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The Five Most Important Things You Can Learn From Google Analytics

Considering that we as a collective society have started using the term ‘Google’ as a verb, it’s safe to say that this media giant is a part of the consciousness that is us. As such, for those that run a business, it only makes good sense to use Google Analytics to understand how to run that business better.

Yeah, that’s the rub there — does using Google Analytics actually make it easier to run your business? With so many tools at your disposal, you should be able to run your business as optimally as possible. But that’s not how it usually works. Think of the wannabe musician who walks into a guitar store but can’t play a single note. Put them in a room with thousands of dollars of the best equipment available. Guess what’ll happen? You guessed it — expensive noise.

In short, Google Analytics, while one of the most comprehensive business tools ever created, can be overwhelming. But it doesn’t have to be. It’s all in how you approach it, much the same way you do in running your business. Your operation will likely be different from your competition, even though you’re in the same industry. Sure, some overlap, but still different. You’ll most certainly operate differently from another industry altogether.

As such, approaching Google Analytics should be the same. Focus on the things that make sense to you. Now, that’s all well & good, but there are still a few things that all business owners should look over with some regularity. For example: 

How Visitors Interact

The people that move around in & around your website are interested in something. They came there with a purpose or maybe they stumbled on it. Either way, you want to see how they’re moving around to get a feel for understanding how well your site works.

What Visitors Do

Analyzing visitor behavior lets you refine your site & make your content better. It makes the visitor experience worthwhile & people want to come back. When you know how folks purchase or shop, for example, you can design ads & campaigns a little better. 

When They Leave

You might think that a website visitor leaving would be problematic. In reality, it’s a great opportunity to find out why they left. Where on the site were they when they opted to go somewhere else? If there are patterns between visitors, maybe it’s a good time to optimize a particular page to get folks more interested so they continue rather than leave.

Marketing Channel Traffic

The best way to know how best to invest more into marketing through a certain avenue is to know if it’s getting results. Google Analytics actually gives some great insight into knowing where your visitors are coming from. This piece of data can be golden, especially for those on tight budgets who are stretching every marketing dollar.

Device Compatibility

We live in a much more mobile world. However, that doesn’t mean that everyone is on a mobile device when online. Can your site cater to both types of visitor? An even more important question might be whether it’s actually better to prioritize one user experience over another based on the data you’re getting.

When Google is A Little Over Your Head

Maybe the most important thing you can learn from Google Analytics is the most obvious — you can’t make heads or tails out of the data. And that’s OK. This means it might be time, and a solid investment in your business, to work with an outside firm who can break down your data into something usable. Remember, data isn’t information until it has purpose, so make it work for you.

An Austin advertising agency like MindEcology can teach you more about Google Analytics than you’d imagine. A free consultation today might just blow your mind in all the right ways.