LA2M Advanced Google Analytics

It’s too bad I only had about 30 minutes to present “Advanced Google Analytics” at LA2M on 9.16.09. There is so much to cover and so much value for anybody that runs a website.

For those that couldn’t make it or want more detail, I have posted a video and the slides below. Feel free to read, share, or ask questions! I included a rough outline below the slides with links to more information about each topic. If you would like more details about website analytics consulting, please let me know.

Advanced Google Analytics by Andrew Miller at LA2M from LA2M on Vimeo.

Advanced Google Analytics

Intro

  • Advanced Google Analytics
  • LA2M
  • 9.16.09

Andrew Miller

ArborWiki Data

  • Most of the data in the presentation is from ArborWiki.org, a freely editable community resource for Ann Arbor, MI.
  • The default date range is 8.1.09 – 8.31.09

Why Do We Care About Website Analytics?

  • If you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it.
  • It is cheaper to convert visitors than it is to buy more traffic.
  • In other words, you can buy more visitors with advertising or improve conversion rates on your site.
  • Attention to analytics can help you get more sales/leads/whatever from the same amount of traffic.

Standard Reports

  • Visits & Usage Data: How do visitors use my site?
  • Visitor Geography: Where are my visitors?
  • Referring Sources: How do visitors get to my site?
  • Content Performance: Which pages are my visitors viewing?

Metrics & KPI’s

  • Just because you can measure it doesn’t mean you should.
  • Separate the valuable, actionable data from the noise by figuring out which metrics actually drive your business.
  • Should be tied to your business objectives, and can include page views, downloads, leads, signups, registrations, transactions, or any other action.

Tagging Inbound Links

  • Are my online advertising campaigns effectively and efficiently accomplishing my objectives?
  • Which traffic sources generate the highest quality traffic?
  • Where should I invest more money? Less money?
  • Add these 5 variable as URL parameters on banner ads, sponsored search, Tweeted links, product feeds, etc.
    • utm_source
    • utm_medium
    • utm_term (optional)
    • utm_content (optional)
    • utm_name
  • Ex: http://www.yoursearchadvisor.com/blog/?utm_source=la2m&utm_medium=slideshow&utm_campaign=adv-analytics
  • Guide to tagging links

Goal Tracking and Funnel Visualization

  • Where do visitors abandon the sales funnel?
  • Which steps seem to cause friction?
  • Can the funnel be shortened?
  • What happens if we change something?
  • Guide to goal tracking

Event Tracking

  • Track visitor interactions separately from pageviews.
  • Examples: Video plays, file downloads, widget clicks, blog comments, etc.
  • AJAX and Flash interactions.
  • Extremely flexible, can be used to track any event.
  • Add the _trackEvent () JavaScript function to the onClick event in links, buttons, forms, etc.
  • Ex: <a href=”/WhitePaper.pdf” onClick=”pageTracker._trackEvent(‘Documents’, ‘Download’, ‘White Paper’);”>Download White Paper</a>
  • Guide to event tracking

Site Search Tracking

  • Track which keywords visitors type in your “Site Search” box.
  • Gain insights into consumer intent and needs.
  • Data is valuable for PPC and SEO keyword research.
  • Find out which pages visitors start their search on, what they find, and compare visitors who searched against those who don’t.
  • Guide to site search

E-Commerce Tracking

  • Which items are selling and for how much?
  • Which traffic sources are generating sales?
  • Track the following:
    • Conversion Rates
    • Total Transactions
    • Average Order Value
    • SKU-level details
    • Data by Referral Sources
  • Add the _addTrans(…) and _addItem(…) functions to the GA tracking code on your receipt page (you might need a programmer’s help)
    • _addTrans(…) includes transaction details: Order ID, Source, Total, Tax, Shipping Charge, City, State, Country
    • _addItem(…) for SKU-level details for each item sold: Order ID, SKU, Product Name, Category, Price, Quantity
  • Guide to E-Commerce tracking

Even More Advanced Google Analytics Capabilities

  • Custom Segmentation – Group visitors by a common characteristics (geography, membership, buying history, form responses, etc.)  More…
  • Custom Reporting – Slice and dice the data any way you like.  More….
  • Automated Reporting – Schedule GA to email reports on a regular basis.  More…
  • Cross-Domain Tracking – Track usage and conversions across multiple domains (i.e. 3rd party shopping carts)  More…
  • Website Optimizer – Conduct A/B and Multivariate testing to determine highest converting combinations.  More…

It’s Free, But…

  • Your data lives on somebody else’s servers
  • You can’t export your raw data to switch to another service
  • You should still read the Google Analytics Terms of Service
  • There are other alternatives
    • Woopra – free for now, real-time stats, commercial version coming
    • Piwik – free, open source, not as robust (yet)
    • Yahoo! Web Analytics – free for Yahoo! search advertisers

But Wait, There’s More!