6 Crucial Questions that Google Analytics Will Answer for You
You must have heard of Google Analytics. This online tool offered for free by Google is one of the most vital services that you can have. It will provide you with plenty of crucial information about your website or blog, which can help you to make much better marketing decisions.
But it only works for those who know how to look at it properly. Most of the people just see a bunch of data without understanding what they are telling to them. So let’s go through some of these important questions that Google Analytics will answer for you.
#1. How frequently people use my search box and what they are looking for?
Your website or blog probably has a search box that your visitors use to find the information they need. This tool is very important in terms of navigation, especially if you have much content to offer, as you know.
However, what you can not tell is what your visitors are typing in your search box and how frequently they use it. And this answer can help you to know if the content that you are offering attends to their needs and if your website is well organized.
So, go to:
- Behavior >> Site Search >> Search Terms
- Behavior >> Site Search >> Pages
Both reports will tell you everything you need to know about what people are searching on your website. As an extra tip, also remember to check your bounce rate – if it is too high, it means that your visitors are not happy with the content they find as soon as they have a quick look at it.
#2. Where my traffic comes from?
One thing that you certainly are curious about is how people find your website or blog – in other words, where your traffic comes from. It can help you to decide in which digital marketing strategies you should invest more – social media, organic search, top websites, link building, guest blogging, among other options.
But it is not likely you can ask every single visitor how they came across your website. So you need to rely on online tools, such as Google Analytics to explain that for you. And, thankfully, it is very easy to check it there.
Just go to Acquisition >> All Traffic >> Channels. There you will get a full report about which part of your traffic is coming from organic search, referrals, paid search, and more. And if you want more details about any of them, just click on your choice to see further data.
#3. What is the impact of social media on my website?
Social media takes much time to be managed. And it is not only because you get distracted and end up checking your profiles or looking at cat pictures while you are there. It is just that there is a lot going on those networks. You need to post, but also need to have conversations and check what is trending. And it can’t be done within seconds.
So it is understandable if you want to make sure that all your work is bringing you results in terms of traffic. That person is actually reading your posts, clicking on your link, and spending some time on your time.
And if you go to Acquisition >> Social >> Network Referrals you will know it. There you will get a report with each social media and find out how often it brings visitors to you. And you can have a good idea about the quality of those visitors (because quantity isn’t everything) by analyzing the average session duration.
#4. How visitors experience my website?
Another thing that is important for you to know is how your visitors experience your website. You will want to find out which page they come across first, and where they go next, and so on. It also will give you relevant insights about your internal links and menus.
To find out this answer, go to Acquisition >> Behavior >> Behavior Flow. You will find a flow chart there showing you which pages or posts are the starting point for your visitors and how they move from there. You can also get to know more details about each step of their way.
#5. Which are the most popular posts/pages?
One basic question that you certainly want to be answered is which the most popular posts/pages are. It will help you to understand which type of content your visitors prefer so that you can create more on the same topic and which ones are just wasting your time.
On Acquisition >> Behavior >> All Pages, you will see a comprehensive list of pages and posts and very valuable data about them. You will know not only those with a high number of page views but also how much time your visitors spend on them – which is an important indicator of engagement.
Therefore, if there is a page performing better than the others, consider making the most of it, so it can help you to achieve your marketing and sales goals. And if there is a page that should be top performing, but it is not, then get inspired by the best runners and make improvements to it.
Again, pay careful attention to your bouncing rate – there is no point in reaching your pages or posts if people leave them too quickly. If there is anything else, it will certainly harm your ranking on Google Search and other search engines.
#6. Is my website loading fast enough?
The length of time that your website takes to load is a high sensitive matter. From your own experience, you know how often you give up visiting a particular website or blog just because it takes ages to load.
But it is hard for you to know by yourself how badly it can impact your life. People use different browsers, and their connection might be slower or faster than yours. Therefore, in order to get a more reliable info about it, you will have to count on Google Analytics.
Go to Behavior >> Site Speed >> Speed Suggestions and have a look at what it says there. You will see a list of pages along with the average page load time (the average amount of time in seconds it takes for the page to load from when your visitor clicks on your page link to a load completion in their browser. Besides it, you will see the suggested page speed time.
Do not be concerned if there is some difference between what you are offering from what is optimal. But if the gap is too big, it is time for you to check what is slowing your website down. It could be the size of your images, among other causes.
To Sum Up
Google Analytics can help you in many ways. It will let you understand your visitors better, from what they want to how they find your website. That helps you to create better content and achieve your goals.
Therefore, spend some time exploring what this online tool can offer you. There is a lot more in there that you can use. And better than that, it is free of charge. You will not find a better deal anywhere else.
