Why Google Analytics Are Important For Your Small Business
Google Analytics. Most people either cheer when they hear those words (LIKE ME) or have no idea what I’m talking about. Here’s the deal: Google Analytics are a GAMECHANGER when it comes to SEO for your small business.
I am a web programmer, so my roots are in data analytics - and boy, do I love them. What analytics in general do is TEACH you about your audience, how you are effectively reaching them, and how to BEST reach them. Literally, it is FREE INFORMATION ON YOUR AUDIENCE.
It’s really easy to set up Google Analytics for your site. Just visit the Google Analytics Home Page, log in with your Google Account, then enter in your website information to monitor. You’ll receive a tracking code that Google will instruct you to enter in your website, which gives Google permission to track your data - SO EASY!
My Favorite Google Analytics For Business
Now, what kind of analytics does Google provide??? Here is a list of some of my favorite analytics to look at for my business -
Number of Users Accessing Your Site (Unique and Total)
Where Your Users Are Coming From (Direct Search, Instagram, Facebook, etc.)
User Retention - How Many Users Continue to Visit Your Site
Time of Day Users Visit Your Site
Most Popular Pages
What Devices Your Users Are Using (Mobile, PC, Tablet)
Bounce Rate (What Percentage of Users Accessed Your Site and Only Viewed 1 Page)
Average Length of a User’s Session on Your Website
How You Can Use Google Analytics For Your Business
Honestly, I could go on and on and ON about these analytics. Trust me, there is so much information, and so much of it you can use! But how exactly can you use this information?
See what is popular content that your audience flocks to - I like looking at my most popular pages to see what blog content I should continue providing for my audience!
Post at optimal times of the day - if you blog, you should definitely post AND talk about your website when your audience is most active during the day!
See what is your main source of referrals and act on it! My main sources of referrals are Instagram and Google, since I pour a lot of work into those platforms. With this information, you can either choose to stick to building those referral places up (what I would recommend first) or focus more time on places that aren’t attracting users.
See if you need to pivot your website strategy. If you are having an extremely high bounce rate, you probably aren’t communicating the best with your users. Sit down and walk through your site and see if there are better ways to guide your audience to important information they need to know. If you are still struggling with this, it might be good to sit down with a website design expert to help you with your strategy!
Here’s the deal: Google Analytics is one of the best tools you can implement to start growing your small business for the better. It helps you understand your audience and serve them better - which is what we ALL strive to do! So what’s holding you back? Sit down and set up those analytics now!!