client Report Template
GA PROJECT – PHASE 1 – MORE SUGGESTIONS
I have just graded a set of GA Phase 1 papers from another section and the results weren’t as high as I hoped.
Consequently, I would like to provide some more suggestions based on the submissions I saw.
1. This is a compilation of the most meaningful data you can pull from GA for your client. At the end, read your
document and ask yourself what value you are bringing. That will determine your grade. If I have to ask myself
“So what?” after reading anything in your report, there will be no grades awarded to that portion of the report.
For example, I still have students saying “Site bounce rate is 55% which is not good.” That means nothing – first
of all, you’re assuming there is a “good” and “bad” bounce rate. Secondly, you have not segmented the data to
understand why bounce rate is what it is. Thirdly, you are not looking to see how the data is trending over time.
2. I should know what date range you’re looking at AND which custom segment you have applied. You can put this
in the header or in a quick couple of lines to start your report.
3. Don’t explain bounce rate, meta titles, etc… I will assume you know what they are and why they’re important.
You don’t have the space for lengthy definitions. I’m looking for a content rich, action-packed 3-5 pages. The
best of the best.
4. Watch spelling and grammar. If the doc flows poorly, is riddled with errors, or is hard to understand your grade
will be low. This is a post-grad program and expectations for quality of writing are VERY high. Your docs next
semester are sent into industry and to Google. There is no tolerance for poor writing.
5. Include visuals to support your document when needed (but not when they don’t ADD value and help me
understand). If you’re talking about a page on your client’s site, include a small screencap and point to the areas
you’re referring to. Be sure to label all visuals and refer to them in the body of the report. They shouldn’t occupy
the bulk of the report though – one student took up 3 of 5 pages with visuals leaving no space for content. Do
NOT include screen caps from GA (create your own charts if necessary).
FYI – there are no marks for just submitting a paper. If you are not demonstrating proficiency, integrating
learnings from class, and providing value, the grade will be zero. It will not be 50% just because you handed
something in. Have no fear though – I also awarded a few 100% grades.
I am providing below a few samples of good analysis and poor analysis and my explanations for what I like and
don’t like.
Source: student paper fall 2016 – GOOD EXAMPLE
1c. USER EXPERIENCE – Frequented Landing Pages & Bounce Rate
Observations: Following the home page, the second most frequented landing page on the site (with 7.47% of
landing page sessions) is the Families & Kids program page. The 61.97% bounce rate on this page is also
significantly higher than the average (45.73%), which implies improvements should be made on the page.
Implications: Since in over 7% of the time, the Family & Kids program page is viewers’ gateway to the site, effort
must be made to put the Museum’s best foot forward on this page
to ensure users are getting what they need from the content and
are satisfied with the user experience.
Recommendations: Upon review of the page, it’s clear there is a
lot of content to scroll through. It may be worth revisiting how this
content is presented. The page may also benefit from using visuals
to ‘sell’ the different programming. For example, the Tate Modern Gallery in England displays its various
programs in a visually appealing way that is easy to digest (http://www.tate.org.uk).
Liz - What do I like:
1. The observation, implication, and recommendations breakdown. This will ensure you’re drawing meaning from all of the data you find.
2. The supporting screencap (if it’s not clear where I’m to look make sure you label it and refer to Figure X in the document).
3. The student remembered that when analyzing bounce rate, you have to be looking at landing pages. You can’t have a bounce without a land. Liz - What don’t I like:
1. The assumption that a 62% bounce rate is bad. Perhaps users are content because they found everything they needed on the page. Just make sure you rule that out.
2. A small screencap of the client’s page in question should also be included so we can see the comparison. It would add value and help me to visualize what the student is talking about.
3. In the recommendations I would have liked to see answers to these questions: a. As a first touchpoint with customers, how does the landing page stack up? Does it begin the relationship in the
right way? b. Are we giving users a reason to connect with us again in the future, knowing this is the last touchpoint we will
have with many of them?
Source: student paper fall 2016 – POOR EXAMPLE
Meta Titles:
The meta title for Downtown London Yoga could use some work. Meta titles should be a good indicator
of content on the page. It makes for a good user experience, and tells visitors what they can expect to see on the
website. Meta titles should be unique on each page. When you search London yoga, Downtown London Yoga
appears to be under the fold. Since most people when they are looking for something on any search engine, they
are more likely to click on a website that is above the fold. Also, the meta titles are duplicated on a few pages, as
well as in all caps on the website. They are duplicated on “Home”, “Courses”, “Schedule, Payments”, “Teachers”
and “Newsletters Subscribe”.
Liz - What I don’t like: Nowhere do I see suggestions for new meta titles which was the whole point here – what is the old one, what is your new suggestion. This should be set up in a chart and best practices as discussed in class implemented. The document is designed to be an action-packed list of recommendations the SME can implement right away.
Source: student paper fall 2016 – POOR EXAMPLE
User Experience Beyond that the homepage is clean, well laid out and I believe I can get to the important stuff rather quickly. For example it is easy to find what types of law your firm practices, I get recent news that could apply to me, and I can clearly see how to contact you. There is also a quick right up about your partners which puts a face to a name so to speak and creates a connection which also allows for an easy to get more information on these particular partners.
Liz - What I don’t like:
1. This is not an exercise in what you think about your client’s site but rather what the GA data indicates. You must use the data to create hypotheses for testing. Always connect your statements with GA data. It’s not about YOU – it’s about the target audience and the only way to understand what they think is to look at the data.
This by contrast is better than above….
If we take a look at the popularity of pages on the site by pageview then we can see the page getting the most traffic is the homepage, which is expected. The second most viewed page is /contact-us/ again highlighting the need to bring contact information above the fold on every page of the site to make this local information as easy to find as possible. What is concerning is the lack of pageviews for 2 core site pages that are integral to the conversion funnel. Before customers buy a product of this nature, we believe they need to: -see what you do -see samples of your work -hear what others have to say -know what you charge -contact you Google Analytics data leads us to believe the site is not working in the most optimal way to facilitate that sales cycle. /before-after-pictures/ is the 6th most popular in terms of pageviews and is only seen in 15% of all site visits. archives/category/comments/ (customer testimonial page) is the 10th most popular in terms of pageviews and is only seen in 9% of all site visits To ensure the highest conversion rate possible, this content should be viewed by more site visitors.
Liz - What I like: An evaluation of UX and website layout is linked directly to GA data, not gut feeling. What the customer wants in the website has been explored. The student gave thought to the conversion process and the content that would be needed to support that process and bring more users further down the funnel. Liz - What I don’t like: This fabulous discussion needs to be followed up with a recommendations section that outlines HOW the business should make that content more accessible. Provide screencaps of the existing site to illustrate why users might not be hitting on the content, and provide samples of competitive sites who are doing a better job. Outline a clear to-do list the business owner can follow in implementing changes to the site.