With so many factors at play with how well our business may be doing on the web, many questions might arise: How do we track how well we’re advertising online? How do we know where to allocate funds or time and energy? Are these investments getting the return that we’re looking for?
In the world of marketing, we know that tracking and analytics is the unsung hero of digital marketing strategy. Google Analytics is one of those ultra-useful tools that can direct your business to a better understanding of your consumer behavior, which can lead to marketing structure changes and ultimately more conversions and more cash in your pocket.
Whether it is why certain videos pop up in our For You Page on Tiktok, what ads we see on Instagram, or the ranking of search results when we’re googling, algorithms determine much of what dictates what we’re seeing online.
It’s essential to optimize the free and available tools to put yourself in the algorithm’s favor.
This is where analytics comes in. With insider knowledge of Google’s analytics system and the new GA4 programming attached with it, GoBeyond’s mission to deliver exceptional digital marketing has us ready to help you understand and optimize using Google Analytics to move your business to the next level.
Digital Analytics: The Basics
The goal of marketing is to get potential users interested, engaged, and then converted to customers. Before the world of the internet, these trends were difficult to identify and articulate. With digital analytics, however, we can track user data and make smarter decisions about the way we show up and engage with consumers online.
Now, with the technology available to us, we can in real-time assess user behavior. By making this information trackable, it becomes predictable. When it becomes predictable, we can control it in our favor. This means a higher return on investment, consumer loyalty, and effective branding without guessing games and throwing paint at a wall to see what sticks. This means more consumers converted to customers and more time.
With Google Analytics, it’s also free.
Google Analytics: What You Need to Know
Google Analytics is a platform that collects data from your apps and sites. From there, it creates detailed reports that give you insights into your business. Specifically, Google Analytics can isolate and track each individual that comes across your organization and tell you information about their experience.
This data can be used to show where marketing is successful, which products or services are garnering people’s attention, how much traffic your site is getting, or the frequency of clicks on a video on your website, among many other things.
There are two major ways Google Analytics functions. The first is Measurement.
With a Google Analytics account and a small piece of code added to your sites, Google Analytics uses a tracking code to determine pseudonymous information about how that user interacted with your page or pages. The measurement code is the data collection feature of Google Analytics. Anything from language to geography to how they got to your site in the first place are all trackable pieces of information to gain insight on who is interested in your business and how they’re engaging with you.
The second part of the Google Analytics system is processing and reporting. Once the measurement code collects the data, it packages that information and organizes it, resulting in reports. These reports can be customized to your goals or interests. Once that data is processed, it is stored in a database that can be viewed in your reports. However, that data will not change. An important facet of Google Analytics is its ability to translate user data as it is, not as you wish it would be. This can be an awakening and empowering step for a business owner.
Data doesn’t lie. A key advantage of using Google Analytics is its objectivity.
For example, if you introduce a new marketing campaign and find that suddenly there is a massive uptick in visits to your site because of that campaign, that is data that is useful to you in creating campaigns in the future. Alternatively, if there is evidence suggesting people viewing your site on a mobile device never make it to the purchase confirmation page, it could be a signal that there is a bug or design flaw in your mobile view.
The data has real world application. The data can change your business.
The New GA4: What’s the Update
GA4 is the newest update that has been rolled out from Google Analytics. If your company has already been implementing Universal Analytics from Google, there is a way to convert over to the most updated version, Google Analytics 4. If you’re looking to stay on the cutting edge of your reporting and to get the most out of your Google Analytics measurements, it’s important to make the switch sooner rather than later.
Here are some key feature updates:
- An updated search bar to find the information you’re looking for faster
- Added search terms to more easily access the data streams you’re looking for
- A feature that allows you to see and manage up to 7 different Google Analytics 4 properties based on search terms
- Analyze information about your products or services separately from analyzing important e-commerce interactions
- New e-commerce dimensions and metrics
- Name changes to be more intuitive and user-friendly
Technology is changing rapidly, all the time. Being on the forefront of the trends and technology updates can save your business its most valuable resource – time.
How We Can Help
You’ve got a lot going on. While the importance of Google Analytics is clear, the nuance of its utilization cannot be understated. If you’re investing all of this time into Google Analytics, it’s clear you care about your business and the data you’re collecting.
If you cannot properly read the reporting on that data or can’t decipher its impacts and application, it can have a counterintuitive impact on your business strategy. A misread of important data can result in a decision pushing your marketing in an antithetical, less profitable direction.
While the reporting and implementation of Google Analytics is accessible to all, the ability to properly use and manage the application will determine its usefulness to you and your business. The Google Analytics program’s success for you is dependent on your goals, strategy, and ability to determine what configurations best suit your company.
Let an expert walk you through it. We’re ready to help you. Contact us for a free call to talk about Google Analytics and other strategies you can use to level up your business.
