This document provides an overview of Google Analytics fundamentals and best practices. It discusses how Google Analytics works using JavaScript and cookies to collect data. It also covers common issues like tracking across devices and disabled JavaScript. The document then explores various Google Analytics reports like content, navigation, channels, and search terms to understand user behavior. It provides tips on setting up goals and event tracking as well as campaign tracking. Overall, the document is a guide to setting up and leveraging Google Analytics effectively.

1. Analytics Fundamentals
Setup and Basics for Measurement
Andy Crestodina
Strategic Director | @crestodina

2. 94.6%
of top marketing sites use
Google Analytics
source: Orbit Media

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How Google Analytics Works
Javascript and Cookies

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How Google Analytics works

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How Google Analytics works

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How Google Analytics works

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How Google Analytics works

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How Google Analytics works

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1. No cookie? No data
2. JavaScript disabled? No data
3. Time on page? Or time on tab?
4. Same device, different user
5. Same user, different device / browser
When it doesn’t work

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Basic issues with GA

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First Touch Deep Dive Purchase Purchase Loyalty
This can be a problem...

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First Touch Deep Dive Purchase Purchase Loyalty
This can be a problem...

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URL problems...

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URL problems...

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URL problems...

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URL problems...

19. The click doesn’t count!
@crestodina
Carousel / slideshow advancing
Anchor/jump links
Rollover content
Dropdowns expanding
Offsite links / social media buttons
Social sharing buttons
Video plays
Livechat interactions
Embedded map interactions
Tabs
Filters
Scrolling
Comment / review submission
Mailto: links
PDF, PPT, Word downloads
Lightbox interactions

20. GA Jargon

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Visitors are “Users”

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Visits are “Sessions”

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Analytics vs analytics

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Filter out traffic from yourself
...you are not your target audience

25. How accurate is this data?
@crestodina

26. How accurate is this data?
@crestodina

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Exclude traffic from robots
...because they never convert

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Are there robots in my Analytics?

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These referring sites look strange...

35. How to exclude
traffic from robots

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Top Pages
Which are my most popular pages?

39. Content! One of the most
important reports in GA

40. Navigation Summary

41. Navigation Summary

42. Navigation Summary

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1. Add great calls to action
2. Add strong testimonials
3. Add links to your strongest content
4. Remove links to other websites
5. Polish! Add personality! Video! People!
5 Tips for Top Pages

45. Beware the “services” page...

46. The problem with multi-topic pages...

47. Analytics blind spot! ...and horrible SEO

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Beware the testimonials page

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Navigation Summaries
Where do they go from here?

50. Navigation Summary

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1. Any small links getting clicked a lot?
2. Any big buttons getting missed?
3. Are calls to action effective?
4. What gets clicked the most in the main nav?
5. What never gets clicked in the main nav?
5 Questions to ask your Navigation Summary

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“Everything you remove from a page
makes everything that’s left more prominent!”
Less is more (effective)

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Filters
Find things in the first column fast

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Advanced Filters
Find anything fast!

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“Which blog posts have bounce rates
of more than 80%”
Let’s answer this question...

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Setting up goals
...because GA doesn’t know what success looks like

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1. Leads
2. Subscribers
3. Ecommerce Customers
4. Event Registrants
5. Donors
5 types of conversions...
#winning

71. Thank you messages
...not good for Analytics

73. Email links
...not good for Analytics

75. Forms / thank you pages
...perfect for Analytics

76. Thank you!

77. Subscribers from ‘Thank You’ page

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What about event tracking?
That’ll work, right?

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Remember those
“non-pageview”
interactions?
...they are trackable

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41.4%
of top marketing sites use
Google Tag Manager
source: Orbit Media

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...so let’s use thank you pages
...because that was kinda rough.

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1. They see a Thank you page (additional messaging)
2. They get an auto-response email
3. Saves to database or CRM
4. Sends an email notification to you
5. Records as a conversion in Analytics
5 Things that happen when visitors submit...

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90. The Goals report

91. The All Pages report

92. The All Pages report ...with page values

93. The Reverse Goal Path report

94. The Funnel Visualization report

95. Where you visitors are
coming from

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The Channels report ...with conversion rates

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The Channels report ...with conversion rates

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Social channel conversions!

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1. Add “social proof” to your top pages
2. Make sure every page has a call to action
3. Add people and personality
4. Use short, simple forms
5. Answer visitors’ top questions
5 Tips for better conversion rates

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7 Things to add to your testimonials

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Campaign Tracking Code
Where are your email visitors hiding?

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Where are my email visitors?

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There they are!!
Where are my email visitors?

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Medium
broadest origin of traffic
cpc
Source
Specific origin of traffic
Facebook
Campaign Name
Specific marketing effort
spring_sale
Campaign tracking for a FB ad...

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Medium
broadest origin of traffic
email
Source
Specific origin of traffic
newsletter
Campaign Name
Specific marketing effort
april_newsletter
Campaign tracking for an email newsletter

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Medium
broadest origin of traffic
cpm
Source
Specific origin of traffic
Twitter
Campaign Name
Specific marketing effort
event_registration
Campaign tracking for Twitter campaign

114. Now we have campaign data!

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Site Search Setup
Does your site have a search box?

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129. See what they’re looking for!

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Secondary Dimensions
Add more data to any report!

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1. Search for each phrase yourself. Find it?
2. Better optimize your own pages
3. Publish more content on those topics
4. Adjust your navigation to help visitors find
things faster
4 Tips from the Search Terms report

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Putting it all together
Let’s combine all of our new skills!

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“Which pages get the most traffic from
social media visitors?”
Interesting question...

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Step 1: Go to Behavior > Site Content > All Pages

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Step 2: Click on the “Secondary dimension” dropdown

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Step 3: Select “Medium” (find it by searching or clicking Acquisition > Medium)

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Step 4: Click to set an advanced filter (so we can filter by medium!)

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Step 5: Set filter so Medium contains “social” and click Apply

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A closer look at that advanced filter...

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Make a Shortcut
Save yourself some time...

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Analytics is useless!
...unless you share, make decisions and take action.

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Reporting is not analysis

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1. It answers questions
2. You share the insights
3. You make decisions based on those insights
4. You take action!
5. You measure the impact
Analytics is useful only if...

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Adding notes in GA
“Annotations” help tell stories.

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There’s a story behind the data...

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1. Sent an email campaign
2. Started, changed or stopped advertising
3. Press hit!
4. Changed website
5. Changed Analytics setup
5 Reasons to add Annotations

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Sharing data visually
...because text is weak

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“Six years ago, we didn’t have any mobile traffic.
Now 60% of our traffic is mobile.”
Text is kinda weak

167. @crestodina Thanks, Snagit!
Visuals are much more compelling

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Grab visuals from Analytics (Jing)

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Put that visual into a presentation!

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...or an email!

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There is more to life than
Google Analytics

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The best things in life aren’t in GA

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The best things in life aren’t in GA

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The best things in life aren’t in GA

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1. How to set up Google Analytics
2. How to set up event tracking using Google Tag Manager
3. How to track campaigns using the Google URL Builder
4. Content Chemistry: The Illustrated Handbook for Content
Marketing (4th edition)
Notes / videos from this presentation

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1. Google Analytics Academy
2. Avinash Kaushik (Occam’s Razor)
3. Orbit Media’s Blog (Analytics section)
4. Annielytics Blog (Analytics section)
5. E-Nor’s Blog (Analytics section)
Want to learn more?

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Andy Crestodina
Strategic Director | @crestodina
THANK YOU!