Google Analytics Tutorial with 10 questions

Currently, there are two main approaches for collecting web analytics data: cookie-based tracking and server-based tracking. A third option, called universal analytics, is set to dramatically change how data is gathered and analyzed. Universal analytics is one of the most exciting examples of non-cookie-based server tracking.

How Information Is Captured 

Cookie-Based Tracking 

The most common method of capturing web analytics is to use cookie-based tracking. Here’s how it works:

1. The analyst adds a page tag (a piece of JavaScript code) to every page of the website.

2. A user accesses the page using their browser.

3. When the browser loads the page, it runs the page tag code.

4. This tag sends an array of information to a third-party server (like Google Analytics), a service that stores and collates the data.

5. The analyst accesses this data by logging in to the third-party server.

The data gathered this way can capture a wide array of factors about each visitor, from their device, operating system, and screen resolution, to their long-term behavior on your website. This is currently the most common option for most website tracking.

Server-Based Tracking 

Web servers are the computers that websites are stored on so that they can be accessed online. Server-based tracking involves looking at log files—documents that are automatically created by servers and that record all clicks that take place on the server. A new line is written in a log file every time a new request is made—for example, clicking on a link or submitting a form.

Server-based tracking is very useful for tracking mobile visitors (since many phones cannot execute the cookie-based JavaScript tags) and is also essential for universal analytics, discussed below.

Comparing the Options

Because these two options use different methods of collecting data, the raw figures produced will differ. For example, caching occurs when a browser stores some of the information for a web page, so that it can retrieve it more quickly when you return. Opening this cached page will not send a request to the server. This means that the visit won’t show up in the log files, but would be captured by page tags.

Website analytics packages can be used to measure most, if not all, digital marketing campaigns. Website analysis should always account for the various campaigns being run. For example, generating high traffic volumes by employing various digital marketing tactics such as SEO, PPC, and email marketing can prove to be a pointless and costly exercise if visitors are leaving your site without achieving one (or more) of your website’s goals. Conversion optimization aims to convert as many of a website’s visitors as possible into active customers.

Universal Analytics 

Google recently announced a new feature in its analytics suite called universal analytics. The biggest problem web analysts have faced up until now is that they can’t actually track individual people—only individual browsers (or devices), since this is done through cookies. So, if Joe visits the website from Chrome on his home computer, and Safari on his work laptop, the website will think he’s two different people. And if Susan visits the site from the home computer, also using Chrome, the website will think she’s the same user as Joe.

An additional concern is that cookies are on the decline. Most modern browsers allow users to block them, and many mobile devices simply can’t access or execute them. With growing consumer privacy concerns, and new laws like the EU Privacy Directive (which requires all European websites to disclose their cookie usage), cookies are falling out of favor.

Universal analytics allows you to track visitors (that means real people) rather than sessions. By creating a unique identifier for each customer, universal analytics means you can track the user’s full journey with the brand, regardless of the device or browser they use. So, that means you can track Joe on his home computer, work laptop, mobile phone during his lunch break, and even when he swipes his loyalty card at the point of sale.

Crucially, however, tracking Joe across devices requires both universal analytics and authentication on the site across devices. In other words, Joe has to be logged in to your website or online tool on his desktop, work laptop, and mobile phone in order to be tracked this way. If he doesn’t log in, we won’t know it’s the same person.

With universal analytics, you can glean a lot of information:

· How visitors behave depending on the device they use (e.g., browsing for quick ideas on their smartphone, but checking out through the eCommerce portal on their desktop)

· How visitor behavior changes the longer they are a fan of the brand. Do they come back more often, for longer, or less often but with a clearer purpose?

· How often they’re really interacting with your brand.

· Their lifetime value and engagement.

Another useful feature of universal analytics is that it allows you to import data from other sources into Google Analytics—for example, customer relationship management (CRM) information or data from a point-of-sale cash register. This gives a much broader view of the customers and lets you see a more direct link between your online efforts and real-world behavior.

The Type of Information Captured 

KPIs are the metrics that help you understand how well you are meeting your objectives. A metric is a defined unit of measurement. Definitions can vary among web analytics vendors depending on their approach to gathering data, but the standard definitions are provided here.

