Google Analytics : Metrics, Features & Many More
What is Google Analytics Tool?
Google Analytics Tool is a web analytics service provided by Google. It tracks and reviews web site traffic using Universal Analytics. Currently, it is a system within the Google Marketing System brand. It is one of the most popular web tools like GSA. Google Analytics Setup should be done to measure your site’s performance. Recently, google analytics 4 property has been introduced. Using it, you can measure Google Analytics Metrics of your website.
And, Google Analytics is definitely one of the hottest web analytics program on the internet. Google Analytics has an SDK that allows gathering utilization data from the iOS and Google android app. It is referred to as Google Analytics for Mobile phone Apps.
Google Analytics was originally developed from the Urchin on Demand software. Google acquired it in the year 2005.
How Google Analytics dashboard is organized?
The dashboard of Google Analytics is organized in to 4 different sections:
Audience
Audience helps you explore who your users are. It includes information such as demographics, location, retention, and device technology. With one of the Google Analytics metrics, you can interpret the impact of once one’s marketing efforts on various user segments.
Acquisition
It shows you how customer reach your site. In the Channels section under All Traffic, it is possible to dig into what channels (organic traffic, social media, email, ads, etc.) deliver probably the most traffic. You can compare incoming visitors from Facebook versus Instagram, determine the efficacy of one’s SEO efforts on organic search traffic, and observe how well your email campaigns are running.
Behavior
It explains what customers do on your site. What pages do they visit? Just how long do they stay? You can examine these metrics to understand the overall user experience and its own effects on retention and engagement.
Conversions
Conversions tracks whether customers take actions that you would like them to consider. This typically involves defining funnels for important actions. For example purchases – To see how well the website encourages these actions as time passes.
What are the things to Consider Before Google Analytics Account Setup?
Before you dive deep into the actual technical process of Google Analytics setup on your own website, there are a few things to consider. Specifically, you will have to take into the following points
1. Which version of GA (Universal Analytics or Google Analytics 4) you are planning to use.
2. And, if you are going to do things manually or using a plugin.
What is Universal Analytics?
Universal Analytics is a version of Google Analytics. It set a standard for how user data is collected and organized. It is introduced in the fall of 2012. Universal Analytics offers tracking codes for websites. It has features that can measure user behavior.
Why Google made a brand new version of Analytics Parameter?
Google Analytics 4 was launched to address the changing technology and online privacy landscape. The previous version of Google Analytics, Google Universal Analytics, is based on a technology that is fast becoming outdated. Google also announced that they will be switching off Universal Analytics starting from 1 July 2023.
The differentiating point between Universal Analytics and GA4 is the way how data is collected & recorded. I mean, the measurement model. The measurement of Universal Analytics is based on sessions & pageviews. Whereas GA4 uses a model based that is based on events & parameters. This shift of technology, data collection & measurement opens up the possibilities of what and how data can be collected. And, also how it is customized to each unique website or application.
Features of Google Analytics Tool
Google Analytics Tool is utilized to track the web site activity of the users. Website activities such as for example session duration, web pages per session, bounce price, etc. Google Analytics contains information about the foundation of the visitors. It could be integrated with Google Advertisements, with which users can review online promotions by tracking squeeze page quality and conversions. It is also called as goals. Goals might include product sales, lead generation, viewing a particular web page, or downloading a specific document.
Google Analytics is showing high-level, dashboard-type data for the informal user. It also shows even more in-depth data further into the report established. Google Analytics evaluation can identify badly performing pages with methods such as for example funnel visualization. It includes information such as site visitors originated from (referrers), how much time they stayed on the site and their geographical placement. It also provides more complex features, including custom made visitor segmentation. Google Analytics e-commerce reporting can monitor sales activity and overall performance. The e-commerce reports display a site’s transactions, income, and several other commerce-related metrics.
Real-Time Analytics
Further in 2011, Google Analytics launched Real-Time analytics. It allowing a user to have insight about visitors currently on the webpage. A user can possess 100 site profiles. Each account generally corresponds to 1 website. It is limited by sites that have the traffic of fewer than 5 million pageviews monthly. ie approximately 2 pageviews per second unless the website is associated with a Google Ads marketing campaign.
