How to use Google Analytics? 4 data to monitor!
Posted: Sat Dec 07, 2024 8:55 am
SEO
February 21, 2024
Image created with Dall-E symbolizing statistics tracking in Google Analytics
Table of contents hide
1 Using Google Analytics: Compare your visits from the same month from one year to the next
2 How to Use Google Analytics: See Where Your Visitors Come From
3 Consider the most visited pages on your site
4. Study your audience using Google Analytics
5 Bonus: Why is the bounce rate a controversial indicator?
How to use Google Analytics? This is the $100,000 question mexico whatsapp (at least) that you are probably asking yourself!
KPIs (key performance indicators) put a lot of people off. However, keeping an eye on some key data will allow you to monitor your natural referencing and know whether or not your strategy is working…
Is your site well optimized?
Google Analytics Usage: Compare your visits from the same month from one year to the next
In Reports > Acquisition > Traffic acquisition
Obviously if your site is recent, you will not be able to monitor this first data.
In this case, you can compare the current month to the previous one, even if it is less relevant. Seasonality plays a role, especially depending on your sector of activity. In August, some companies and therefore some sites will be deserted while others will achieve their best figures.
If you sell costumes online, you will inevitably have peaks in visits in October for Halloween and possibly in December for New Year's Eve.
The number of users corresponds to the number of unique people who have visited your site (Jean-Michel can come several times but is only counted once as a user) .
So I advise you to look at the number of sessions which corresponds to the number of total visitors .
Your goal, as you might expect, is to have more visitors than the previous year at the same time .
Read also: How to use UberSuggest?
How to Use Google Analytics: See Where Your Visitors Come From
In Acquisition > Acquisition overview
You will observe users:
Coming from natural referencing (organic search): that is to say those who found your site by typing a keyword on which you worked
Coming from social networks: users have joined your site through a link shared on your social networks (or those of someone else). By clicking on Social, you will also have the details of each social network (Pinterest, LinkedIn, Instagram, Instagram Stories, Youtube, Facebook, etc.)
Having typed the URL of your site directly: it will be marked “Direct” on Google Analytics
Coming from an advertising banner: if it says “Display”
Having clicked on a link to your site from an email (marked “Email”)
From Google Paid Results: If you do Google Ads
Having arrived from another site linking to your site (Referral): by clicking on Referral, you will see the source sites that brought you this traffic.
There can also be "unassigned" when Google can't figure out where the traffic is coming from.
You will find all possible channels here .
Read also: 4 tips for finding relevant keywords
Consider the most visited pages on your site
In Engagement > Pages & Screen
This is a good way to see which blog posts are most read, which topics are of most interest to your target audience, which of your products and services are most appealing, etc. You can also compare with another period if you wish.
Read also: How to rework your old blog posts?
Study your audience with Google Analytics
You will be able to see if your site's audience is in line with your target and your persona. With this data, you will be able to make adjustments (either on your persona or on the content you produce).
In Demographics > demographics overview
In Tech > Tech overview
Read also: Optimize a blog article in 6 steps!
Bonus: Why is the bounce rate a controversial indicator?
You may have been told that you need to have a bounce rate below 50% . Not necessarily.
Bounce rate is when the user clicks on your link in the search results and closes your link or returns to the results page.
This can mean two things:
Either he got the answer to his question and he is satisfied, so he leaves your site.
Either he didn't get the answer to his question and is looking for a new site that will answer it.
Google has no way of knowing whether or not the user got their answer. So the bounce rate is irrelevant to your SEO.
I advise you to leave aside the general bounce rate of your site which frankly doesn't say much.
On the other hand, looking at whether an Internet user leaves the page without going to discover a new one behind in a sales funnel is interesting. If the bounce rate on a particular page is high while you invite action, it means that there is a problem .
The page in question will need to be reworked to make it effective.
Sure, you can get lost in the twists and turns of Google Analytics and look at all the data it offers you about your site. But by using these four indicators, you will already have a nice overview to monitor your site's traffic and conversions .
For example, you can create goals and monitor that your sales funnels are working. All the details for creating your goals here .
And if you need help to see more clearly, let me know ! I can help you master the tool.
