How Google Analytics can help improve business performance

After a recent Bite-sized Learning workshop run by Brighton Chamber of Commerce, Jon Hibbitt, technical SEO analyst at SiteVisibility, shares his "Eight Steps to Actionable Insights".

Measuring performance is critical to online success and Google Analytics (GA) is one of the most important online services to do so. GA provides valuable insights into your online business performance. Here are my 8 essential steps to get accurate, actionable data.

1 Create a measurement plan

Map your business plan to Google Analytics (GA) '“ for example, objectives, strategies and tactics, key performance indicators (KPIs), traffic segments, and targets.

2 Set up three 'views' for each property

GA creates one view called "All Website Data" per property. Add two more to safeguard your data: create a "test" view for testing, then a copy called "master". Ensure country, time, and currency settings are correct.

3 Exclude internal teams and spammers from reports

Visits from your own business teams skew data. There are spam-referrers to worry about, too. Exclude IP addresses and spammers using a filter. Test filters on your "test" view first, then add to "master" view.

Create the filters

Gather and exclude IPs or a range of IPs

Gather and exclude spam referrers

Review quarterly, because IP addresses and spam-referrers change. A fixed IP address is helpful.

4 Ecommerce tracking

If you sell directly from your website, set-up ecommerce tracking. Get a competent developer to add the code to your site. It's technical!

5 Track internal site search

Customers unable to find services or products may use your internal site search giving you valuable data on customer intent. Turn on the site search setting on all views.

Search Google about how to set it up.

6 Set up campaign-tracking

GA does not track all marketing channels by default. Use Google's URL tool to create tracking links for email newsletters. For more info Google "Google's URL tool".

7 Set up goals

Goals are the actions customers take on their way to doing business with you -for example, newsletter or account sign-up. Use cash values for goals to see your most valuable pages in reports.

8 Link AdWords

On the properties admin page, link any AdWords accounts for pay-per-click reporting within Google Analytics.

Jon Hibbitt is technical SEO analyst at SiteVisibility:  www.sitevisibility.co.uk; @JonHibbitt.

For the full programme of Bite-sized Learning workshops, visit: www.businessinbrighton.org.uk