Google Analytics Content Material Experiments (Google Site Optimizer)
Google Analytics includes a Google Site Optimizer. It was rebranded as Google Analytics Content material Experiments. Google Analytics’ Cohort analysis assists in understanding the behavior of component sets of users aside from your consumer population. Also, It is good for entrepreneurs and analysts for the effective implementation of an online marketing strategy.
Global Site Tag
In 2017, a fresh version of Google Analytics was announced. It is called as Global Site Tag. The purpose was to unify the tagging program to simplify implementation.
Google Marketing System
In 2018, Google introduced Google Marketing System. It is an online advertisement and analytics tool. It includes two previous brands of Google, DoubleClick Digital Advertising and Google Analytics360.
What is a Google Analytics Tracking Code?
Google Analytics Tracking Code is a unique identifier. it is used to associate your site with your Google Analytic’s profile.
How to handle if you have more than one property to add to Google Analytics?
In the event that you only plan to track one property, name of your website’s is enough. where as, If you plan to monitor multiple properties, you might want to use your personal name or business name. Next, fill in all other requested details as part of google analytics setup.
How to Get a Google Analytics Tracking Code?
Here the steps To get a tracking ID for your website. It is the first step in the process of Google Analytics Setup. They are given below.
1. First navigate to the Google Analytics home page.
2. click on the Sign up button.
3. Next, Select a Website, and give a name your account. Read through the data sharing options and uncheck any that you are not very comfortable with.
4. When you are finished with 3rd step, click Get Tracking ID.
5. Now, Read through the data sharing and terms of service agreements, check the boxes to agree to the terms, and click I Accept.
6. Once you have done that, Google Analytics will provide a tracking ID. In addition to, It Also provides some other code you may need to add to your website. It helps to set up Google Analytics tracking.
7. Also, Ensure that you keep this window open as you will need it the next phase of google analytics setup.
What are the different types of website’s platform available to add Google Analytics tracking code?
The method you will use to add Google Analytics tracking code to your website will depend on the platform that you used to build your website. This is another key point in the process of google analytics setup.
Here are the different types of platforms available are given below. They are
1. Custom site
2. WordPress
3. Wix, Squarespace, or HubSpot
4. Weebly or Shopify
How to validate whether Google Analytics code configured properly?
To validate the GA Code configuration, do navigate to any webpage of your website.
Right-click somewhere on the webpage.
Select View Page Source.
In the page source view, click Ctrl + F (on Windows & Mac too) to open the search function.
Do Type </head> , and tap enter.
Then scroll up from the highlighted </head> tag and make sure your Global Site Tag displays there.
How to add Google Analytics Code to a custom built website?
Lets assume you have a custom-built website. It is built with a team of developers, who also manages your website. You can send the code to your developers that displayed in the Global Site Tag section of your Google Analytics account.
Google Analytics Global Site Tag Image
They will add it to the global code that appears on every page of site somewhere between the <head> and </head> tags.
find Google Analytics code in page source Image
You can test the code in the same way on multiple webpages. It is just to make sure that the GA code appears on every webpage. Provided that, Google Analytics can able to track your website.
What are the different ways to add Google Analytics to WordPress Website?
Lets assume your website is built on WordPress. You can use a plugin to add your Google Analytics tracking code to every page of one’s own WordPress site.
There are multiple plugins to choose from. the free plugin named “Google Analytics Dashboard for WP” can be used to add GA code to your website. It makes adding a tracking code a lot easier.
Google Analytics Dashboard for WP Image
How to add Google Analytics code to WordPress Website using plugin “Google Analytics Dashboard for WP”?
To install Google Analytics Dashboard for WP please follow the steps.
1. Sign in to your website’s WordPress instance
2. Go To Plugins & click Plugins
3. click Add New.
4. In the search bar, do type “Google Analytics Dashboard for WP”. When It will show you the plugin in the results, please do click Install Now.
