I’ve been using Google Analytics for several years now but I wanted to take it to the next level, so I’m currently working on getting my Google Analytics IQ Certification. I’m reviewing everything from the basics up thanks to Google’s free lessons on just about anything. I’m still in the early phases of reviewing all the content so you can probably expect more GA posts in the coming weeks, but right off the bat I’ve learned more about some tools I’m not utilizing to the extent that I should be. So here are the 5 I’m working on myself this week. Hopefully these features help you get more out of Google Analytics too!
1. Attribution Models – I was not aware of the variety of attribution models you can use in Google Analytics. It turns out in addition to first and last click attribution you can also use a linear model that distributes the equal amount of attribution across all clicks. So for example if you have a user click through from an email, then leave and re-visit through a re-marketing campaign, then leave and come back through an adwords ad and then finally make a purchase, instead of just attributing the sale the the adwords click you can spread out the revenue across all 3 campaigns, giving you a more accurate perception of the value of each click. There are several more models you can try out. You can learn more about this here.
2. Goals – I’ve set up goals and used them sparingly, but it didn’t really occur to me how important they were until reviewing their purpose. Basically ask yourself this: What good is any data without context? We can measure away but we need to know what the heck we’re shooting for so that we know if the number is good or bad. So take the time and sit down and define your goals. Are you seeking to grow 20% over last year? Last month? Be disciplined and set up goals for every single measurement you use, it will give your data much more weight. For more on goals click here.
3. Custom Campaigns – Similarly to goals, I’ve used custom campaigns but not consistently. This is sheer laziness and it’s important to do it properly with every channel that you might have set up to deliver traffic. It only takes a few minutes so even if you are trialing something for 2 weeks it’s worth your time to set up your own independent tracking. Plus you need to have everything properly tagged to gain the valuable insights from linear attribution anyway. Google Analytics works best as the central hub for all measurements. It’s dumb to rely on your vendors to tell you how much revenue their product is generating. For more on setting this up click here.
4. Filters – Filters allow you to pre-filter the data so that your graphs and numbers are all ready for you when you log in without any further tweaking. So for example you could filter out all the IP’s from your company so that they aren’t tracked. There’s more info on this here.
5. Views – Everyone has their go to stats and then once you’ve implemented all the above strategies you’ll have even more. Setting up a view allows you to make a dashboard with only the pre-selected reports within sight. Google Analytics can be overwhelming, but creating a dashboard that tells you what you need to know is a huge step in making it more actionable. Learn more about views here.
I’m hoping I’ve not completely outed myself here and I’m not the only one failing to use these features in a disciplined fashion. I’m excited to see how they change my insights going forward!
Who’s got some more Google Analytics tips to share? Post them in the comments!