Web analytics metrics are divided into two categories:

· counts—raw figures that will be used for analysis

· ratios—interpretations of the data that is counted

Metrics can be applied to three different groupings:

· aggregate—all traffic to the website for a defined period of time

· segmented—a subset of all traffic according to a specific filter, such as by campaign (PPC) or visitor type (new visitor vs. returning visitor)

· individual—the activity of a single visitor for a defined period of time

The key metrics used in website analytics are covered in the sections below.

Building-Block Terms 

Building-block terms are the most basic web metrics. They tell you how much traffic your website is receiving. For example, looking at returning visitors can tell you how well your website creates loyalty. A website needs to grow the number of visitors who come back. An exception may be a support website, as repeat visitors could indicate that the website has not been successful in solving the visitor’s problem. Each website needs to be analyzed based on its purpose. Building-block terms include the following:

· hit—one page load (Note that hit is an outdated term that we recommend you avoid using).

· page—unit of content (downloads and Flash files can be defined as pages).

· page views—the number of times a page was successfully requested.

· visit or session—an interaction by an individual with a website consisting of one or more page views within a specified period of time.

· unique visitors—the number of individual people visiting the website one or more times within a set period of time. Each individual is counted only once.

· new visitor—a unique visitor who visits the website for the first time ever in the period of time being analyzed.

· returning visitor—a unique visitor who makes two or more visits (on the same device and browser) within the time period being analyzed.

New and Returning Visitors in Google Analytics

Visit Characteristics 

These are some of the metrics that tell you how visitors reach your website and how they move through the website. The way that a visitor navigates a website is called a click path. Looking at the referrers, both external and internal, allows you to gauge the click path that visitors take. These metrics include the following:

· entry page—the first page of a visit

· landing page—the page intended to identify the beginning of the user experience resulting from a defined marketing effort

· exit page—the last page of a visit

· visit duration—the length of time in a session

· referrer—the URL that originally generated the request for the current page

· internal referrer—a URL that is part of the same website

· external referrer—a URL that is outside of the website

· search referrer—a URL that is generated by a search function

· visit referrer—a URL that originated from a particular visit

· original referrer—a URL that sent a new visitor to the website

· clickthrough—the number of times a link was clicked by a visitor

· clickthrough rate—the number of times a link was clicked divided by the number of times it was seen (impressions)

· page views per visit—the number of page views in a reporting period divided by the number of visits in that same period to get an average of how many pages are being viewed per visit

Visitor Behavior in Google Analytics

Content Characteristics

When a visitor views a page, they have two options: leave the website, or view another page on the website. These metrics tell you how visitors react to your content. Bounce rate can be one of the most important metrics that you measure. There are a few exceptions, but a high bounce rate usually means high dissatisfaction with a web page.

· page exit ratio—number of exits from a page divided by total number of page views of that page

· single page visits—visits that consist of one page, even if that page was viewed a number of times

· bounces (or single page view visits)—visits consisting of a single page view

· bounce rate—single page view visits divided by entry pages

Conversion Metrics 

These metrics give insight into whether you are achieving your analytics goals (and through those, your overall website objectives):

· event—a recorded action that has a specific time assigned to it by the browser or the server.

· conversion—a visitor completing a target action.

Goal Conversions in Google Analytics

Mobile Metrics

When it comes to mobile data, there are no special, new or different metrics to use. However, you will probably be focusing your attention on some key aspects that are particularly relevant here—namely technologies and the user experience. Mobile metrics include the following:

· device category—whether the visit came from a desktop, mobile device, or tablet

· mobile device info—the specific brand and make of the mobile device

· mobile input selector—the main input method for the device (e.g., touchscreen, clickwheel, stylus)

· operating system—the OS that the device runs (some popular operating systems include iOS, Android, and BlackBerry)

Mobile Device Categories in Google Analytics

Now that you know what tracking is, you can use your objectives and KPIs to define what metrics you’ll be tracking. You’ll then need to analyze these results and take appropriate actions. Then the testing begins again!

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