Google Analytics. Those two little words can make us either very excited or very afraid, depending on our experience with the data. Whatever your feelings towards analytics are, everyone can agree that tracking data is incredibly important. In the rapidly changing and technologically-advanced world we find ourselves in today, making the most of that information is more critical than ever. 

While one article can’t serve as your one-stop-shop for all things Google Analytics (start here for that), it can help you take advantage of all the program has to offer. See how many of these tips you can incorporate into your data tracking this week.

I am Inimitable. I am an Original.

A cursory glance at a Google Analytics report can show you general statistics about your audience, but it’s even more valuable to go deeper. By identifying your target demographics, Google Analytics can uncover specific trends within those select audience groups. These groups can be manually established and tracked by age, gender, interests, etc. (Audience > Behavior). Understanding the balance of new and returning visitors, frequency of website visits, and engagement are all important measurements Google Analytics provides.

One-Hit Wonders

Google Analytics can also highlight key trends at a micro level which are easy to miss otherwise. The Intelligence Events feature allows you to set custom parameters for unusual website activity. Whether it’s a 200% increase in traffic to one web page on one day, or a sharp decline in visitors completing a particular goal, Intelligence Events capture key isolated events that may get lost in the big picture. 

Who Tells Your Story

If several members of your team have access to your Google Analytics account, be sure to include annotations on key data points. Including the date and a short description at these significant points allows you and your team to better understand the data and the situation surrounding it. This is even more critical for the future: years down the road, a timely note about a trend could bring clarity to historical company data. Simply click the down arrow below a report, and choose “Create New Annotation.” If some information is more restricted (or if you’re an external processor and want to comment on everything without overwhelming your team), these annotations can be marked private or only shared with specific individuals.

History Repeats Itself-Except When it Doesn’t

Many of us love the convenient “Compare to Previous Period” function. Seems like the most straightforward means of viewing trends historically, right? While it is helpful to compare current results to previous trends, be mindful of how you construct these parameters. A comparison to the five-day period before the current period will be set automatically according to calendar days, not workdays. A comparison of one Monday through Friday will likely differ from that of one Wednesday through Sunday, so be sure to manually establish the parameters you want.  Especially in the current unique marketing climate, use historical data carefully. 

The Room Where It Happens

This is more of an HR tip than a how-to, but it’s worth noting. If you’re the primary leader of a business or organization, be sure your group’s account belongs to you. This doesn’t mean you have to be primarily responsible for the data - in fact, if reading data or understanding basic HTML code fills you with fear, you probably shouldn’t. Absolutely share access with your marketing team, webmaster, etc. However, if one of these individuals owns the account and has to leave their position at any point, all of your analytics data leaves with them. 

Google Analytics takes the guesswork out of marketing, and it is an invaluable tool for your team. Data-driven decisions allow your team to make changes that best serve your employees and your customers. The time investment will be well worth it in the end, so start today!