5. When the plugin finishes installing, click Activate.
6. After Activating the plugin, It redirects you to your list of installed plugins.
6. Now, on your list of installed plugins, search for Google Analytics Dashboard for WP, then click on the Settings link below it.
7. On the settings page, click Authorize Plugin.
8. Click Get Access Code.
9. Sign in to the Google account you used to sign up for Google Analytics, and click the Allow button to grant the plug the access to your Google Analytics data.
10. Copy the provided access code.
11. Navigate back to WordPress, paste the tracking code in to the Access Code box, and click Save Access Code.
12.The plugin automatically adds the Google Analytics tracking code to all pages of your site and shows you Google Analytics data on your website’s WordPress dashboard.
How to add Analytics Code to Weebly and Shopify?
Weebly and Shopify have a separate section in their admin’s dashboard. Where you will paste your Global Site Tag code. It will add the GA tracking code to each webpage of one’s own website.
Here are the steps to add GA code to Weebly & Shopify as part of google analytics setup.
1. First, you will need to copy the Global Site Tag code that displayed after you created your Google Analytics account:
2. Next, follow the instructions below to add the code to Weebly or Shopify:
3. Now, save your changes
4. Then, The CMS will automatically add your Google Analytics tracking code to every webpage of website.
How to handle if I have more than one websites?
Let’s assume the following scenario.
You have more than one website that you wish to monitor in Google Analytics. You can add all those websites to your Google Analytics account. So that, you may switch easily among every one of them as per your wish.
How to Add Additional Websites to Google Analytics?
Here are the steps to follow how to add additional properties to Google Analytics.
1. Open Google Analytics, and click the Admin tab.
2. Click + Create Property.
3. Fill out the details, and click Get Tracking ID to see the GA code.
4. Save the code as you will need to add to your other websites to track them in Google Analytics.
5. Add your GA tracking code to each one of the websites you want to track in Google Analytics.
6. It is possible to switch easily between these websites by clicking the dropdown very next to the Analytics logo.
7. To view the insightful data in GA, You may need to wait for a few days. No need to panic if you don’t see data immediately.
8. Google Analytics start to show data After a couple of days.
9. Now, it’s time for you to login to Google Analytics and measure your website’s performance.
How to add Google Analytics Code to platforms such as Wix, Squarespace?
Lets assume your platform is a one the platform’s like Wix, Squarespace, etc. Google Analytics tracking is really a built-in function of the platform. All you need is the tracking ID, that you got while Google Analytics Account Setup.
Google Analytics tracking ID Image
Once you have your tracking ID, go to dashboard of respective platform to add Google Analytics tracking Code
After you enter the tracking ID, each platform automatically adds your Google Analytics tracking code to every webpage of your website.
The technology behind Google Analytics Tool
Google Analytics Tool is applied with “web page tags”. It is also called as the Google Analytics Monitoring Code. It is a snippet of JavaScript code. Every web page of the web site contains this piece of JavaScript. The tracking code operates in your client browser. For example when your client browses the web page and collects visitor data and transmits it to a Google data collection server.
Further, Google Analytics for Portable Bundle allows Google Analytics to be employed to Mobile websites too. The Mobile Bundle contains server-part tracking codes. These codes make use of PHP, JavaServer Webpages, ASP.NET, or Perl because of its server side language.
What are the most interesting features of Google Analytics 4?
Google Analytics 4 introduces new functionality and features for digital marketers, publishers. Its aim is to give them further insight of users and prepare for a cookie less future. Here are a few of the highlights of Google Analytics 4.
Data Streams
Publishers/Digital marketers can pass data of multiple websites and apps to the same analytics property. It helps to build a wider view of your website users across multiple digital channels, devices, and platforms.
Privacy
As many platforms started blocking third party cookies, it makes it harder for traditional analytics software to work. Where as Google Analytics 4 uses Artificial Intelligence (AI). It analyses the quality of data & can see to fill in the blanks caused by user preferences or platform restrictions.
