You’ve got a hit! When using Google Analytics, data collection begins once your site acquires a hit. A hit is a URL (uniform resource locator) string with parameters of useful information about your users. Three of the most common hits include pageviews, events, and transactions. Receiving this hit can tell you a variety of things about your users, including the language their browser is set to, the name of the page they are viewing, the screen resolution of their device, and more. Along with this information, a randomly generated user identifier is assigned that will allow Google Analytics to differentiate between new and returning users to your site.
Transforming Data Into Reports
Once your site has compiled enough data based on your criteria, Google Analytics can turn this data into readable reports. Within these reports, you can organize your data in various ways to better understand your users. Analyzing your data reports will help answer the many questions you may have about their interactions and experiences. When using advanced Google Analytics, you can even set up advanced filters and create some of your own custom dimensions and metrics to better analyze your reports.
You can also explore additional configuration settings depending on what you want to know about your users. For example, if you want to look into demographics and interest reports, internal site searches, calculated metrics, channel groupings, content grouping, enhanced eCommerce, user ID, or data imports, you can do all of this within Google Analytics.
Tools & Techniques
Google Analytics has a variety of advanced tools that allows you to gain further insight into what your reports truly mean. Creating your own custom dimensions and metrics allows you to pick and decide how to display your data. Google Analytics’ advanced segments allow you to analyze subsets of your data. A multi-channel funnel report (MCF) contains conversion path data which includes interactions across various channels such as paid and organic search, referral sites, affiliates, social networks, and email campaigns. Additionally, audience reports can help you better understand the characteristics of your customers, which allows you to better target your marketing.
Advanced Marketing
Almost everyone finds some sort of enjoyment in purchasing goods for one reason or another. Online shopping, also known as eCommerce, has really taken off within the last few decades. Knowing your audience is valuable when it comes to marketing to your consumers.
Using this dynamic remarketing allows you to target ads to users even more precisely. With advanced Google Analytics, you can remarket to specific audiences. These specific audiences include individuals who previously viewed your homepage or any category or product on your site. These audiences also include users who viewed a search result page on your website, someone who viewed product lists or product detail pages, a person who abandoned their shopping cart, or anyone that previously converted. Starting with that initial hit all the way through completing that conversion, Google Analytics can help you keep track of how a user accomplished this task.
How Tandem Can Help
Not interested in becoming a Google Analytics expert? Well, that’s okay. You don’t have to. Our busy bees at Tandem are already experts when it comes to advanced Google Analytics. Digital marketing is our milk and honey, and we are eager to offer our skills and expertise to help build your business.
In addition to SEO, we offer PPC, local GMB, social media management, and more. By working with our digital marketing agency, you can “bee” the next big buzz. Contact one of our team members today or join the hive!
