Google Analytics Features

If you run a business for which you have a digital marketing campaign, Google Analytics is a must. It’s not just a platform you should be considering – it is one you need if you want to know exactly what is going on with your site. It is no secret that Google is the pre-eminent search engine – indeed, it towers above all the others from a colossal height – and Google Analytics is aligned with that search engine.

There are many reasons why you need what is perhaps the best data analysis tool available. The first is that you need to keep up with how Google views your website, and another is that Google Analytics is free. You can’t lose by using it, and most of its functions are performed automatically. Some of the features you will already be familiar with, but there are others that you may not be.

What can you gain from using Google Analytics? There are many reasons you need to install this software and start using it right now, so let’s have a look at some of the more interesting.

Automated Data Collection

Once you have Google Analytics installed, you can begin collecting the data you need about visitors and website performance. All that is required is that you copy a line of code to your website. Google Analytics then collects the data you want and sends it – automatically – to either Google Docs, Spreadsheets or Sites, whichever is relevant to you. This information is accessible instantly so you can start your analysis right away.

Customized Reporting

The sheer versatility of Google Analytics is what makes it appeal to many different types of users. You can choose to build your reports by many different metrics, and design them so they tell you want you want to know. This is easy to do once you have completed a few and got to know the navigation. Detailed reports can be used to analyse customer behaviour, click through rate, and many more complex details.

Internal Site Search

By creating a customized search feature you can see what visitors are searching for in your website. Google Analytics makes this possible by providing you with accurate information when you request it. The advantage of this function is that you can see where your site is performing well and perhaps where it is not and needs work. You may also see that people are searching for items or services that you do not currently prioritize, so you could be getting a greater ROI in places you are leaving alone. This function is simply essential for any business that needs to prioritize a marketing budget.

Bounce Rate

Why are visitors coming to your site and not purchasing anything? There could be many reasons – pages that are simply not interesting or informative, products they are looking for but can’t find, or difficulty navigating to where they want to be. Modern consumers want to be in the right place quickly, or they will go somewhere else. By analysing your bounce rate by page, you can see where you are losing custom and decide how to tackle it, perhaps by creating more attractive landing pages or changing the optimisation of your site.

Consumer Analysis

One of the most useful of all the tools that Google Analytics is equipped with is that which tells you information about who is visiting certain parts of your site. This information includes age and location, gender, any interests that may have driven them to you, whether they found you on a desktop or by smartphone – and even the type of phone they use – and more. This is information that can be invaluable when targeting specific audiences, and Google Analytics gathers it all together for you.

This feature also allows you to determine whether they approached you via a social media platform. This is useful in order to discover which ones are performing for you in terms of ads and content, and which might need work. Being able to see where to concentrate your efforts is a major boost to your marketing performance.

Conclusion

There is much more to Google Analytics than the features listed above – it can also give you details of how your content is performing in terms of who is reading what on blogs and websites, for example – and it really is a comprehensive digital marketing tool. If you’re not using Google Analytics now you really need to be. It’s free, it’s very powerful and it is surprisingly easy to use, and you have all the information you need in one place.