Predictive analytics
Google Analytics 4 uses machine learning algorithms to predict the future behavior of your users. It can help to discover more users who will do the thing that you want them to do in the coming weeks & months ahead.
Customizable interface
Other than the standard widgets and User report groups, you can add your own custom report collections. It helps it to make it easier to navigate your data and insights.
BigQuery
For advanced data users, Google Analytics 4 comes with a free connection to BigQuery. Because of that, you can run high-speed queries on the raw data.
What are the most Useful Metrics of Google Analytics?
The most useful metrics of Google analytics are given below. They are
1. Number of Users
2. Number of Sessions
3. New Users
4. Average Time on Page
5. Average Pages per Session
6. Bounce Rate
7. Conversion Rate
What are the limitations of Google Analytics?
Google Analytics provides valuable information of users and their behaviors. Nonetheless, Google Analytics too has limitations. It is particularly true for large organizations which have strict access control & permissioning systems. Google Analytics will not provide much control over multiuser access. Also, it is inappropriate to share the dashboards to a large number of analysts. Furthermore, Not all dimensions and metrics could be queried together.
To get a overall view of your organization’s website performance, you may wish to integrate Google Analytics data with metrics from other platforms. Many organizations use additional third-party analytics apps such as for example Heap, Snowplow, etc., and you may make valuable discoveries by integrating the data for analysis.
Also, Most businesses may need a cloud data warehouse to integrate data from disparate sources. Where they can use a technology such as ETL solution to extract data from Google Analytics and other apps. And it can replicate, process and analyze the data.
3rd party Analytics Application
The Google Analytics API can be used by third parties to build custom applications such as for example reporting tools. Many such applications can be found on the internet for more advanced analytics. One was created to operate on iOS (Apple) products and is presented in Apple’s app shop. Further, there are several alternative 3rd party products that provide Google Analytics-based monitoring.
What is Google Analytics 4 (GA4)?
Google Analytics 4 (GA4) is the latest version of the amazing web data collection and reporting tool. That’s Google Analytics. Google Analytics 4 (GA4) is designed to be more user privacy centric. And, also aimed at having less sampling in its intrinsic reports. The event-based tracking framework and cross-device capabilities ensure that it is easier to have a single & individual property track users as they switch between the website and apps connected to the same brand.
Also, standard Universal Analytics properties will no longer process website data starting from July 1, 2023. It is recommended that you set up your GA4 property working in tandem together with your current Universal Analytics property until it is retired by Google. This can give you enough time to familiarize with the interface. And observe the data differences coming through from both analytical parameter instances. Also, creating a GA4 property now will make sure that you could have access to one-year comparison data whenever your existing Universal Analytics property is deprecated.
How to set up a Google Analytics 4 property?
The Google Analytics setup has the following hierarchy.
Account
Your access point for analytics. You typically have one account for one brand/organization.
Property
The containers for your reports in line with the data you collect from your apps and sites. It is possible to create up to 100 properties within an account.
Streams
A data stream is really a flow of data/information from a customer touchpoint (e.g., app, website) to GA. Each Google Analytics 4 property may have up to 50 data streams any combination of app and web data streams.
For complete beginners, and for brands that do not use Google Tag Manger or haven’t setup Google Analytics, refer to this setup guide.
How to create a Landing Page report in Google Analytics 4?
Experienced users of Google Analytics may have noticed that the Landing Pages report of Universal Analytics is missing in GA4. However, Krista Seidan (ex-Google employee of Google Analytics) showed the process of creating your own version of the website Landing Page report in the below tweet chain. You may follow below link for that.
https://twitter.com/kristaseiden/status/1524038366211178498
What is the specialty of GA4 Property?
You can use a Google Analytics 4 property for either a website or an app or both a website and app together. Whereas, a Universal Analytics property only supports websites.
Google Analytics 4 property don’t have a “UA-” tracking ID. Instead, it has a “G-” ID. GA4 property neither have ‘Views’ or ‘Goals’.
What is the specialty of GA4 User Interface?
The home page summarizes overall traffic, conversions, and revenue of GA4 property.
