Why should you use Google Analytics?

‘How often should you look at your Google Analytics reports?’

 This was a question asked at a webinar on search engine optimisation attended by Carolyn James, owner of Website Insights, YTM Member and and Guest Speaker at the YTM Lunch and Learn on 14th July.  

 In a recent conversation, Carolyn shared with us that the participants selected from multi-choice answers and when the results were in, it was revealed that most people were at the ‘hardly ever’ or ‘never’ end of the spectrum!

This is exactly WHY Carolyn will be sharing her expertise and knowledge to help business owners make more informed decisions about their business. At YTM our mission is to provide opportunities for business owners and professionals to access connections, personal and professional development and generate business, by providing support, education and taking business networking conversations beyond a transaction.

Today, we share some of our conversation as Carolyn explains that  “Google Analytics  can provide you with data that is part of the bigger practice of ‘knowing your numbers’. If we only tracked end results in our businesses, we might be in for some surprises at the end of the quarter or the year. So we measure other things to tell us whether we are on course, and adjust our activities accordingly.”

“What can Google Analytics measure?”

Businesses measure offline marketing activities; for example, tracking the number of sales conversations that have been had, and the number of proposals sent. In the same way, Google Analytics, or the broader discipline of web analytics, tells us how we are going with our online marketing activities.

”How should you approach Google Analytics?”

Start by asking yourself why you have a website and what roles it plays in your sales and marketing. Ask yourself the same questions for your other online channels.

Think about the journey people take from becoming aware of you, to then engaging with your brand or content, then purchasing from you. It may help if you draw a diagram or flowchart showing the customer journey and how it maps to your online channels. This will help you to see what you need to measure.

Ask yourself, “How do people become aware of you and find your website?”

● Social media? Paid advertising? Organic search? Referred from other websites? Can they take actions that indicate interest in your products or services?

● Download resources? View sales pages? Join your mailing list? Book a free consultation? Can people buy from you on your website?

These are the journeys that you need to measure. Well-chosen metrics will tell you, at a glance, which channels and activities are the best contributors to awareness, engagement and new business.

 In summary, the first step is to decide what you want to measure that will be a meaningful business indicator.

Watch out for next weeks article, where Carolyn will share steps you need to consider when implementing Google Analytics into your business.

We invite you to join us at the YTM Business Connect sessions to meet our member Carolyn James and learn from her experience.    If you would like to continually learn, sharpen your skills and be part of a business networking community that offers, much more than traditional business networking events check out our YTM Membership HERE

You can also subscribe to her youtube channel HERE  and sign up for YTM Business Connect alerts to keep you informed of the valuable and educational insights we offer to support you in your business journey.