Use dynamic tagging to get started with Analytics
Due to changes to privacy regulations in recent years, first-party cookies are the most reliable form of measurement – this means you should implement “dynamic tagging” when setting up Google Analytics, most commonly done through Google Tag Manager. Google Tag Manager allows you to manage your tags across several platforms such as Google Ads and Analytics and your Customer Relationship Manager such as Hubspot, in one place, making it easier to understand how future clients are interacting with your business and identify opportunities to engage with them.
Use Goals to Measure Conversions
There’s lots of relevant information you can obtain from your Analytics account, but to master Google Analytics you need to set your goals. Don’t overcomplicate this – your goal is the ultimate business result you want to achieve through your website activity. Conversions will allow you to measure how well you’re achieving these objectives, and take actions to improve your performance.
Focus on your key stats
Most people open up Google Analytics and go straight to look at the number of users who have visited their site. This isn’t unimportant, but it is a vanity metric that doesn’t really tell you much about your performance. Use the basic Audience overview to get a gist of whether your brand awareness goals are being reached by all of your activity, and then drill deeper to understand how your focus KPIs are performing.
Know what’s working and what’s not
Always dive into the context of the data you’re seeing to understand the why, and make sure your decisions are justified. However, once you’ve done your due diligence, don’t be afraid to react to what you learn from your Google Analytics data. Spot drop-offs in the user journey to streamline your website, and identify your most successful sources of traffic to re-evaluate and re-budget your media and campaigns.
Stand out from your competition
Are you looking for ways to diversify your marketing content, and make it more interesting to your audience? Google Analytics has some great features you might never have discovered, which can help you do just that. For example, try navigating to the Interests overview within the Audience section, where Analytics can give you insight into subjects your website visitors care about. Why is this helpful? Well, it might just help you come up with some great ideas for to capture their attention and get them relating to your content, as well as helping you fill out “Interests” fields in Ad platforms such as Facebook and Google.
Review reports regularly
How often should you check your Google Analytics data? At Korero, we tend to review our main KPIs weekly to keep an eye on performance, but conduct a deeper dive at the end of each month to see a wider picture. However, it’s crucial to also pay close attention to your measurements in the hours and days following a major update to your website, to make sure you don’t see any negative impact, or to confirm the desired improvements are taking effect.
Benchmark past performance
Google Analytics will allow you to view reports covering any date range in the past where the Analytics tag has been up and running. The “compare to” option, available in the date range selector, is a key tool in giving your reports context. KPIs don’t tell you much unless you look at them alongside relevant past performance – the “compare to” function will chart your two selected date ranges side by side so you can see how any changes you have made have affected performance.
Find your most valuable users
Remembering that conversions are your ultimate goal, use Google Analytics to learn about who you should be targeting, and where, for the best chance of a conversion. Which demographic is responding most to your Ads and social media activity, and are they the most likely to convert? Which channel is most efficient in generating leads, and is your budget distribution reflective of that? These are key lessons to understand, and should be one of your main focus points when reviewing Analytics data.
Looking for help getting the most from Google Analytics, or managing your digital channels? Get in touch with Korero today to find out how we can support your marketing and PR needs.