With increasing focus on user privacy, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to track users as they may use multiple devices and travel across several platforms. Google Analytics 4 property is a forward thinking approach using machine learning techniques. It is used to help fill in the missing data gaps. Also, It is aimed to create a single user journey for all data linked to the same identity.
In terms of reporting interface, You may notice the differences between the two instances of GA. Instead of a long list of pre-processed reports that may try to cover every use case, GA4 make use of overview reports in main cards.
How Data Collection happens in Google Analytics 4?
There are differences in the data collection model between Universal Analytics and Google Analytics 4 properties. These differences are particularly in how data is being defined and what the data elements are called. They are provided below for your reference.
Events
User interactions with a website or an app may be one of the following. They are page views, button clicks, user actions, etc. Unlike the previous GA instance Universal Analytics property, events do not require adding customized code into the on-site Analytics tracking code, some events are measured by default. For instance, a visitor/user views one of your website pages. Now, a page_view event will be triggered. Unlike the standard page view measurement of Universal Analytics, GA4 is able to automatically measure interactions. They may be either Scrolls, Outbound clicks, Video engagement and File downloads without the need to add additional code. This is the one of the Enhanced Measurement feature that can be switched on with a toggle switch.
Enhanced Measurement toggle in GA4 Image
Parameters
Additional bits of information that is likely to give context to each event. For example, the value of a purchase, or to provide context into where, how, and why the event was logged are some of the parameters that can be used to describe it.
User property
Attributes or demographic information about the user.
User ID
Single ID is used for cross platform user tracking.
Data Stream
unlike Universal Analytics, Google Analytics 4 does not have Views. Instead, GA4 property has data streams which are essentially the flow of data from a customer touchpoint (e.g., app, website) to Google Analytics.
How Sessions are handled in Google Analytics 4?
Usually, A session is a group of user interactions with your website. however, it should take place within a given time frame. Google Analytics 4 metrics of session are derived from the event “session_start”. And, also it is an automatically collected event. The duration of a session is based on the timespan between your first and last event in the session.
In Universal Analytics, a new campaign will start a brand new session regardless of the activity. In Google Analytics 4, a brand new campaign does not begin a new session. This might lead to lower session counts in your Google Analytics 4 property.
In Google Analytics 4, events are processed even though they arrive up to 72 hours late. Further, Google Analytics 4 events are processed across a wider time range. You might see higher session counts in your Google Analytics 4 property. It also result in variations in reported figures within these 72 hours
Please note that the differences in the collection of data between the two versions of GA will definitely result in differences in the session count.
What Are Google Analytics Metrics?
Google Analytics Tool can help you drive increased traffic, refine your users’ experience, and track your business/organizational goals. Google Analytics collects data about your site and also visitors traffic in real time. The tool displays all the information in a collection of reports. Each one has a widget which set to track specific metrics and dimensions.
According to Google, Google Analytics Metrics are “individual elements of a dimension which can be measured as a sum or perhaps a ratio.” They are quantitative measurements of the data Google Analytics tracks.
Would you list out any 4 names of Google Analytics Metrics?
Below are some standard metrics to monitor with the Google Analytics tool. They are
1. Sessions
2. Session Duration
3. Conversion Rate
4. Goal Completion
What is the main difference between Metrics and Dimensions?
Dimensions are Non-Numerical with qualitative data. You may think of these as “categories.” Google Analytics uses them to organize the insightful data it collects.
Could you list out the 4 dimensions of Google Analytics?
Below are the Dimensions of Google Analytics. They are
- Medium
- Country
- Campaign
- Device Category
What are other Metrics in Google Analytics?
There are many Google Analytics Metrics available to track. However, A few metrics can often be confused & used interchangeably. They are listed below.
Clicks vs. Sessions
Clicks & Sessions metrics may look very similar. However, they track very different type of data.
Clicks is a metric that appears on many Google Analytics reports. For example, channel reports of Organic and Paid. This metric tracks how many people click on your listing or an ad. Sessions track the total number of visits of your website.