If I conduct an audit for you, focused on editorial , Google Analytics will help me see things more clearly and provide you with feedback.
February 21, 2024
Image created with Dall-E symbolizing statistics tracking in Google Analytics
Table of contents hide
1 Using Google Analytics: Compare your visits from the same month from one year to the next
2 How to Use Google Analytics: See Where Your Visitors Come From
3 Consider the most visited pages on your site
4. Study your audience using Google Analytics
5 Bonus: Why is the bounce rate a controversial indicator?
How to use Google Analytics? This is the $100,000 question mexico whatsapp (at least) that you are probably asking yourself!
KPIs (key performance indicators) put a lot of people off. However, keeping an eye on some key data will allow you to monitor your natural referencing and know whether or not your strategy is working…
Is your site well optimized?
Google Analytics Usage: Compare your visits from the same month from one year to the next
In Reports > Acquisition > Traffic acquisition
Obviously if your site is recent, you will not be able to monitor this first data.
In this case, you can compare the current month to the previous one, even if it is less relevant. Seasonality plays a role, especially depending on your sector of activity. In August, some companies and therefore some sites will be deserted while others will achieve their best figures.
If you sell costumes online, you will inevitably have peaks in visits in October for Halloween and possibly in December for New Year's Eve.
The number of users corresponds to the number of unique people who have visited your site (Jean-Michel can come several times but is only counted once as a user) .
So I advise you to look at the number of sessions which corresponds to the number of total visitors .
Your goal, as you might expect, is to have more visitors than the previous year at the same time .
Read also: How to use UberSuggest?
How to Use Google Analytics: See Where Your Visitors Come From
In Acquisition > Acquisition overview
You will observe users:
Coming from natural referencing (organic search): that is to say those who found your site by typing a keyword on which you worked
Coming from social networks: users have joined your site through a link shared on your social networks (or those of someone else). By clicking on Social, you will also have the details of each social network (Pinterest, LinkedIn, Instagram, Instagram Stories, Youtube, Facebook, etc.)
Having typed the URL of your site directly: it will be marked “Direct” on Google Analytics
Coming from an advertising banner: if it says “Display”
Having clicked on a link to your site from an email (marked “Email”)
From Google Paid Results: If you do Google Ads
Having arrived from another site linking to your site (Referral): by clicking on Referral, you will see the source sites that brought you this traffic.
There can also be "unassigned" when Google can't figure out where the traffic is coming from.
You will find all possible channels here .
Read also: 4 tips for finding relevant keywords
Consider the most visited pages on your site
In Engagement > Pages & Screen
This is a good way to see which blog posts are most read, which topics are of most interest to your target audience, which of your products and services are most appealing, etc. You can also compare with another period if you wish.
Read also: How to rework your old blog posts?
Study your audience with Google Analytics
You will be able to see if your site's audience is in line with your target and your persona. With this data, you will be able to make adjustments (either on your persona or on the content you produce).
In Demographics > demographics overview
In Tech > Tech overview
Read also: Optimize a blog article in 6 steps!
Bonus: Why is the bounce rate a controversial indicator?
You may have been told that you need to have a bounce rate below 50% . Not necessarily.
Bounce rate is when the user clicks on your link in the search results and closes your link or returns to the results page.
This can mean two things:
Either he got the answer to his question and he is satisfied, so he leaves your site.
Either he didn't get the answer to his question and is looking for a new site that will answer it.
Google has no way of knowing whether or not the user got their answer. So the bounce rate is irrelevant to your SEO.
I advise you to leave aside the general bounce rate of your site which frankly doesn't say much.
On the other hand, looking at whether an Internet user leaves the page without going to discover a new one behind in a sales funnel is interesting. If the bounce rate on a particular page is high while you invite action, it means that there is a problem .
The page in question will need to be reworked to make it effective.
Sure, you can get lost in the twists and turns of Google Analytics and look at all the data it offers you about your site. But by using these four indicators, you will already have a nice overview to monitor your site's traffic and conversions .
For example, you can create goals and monitor that your sales funnels are working. All the details for creating your goals here .
And if you need help to see more clearly, let me know ! I can help you master the tool.
If I conduct an audit for you, focused on editorial , Google Analytics will help me see things more clearly and provide you with feedback.