Top 5 reasons to use a Google Analytics demo account

Using a Google Analytics demo account can come in handy for many reasons – from testing how to implement a new feature, to showing someone how to use a report. But before I give you my 5 top reasons, let’s look at a few ways to create a demo account:

• Create a new blank property: This will allow you to navigate the Google Analytics interface and explore the standard reports and custom exploration reports. However, unless you install the tracking code on a live website, this property won’t be collecting real-world data. Instead the reports will be empty. This type of demo account is okay for learning how to configure Google Analytics settings and features like custom dimensions, events, and audiences.
• Create a test property and track a demo site: Setting up Google Analytics and installing it on a single HTML page or a demo website lets you play with and test different features. I recommend creating a separate account and property whenever you create a demo, just so data is kept contained and doesn't impact your primary set of reports. You can also use tools like Google Tag Manager to fire test events into the new property for experimentation.
• Track a personal website: I think it's a great idea to create a small personal website. It could be a couple of pages you use as a portfolio (a bit like an extension of your LinkedIn profile). There are plenty of free and low-cost platforms you can use to create a personal website, including Google Sites, WordPress, and Squarespace. It's also worth investing in a domain name. Once you've created your site, you should definitely install Google Analytics on all the page.
• Use Google’s demo account: This account includes real data in the reports, which makes it perfect for showing people how to explore and interpret Google Analytics reports. To use Google’s demo account, log into your Google account and then navigate to the Google Analytics demo property. You can also learn more about the Google Analytics demo account in this tutorial:

Why you need a Google Analytics demo account

Now that we’ve looked at some ways to create a demo account, here are my top 5 reasons for using them:

1. Sharing techniques for using reports and interpreting data: It’s so important to empower people to use Google Analytics – to actually understand what they’re looking at. Opening up a demo account and walking through the interface (and getting people to follow along) can be a really powerful way to learn Google Analytics.
2. Exploring a new feature you want to implement: Google Analytics is regularly updated with new features. I find it helpful to experiment with them in a test property or demo setup before rolling them out to your primary implementation. You can use a single HTML page or demo website, send data into your test setup, and confirm you’re seeing the results you expect.
3. Testing ideas for new data collection and reports: Sometimes you might not have all the data you need in your primary property – especially if you're working with a new client or starting a new project. Using a demo account or test property allows you to quickly build custom exploration reports. If you're playing with Looker Studio, you can also access the demo Google Analytics property and demo Google Ads data to test your visualizations.
4. Troubleshooting problems with data: Sometimes unexpected things happen and your Google Analytics data isn't quite right. Using a demo setup, you can replicate parts of your tracking implementation to narrow down issues and troubleshoot in a controlled environment.
5. Testing a custom configuration: Google Analytics gives you the ability to configure custom dimensions, audiences, event modifications, and more. Testing these in a demo property ensures they’re working as expected before applying them to your main Google Analytics setup.