Goals vs. Events
In Google Analytics, users’ goals are actions taken on your own website. It achieve your overall business goal. Goals would be revenue in sales, sign-ups, or downloads.
Where as, Events are other kind of user interactions. That helps to contribute to the business goal. Events include button clicks, added to basket, & similar page interactions.
Pageviews vs. Unique Pageviews
These metrics are somewhat related to one another. Though, They are still quite different. Usually, Pageviews try to track total number of times a user viewed a webpage. If a user views exactly the same page twice, It is counted it as 2 pageviews.
Where as, unique pageviews count the no. of users that viewed the webpage. In case a user views exactly the same page twice, Google exclusively considers it as a 1 unique pageview.
What are the Top 5 Setup steps of Google Analytics Tool?
Google Analytics is one of the most popular tools used by webmasters and marketers to measure traffic and conversions. You’ll learn how to install and configure Google Analytics.
Install Google Analytics
To start using Google Analytics, you need to download the software onto your computer. You can do so by visiting the Google Analytics site. Once there, click on “Get Started” at the top right corner of the screen. Then follow the instructions to complete the installation process.
Set up Goals
After installing Google Analytics, you will see a dashboard with several sections. One of these sections is called “Traffic Sources.” This section shows where visitors come from and what pages they visit. It also provides data on how much time users spend on each page.
Create Custom Reports
You can use custom reports to analyze data in more detail than the default report offers. These reports allow you to view data in different ways, such as by date range, location, device type, or even by individual user.
Measure Conversions
To access these reports, go to Admin > Reporting > Custom Report. This will open up a new window where you can select the metrics you’d like to see. Once you’ve selected the metrics you’d like, click “Create” at the bottom of the screen.
Analyze Data with Charts
You can also use the custom report feature to analyze data using charts. Click on the “Charts” tab at the top of the screen. Then, choose the metric you’d like to compare (e.g., total visits) and the chart type (e.g., line). Finally, enter the date range you’d like to view.
It teach you how to use Google Analytics for free. It covers installing the software on your website, configuring it, and tracking visitors.
How to create views, dimensions, & metrics using Google Analytics Dashboard efficiently?
Google Analytics is one of the most popular tools used to analyze web traffic data. It allows users to monitor their websites’ performance and gain valuable insights about their visitors.
This tutorial will show you how to create an account on Google Analytics and view your website’s statistics in real time.
This tutorial will help you get started with Google Analytics.
If you’re new to Google Analytics, then this tutorial will walk you through the basics of setting up your first account. You’ll learn how to set up your account, what reports to use, and how to interpret them.
Set up an account.
To start using Google Analytics, you need to sign up for an account. This process is easy and takes just a few minutes. Once you’ve signed up, you’ll be able to access your dashboard and begin analyzing your website’s performance.
Create a new view.
You can use the “Create New View” option to add a custom report to your dashboard. By creating a custom report, you can see more detailed information about your site’s performance. For example, you might choose to create a report that shows how much money each day brings in for your business.
Add dimensions.
Once you’ve added a new view, you’ll need to add dimensions to the report. Dimensions allow you to group data by different categories. For example, you could add a dimension called “Time,” so that you can see how much revenue was generated at different times during the week.
Add metrics.
To add a metric, click the plus icon next to the metric name. You will then be able to select the type of metric you’d like to add. There are three main types of metrics: views, sessions, and conversions. Views measure how many people visited a particular URL. Sessions measure how many unique people viewed a particular URL. Conversions measure how many people clicked through to another page after viewing a particular URL.
Conclusion
Therefore, Google Analytics is one of the most powerful web analytics tool available today. It’s an entirely free tool that makes it even more appealing. Goggle analytics properties such as Universal Analytics as well as newly introduced property “Google Analytics 4” has been bringing so much of data of users as well as visitors. Knowing the in & out of Google Analytics Setup is very much necessary for digital marketers, publishers, bloggers, etc.
After Google Analytics Setup, you can start viewing the data of your website users & visitors in the dashboard of Google Analytics.
This introduction to google analytics tool article is very useful while creating an account in google analytics tool.
