With traditional marketing methods, it can take time to realize your ROI. At a trade show, you collect contact information of booth visitors and then follow-up to see what leads turned into sales. If you have an advertisement in a print publication, you can ask who is contacting you because they saw the ad.
Google Analytics yields faster turnaround time.
Google Analytics allows you to look behind the scenes of your website and see user interaction in real-time. You can track everyday use or set your analytics to track special campaigns. You can adjust your campaign as needed based on real-time interactions.
There are two major functions Google Analytics provides a company:
- Understanding what ads and campaigns are converting (and the ones that are not)
- Comprehending what content on your site is leading to conversions.
If you are not using Google Analytics for these two core functions, you are missing out on a wealth of knowledge. There are many features of Google Analytics that allow you to put your best foot forward.
Here are some best practice techniques:
Dashboards
Using dashboards, you can set up your Google Analytics to show what you deem most important, first. Are you interested in where traffic is coming into your site? Or what keywords are your visitors most coming to your site for? You can add widgets to each dashboard that will give you the analytical data you want.
Visitor Analysis
Google Analytics allows you to see the specific location of your site visitors. If you have an international clientele, you can see what which countries have high traffic to your website.
Knowing these analytics is especially helpful when determining how to spend your AdWords and PPC investments. You can see what areas already have considerable traffic and determine if there are other geographic locations that you should target. It gives you a strategic starting point, instead of guesswork and assumptions.
Content
Beyond just demographics, Google Analytics also tells you what content visitors are searching for on your site. We’ve worked with clients who were surprised at the results we showed them. While you may think one service is only a small part of your business, it may be that content that drives people to your website.
With the In-Page Analytics tab under Content in Google Analytics, you can also see the percentage of clicks for each internal link on your site. You can also track which pages keep your visitors active on the site the longest and which ones have the lowest bounce rate.
Knowing what content is bringing potential customers –and keeping them– on your website helps your digital marketing firm determine content needs.
Also, if your main product page is not performing, then it’s time to make a change. Whether that is a shift in SEO-focused keywords, completely new content, adding pages, etc., there are many strategies that improve the user experience and help convert site visitors into customers. Google Analytics gives you the tools and information you need to improve.
Social Media
Google Analytics not only measures the content on your website, but also measures social mediausing its reporting tool.
One of the best reasons to incorporate social media into your Google Analytics is to track social media’s ROI and see how it intertwines with other digital initiatives.
For instance, by adding social media as a channel, you know how many people are going to your website from social media. You can also pull the report with network referrals to see how each site –Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc. – is performing.
Additionally, when setting up social media campaigns, you can include links back to your site that Google Analytics can track so you can see how its impacting revenue.
For a walkthrough on the above initiatives and more, visit Social Media Examiner.
Google Analytics is your first step to being in tune with your clientele. Working with Proximity Marketing means you will have our team of experts to help you maximize your opportunities online. We’d love to work with you. Contact us today.
