyle clusters like PersonicX
The Secrets to Getting Actionable Info Step 3: Define Meaningful KPIs KPI = Key Performance Indicator Look at your strategic plan for your short-term goals The best KPIs are anything you can track that affects these goals or as close to tracking them as you can get
The Secrets to Getting Actionable Info Some good KPIs to track First visit length of stay Branded searches vs. generic searches Return visitor engagement Article engagement Click to call Video plays App downloads Contact form submissions Newsletter signups Email open rate Email click-through rate Ad click-through rate Organic SEO click-through rate Others to track outside of GA Social Interactions Net Promoter Score Customer sentiment Share of Voice
Setting up Goals in Google Analytics If your KPIs touch your website at any point, you can track it Up to 20 goals per site Can assign monetary value to each goal completion
Tip: Turn on Funnel Visualization for your Goal Easily see entrances and exits on the path to completing your goal Especially important if you have an online store Can identify technical or content problems
How to Get Even Better Actionable Intel Look at your goal completions by segment Identify underperforming segments to research more fully
The Secrets to Getting Actionable Info Step 4: Use Event Tracking Upgrades your ability to track things like: Outbound clicks Onsite link performance, A/B testing of elements Video and audio interactions Can track events v. segments and goals Not enabled by default in GA A small javascript is added to a link, button or element
The Secrets to Getting Actionable Info Step 5: Use UTM Tags in Links Important to include in any links you control All Your Online Ads Newsletters Can be used to get deeper insights on your Social Media links Gives you robust tracking of inbound traffic Example of UTM link: www.site.com/article?utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter&utm_campaign=seminarians2016
Some Advanced Techniques
Advanced: Follow Your Audience After Your Site Transfer your GA segments to Adwords and set a retargeting pixel Most useful if you re buying ads Create a custom audience pixel in Facebook Track your website visitors in Facebook Insights Can use for organic targeting or paid ads Create look alike targeting Use Facebook Audience Insights built-in PersonicX clusters that match your segments
Advanced: External Dashboards Analytics API can be linked to 3rd party dashboards and analysis tools Can overlap GA with non-internet data Print subscriptions Phone calls Etc. Gives you real-time intel Great for reporting to external stakeholders
Advanced: Additional Reporting Tools Many good services can track extra info, social mentions, blog posts, etc. Great way to compare yourself with other publishers or sites Some are free, some are very pricey! Google Analytics 360 Adobe Analytics TrackMaven SimplyMeasured Sprout Social Sysomos Quantcast Salesforce Marketing Cloud Social Mention AgoraPulse BuzzSumo Meltwater Buzz Hootsuite Kompyte
Questions & Discussion James Little james@destinationtoolbox.com @bransonjames This presentation is at: DestinationToolbox.com/july12