As it becomes more and more common for businesses to use websites to promote and offer extra services and products, the question of how to understand exactly what impact the website has on the business often comes up. Website owners want to know who is visiting their site, for how long, how many times, and from where; This data offers helpful insight into the effectiveness of the website and gives businesses an opportunity to improve their marketing.
Google Analytics is a tool, offered by Google that collects data on everyone that visits the website that it is installed for and helps the owners of these websites understand their visitors.
Features
Google Analytics offers nine areas of analysis for websites and mobile apps. Along with showing reports of the effectiveness of a website’s advertising, the Advertising and Campaign Performance feature contains a Search Engine Optimization section, which shows businesses how different keywords in a Google search lead viewers to their website.
The Analysis and Testing section offers content experiments and custom reports; Data Collection and Management allows websites to test out different plugins and applications. Cross-device management and :just for mobile apps” are two features that focus on the use of Google Analytics beyond just websites.
Another Google Analytics feature is Product Integrations, which includes other products such as Google+ and AdWords; furthermore, the Sales and Conversions feature allows websites to track e-commerce. Site and App Performance describes how visitors interact with each page; and perhaps most importantly, the Audience Characteristics and Behavior section offers insight into the types of visitors to each website, their locations, and their browsers or operating systems.
Benefits
The benefits of using Google Analytics are numerous, as each feature offers its own useful options for your website or app. One of the most important benefits is simply understanding who visits your site and where these visitors come from; knowing this can help you decide towards whom to gear your content and what kinds of advertisements to create. Google Analytics can also track the effectiveness of advertising you create, ensuring that you don’t waste time and money on advertisements that don’t attract customers.
Installation
Click here to read the three steps to signing up for Google Analytics and setting the tool up with your website. To start, visit the Google Analytics website and sign up for an account by clicking the “access Google Analytics” button. Then, set up your account properties to fit best with the website or app you wish to track; more information is available in Google Analytics help articles. Finally, include the tracking code – which Google Analytics provides for you – in your website or app, which allows Google to collect and track data from that source. Log in to your Google Analytics account to access the data at any time!
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