5 things you should look for in Google Analytics -

If you have a website, chances are you have at some point encountered Google Analytics.

Designing and publishing a website is one thing, with all the bells and whistles to boot. But measuring how it’s performing, whether your target audience finds all the information they need, and how long they stay in your site is where the gold lies.

If you’ve looked into Google Analytics and not quite sure how to use it to your advantage, then this article is for you. Here are 5 of the key elements in Google Analytics that you should carefully look into and include in your monthly report.

1. How long your visitors interact with your website and its pages

In Google Analytics, this is equivalent to the average length of time your visitors spend on your website (average session duration), number of sessions for each page, and the length of time of each session per page (average time on page).

These numbers are important in determining what your target audience is looking for. The more visitors spend time in a particular page, the more commonly searched information it contains. The longer they spend on a page, the more engaging and valuable it is for the target audience. How can you make the most bang for buck for increased interactions and turn them into actual conversions? How can you replicate the success of these pages for others in your website?

In contrary, pages where the visitors spend the least time in mean that content may not be necessary in your website, or that it needs to be improved. Based on these numbers, you can assess what you can do to improve your content and how to make your pages more engaging. Do you need to add more videos in your blog posts? Should you make a list of their Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)? Should you add a lucky wheel at the homepage of your e-Commerce site?

2. What makes your visitors leave

Somehow connected to the first element is bounce rate, which is the percentage of visitors that come into your website and eventually leave. Perhaps the first question that comes to mind with regard to bounce rate is “what’s a good percentage?”

This is a tricky question, because the answer depends on several factors, including but not limited to:

the nature of your business
the industry you’re in
your target audience
your business model, i.e. e-Commerce, content site

If you’re just starting, the best way to measure your bounce rate is to set up a baseline in your first month. Compare your bounce rates month-on-month. The lower it is, the better. A high bounce rate means that a large percentage of visitors are coming to your site but are leaving after viewing only one page. This may happen for a number of different reasons:

site takes too long to load
your visitors didn’t find the information they need
too many distractions within the website
the page isn’t mobile-friendly, and they’re viewing your website from their mobile device
the page may have the information they’re looking for, but fails to lead them to another page due to lack of cross-links

3. How many visitors go back to your website

The story doesn’t end with acquiring as many visitors for your site as possible. In fact, in the grander scheme of things, your goal should be to convert your visitors.

Return visitor is a good indication of how many people go back to your website and thus, the potential for conversion. You will find this number under “Audience,” “Behavior,” then “New vs Returning Visitor.”

Having a high number of returning visitors vis-à-vis new ones shows that while they did not go through conversion at the first instance – say make a transaction or download a digital product – they are still interested enough to check out the page again.

For instance, if you have an e-Commerce site, the number of returning visitors indicate that they’re still mulling over the possibility of them buying a particular product. Maybe they’re just saving up at the moment, or still deciding if they should go for it or not. In any case, the ball is in your court. To lead them to conversion, provide relevant and engaging content to aid them during the “Consideration” phase.

Should you provide offers, deals or coupons to returning customers? Ask them to join your mailing list? Should you should add them to a marketing funnel which will keep reminding them about the product?

4. Where do your visitors come from?

You can find out where your visitors found you through Referral Traffic, found in “Real Time” then “Traffic Sources.”

Google analytics could show you how many visitors clicked through to your site from social media or another website. This number will guide you in your marketing strategies, especially when planning the channels that you’ll be most visible in. Should you do more guest blogging? Work with influencers? Beef up your social media campaign?

Smart marketers cross-post and repurpose their content across different channels, such as blogs, relevant social media platforms, thought leaders’ digital platforms, and even editorial articles from credible sites.

5. What are your most visited pages?

This element is key in finding out which of your pages are getting the most traffic. By knowing which pages get the most traction, you’ll get insights on what your visitors are looking for and which pages are providing the most value for your prospects.

In Google Analytics, you will find this under “Behaviors,” look for “Site Content” then “Landing Pages.”

Based on what the analytics show, you can optimize your landing pages through the following strategies:

Determine the common themes among the popular pages. This sheds light on what your visitors are specifically looking for.
Update your less popular pages and improve the content such that they address your visitors’ needs and interests more.
Have a careful look into your current calls-to-action (CTAs). Are they strong enough? Are they relevant for your prospects? Does it lead to the conversions you want?

Hope that you learned a bit more about Google Analytics and how you can take these sometimes overwhelming numbers into your advantage. If you have questions on how to use these elements in boosting your business growth, then leave a comment below. You can also email me@tinasendin.com or connect with me on LinkedIn!

If you find these 5 things to look for in GA, then you should also learn about the 5 amazing things that Google Analytics can do. And if you feel like you still need to dip your toes a little bit more, then here’s the Google Analytics 101 you’ve been looking for.

Credits to CXL Institute’s Growth Marketing Mini-Degree for these golden takeaways!

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