Top 7 ways Google Analytics can enhance your website

Google Analytics is one of the best ways to learn about your business, customers, and if you’re smart enough- use it to develop and improve your business. It collects data and will provide you with statistics and other analytical tools that can be used for search engine optimisation (SEO), marketing and many other purposes. Perhaps one of the best parts, since it’s monitored and ran by Google- it’s available for free to anyone with a Google account.

Before you’ve even found out why Google Analytics is such a brilliant tool for your business, you might as well install it by creating a free account. If you don’t have a Google account, set one up first and then continue reading. For further help on adding Google Analytics to your site, click here.

Finding your way around Google Analytics:

Below is what your Google Analytics account will look like upon setup:

Here are some of the key details to know in order to navigate your Analytics account effectively:

1. Search Bar. In the top middle lies your search bar, where you can locate reports and help content.
2. Navigation pane. The row along the right gives you access to (from top to bottom): Home, Reports, Explore, Advertising, Configure and Admin (bottom left).
3. Stream setup. The red bar along the top is the place to-go upon your accounts creation. It allows you to fully link your website and begin collecting data.
4. Reports. Once you link your website, the light blue box in the centre of your page will start to display the reports you select from the navigation pane.

So, you have an account, now start fully utilising the benefits it gives you:

Google Analytics won’t just work in the background for you- it’s up to you to take advantage of all the features that Google Analytics has to offer. So, let’s take a look at the top benefits offered by Google Analytics:

1 – Reducing your bounce rate.

A bounce rate is how many visitors leave your website at a certain page. Google Analytics will give you the bounce rate of your site and offer you numerous ways to reduce it. This may be through design and development, more in-depth, appealing content, and an overall better user experience. By taking on this feedback, you’ll be making your website more engaging for visitors and keeping them on your site for longer.

2 – Using location information to learn more about your customers.

By turning on geographical location for your Google Analytics, you can discover information about where your customers are visiting from. This can help you see where your majority of visitors are from and then using this to appeal to them. Once you find out this key information, you can then set up location-specific content, marketing campaigns or even a sub-domain if you wish to!

As well as look at where your website is prospering, you can also take a look at where needs improving, and set growth-related goals for these areas to track your progress.

3 – Search Engine Optimisation.

SEO is one of the most important things you need to learn in order to successfully expand your online business. One of the most basic yet important aspects of SEO is using keywords appropriately and effectively in order to rank higher on search engine pages. With your Analytics account and Google’s search console, you can view what keywords are trending and how you can implement them into your website. These little details and improvement will make a big differences in moving your website’s name higher on those search pages- reaching even more people!

4 – Set yourself goals.

Setting goals Via your Analytics account is one of the most effective yet overlooked tools offered to you. Setting goals once you’ve collected information allows you to monitor your improvement as your website grows. It also is guaranteed to make you feel good about the progress you’re making! Additionally, you may want to set monetary values to specific actions and then measure it’s viability.

5 – Segmentation.

By using Google Analytics, segmenting your user market becomes incredibly easy. The service offers you in-depth information about your clients that you can use to target certain campaigns. Whether it’s by location, visitation frequency or how they found your website, Google Analytics offers you a plethora of ways to segment your visitors and then effectively target them.

6 – Analyse other websites.

It’s not cheating! Google Analytics will offer you the chance to take a sneaky peak at your competition’s data. By comparing aspects such as web traffic, you can then see what other website’s are doing effectively and then adapt that for your own site.

In terms of making further comparisons between websites, you can use platforms like GTmetrix to compare the performance of yours and other websites. Remember: there’s a big difference between analysing and then adapting, and blatant copying. It’s important to distinguish your website and still make it stand out above the rest!

7 – Finding the best advertising platforms.

Your website isn’t your only platform. Most companies will have a Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and other relevant social media. It’s crucial to establish your presence there too, through social media campaigns and advertising. However, this can come at a cost- so you have to make sure you’re not wasting your money on useless advertising.

Google Analytics can help with this! They can provide you with data that’ll give an idea of what social media your visitors use regularly. This allows you to prioritise Social Media Marketing on the places where it will make the biggest impact.

8 – Use Analytics to develop your site.

After looking at all of this information, and taking in all of the reports- it’s up to you to take the next steps. Google Analytics offers you a mountain of ways you can improve your website but it’s no good if you don’t take action. By implementing these new skills to your site- you will soon start to reap the rewards that come with Google Analytics. To take even more advantage of Google Analytics, find out how you can use the feature in email marketing.

I can’t tell you what to do next or how to improve. All I can tell you is how happy you’re going to be once you have. I hope this article has helped outline how beneficial Google Analytics can be to your website- and that you use Google Analytics to it’s full advantage!