An Introduction to Google Analytics: How to Use GA4 for Website Success

An Introduction to Google Analytics and How to Use It

Google Analytics is one of the most powerful web analytics tools available today. This powerful and resilient program is trusted by over 50 million websites globally. Any website may use Google Analytics to have a better knowledge of what visitors are doing on the site. This free app makes it simple to track and evaluate important data. GA provides access to a plethora of various reports. Some are straightforward, while others are a little more complicated.

Where do your website visitors come from? Which marketing methods are bringing in the most visitors to your website? What are your website's most popular pages?

Google Analytics can provide answers to all of these queries and more.

What is Google Analytics?

Google Analytics is a powerful web and digital analytics platform. It was created by Google to help website owners better understand how people were using their sites. By tracking these user activities, site owners could then make changes to improve their sites.

How does Google Analytics work?

To track user activities on a website, Google Analytics primarily uses JavaScript and cookies. Cookies are small pieces of information stored in your browser. These cookies contain an identifier that is automatically created when the cookie is first created. The cookie can then tell Google Analytics how many times you visited the website. 

In addition to cookies, Google Analytics can be linked to a Google Ads account. This integration allows site owners to track the visitors they receive from their ads, providing valuable insights into the performance of their advertising campaigns.

However, Google Analytics can also collect data in other ways. For instance, you can use the Measurement Protocol to send data directly to Google Analytics servers from any internet-connected device, including point-of-sale systems, kiosks, and other offline sources. Google Analytics can also collect data from mobile apps.

By combining these various data collection methods, Google Analytics provides a robust and versatile platform for tracking and analyzing user behavior across multiple touchpoints.

How do I set up Google Analytics on my website?

In most cases, Google Analytics is easy to install. If you’re getting started for the first time, you can sign up for a new Google Analytics account at https://marketingplatform.google.com/about/analytics/ and follow the steps to create a property and a data stream. 

When you create a new data stream, you will be given the option to install Google Analytics using the dedicated tracking code. However, you can also copy the Measurement ID to install Google Analytics using a plugin or Google Tag Manager.

As soon as the tracking code is installed, Google Analytics will start tracking your site's data. After 24 hours, data is processed into the standard reports and you will be able to begin creating custom exploration reports too.

Watch our Google Analytics tutorial on YouTube to walkthrough the steps to get up and running:

What are the key metrics I should track in Google Analytics?

Once you’ve installed Google Analytics on your website, you will automatically have access to a diverse range of metrics. This includes users, sessions, engagement rate, and more. Then to get a better understanding of the performance of your website and marketing channels, you should take the time to track conversions as ‘Key Events’. This allows you to understand if people are converting once they land on your website or not. If you’re selling online, then you should also implement ecommerce tracking so you can use the full range of ecommerce metrics in Google Analytics. 

To learn more about all of the most important metrics, dimensions, and other terminology you will encounter, we recommend checking out our Google Analytics Glossary.

How can I use Google Analytics to track conversions?

In order to track conversions in Google Analytics you will need to complete two steps. First, you will need to ensure that the action you want to setup as a conversion is already being tracked as an event into your reports. Once the action is being tracked as an event, you can then configure the event as a ‘Key Event’. These ‘Key Events’ are then used to report on conversions in Google Analytics.

Watch our Google Analytics conversion tracking tutorial on YouTube to learn how to configure Key Events to report on conversions:

How can I segment my data in Google Analytics?

Google Analytics allows you to segment your data in different ways. In the standard reports, you can create ‘Comparisions’ to compare different sections of your traffic. And in the exploration reports you can create segments to include or exclude traffic based on your criteria.

How do I integrate Google Analytics with other tools like Google Ads and Google Tag Manager?

Google Analytics integrates with a range of Google’s platforms. This includes Google Ads and Google Search Console. You can learn how to link Google Ads and Google Analytics in our tutorial on YouTube:

Google Tag Manager lets you manage a range of analytics and advertising tags on your website. This includes the ability to manage your Google Analytics tags and implementation. Watch our Google Tag Manager tutorial series on YouTube to learn how to get started:

What reports can you get from Google Analytics?

There are dozens of different reports you can use to understand your site's traffic better. Some of these reports are simple, while others are a bit more complex. Here are a few examples of the type of reports you can access from Google Analytics.

1. Traffic Acquisition Report

The Traffic Acquisition report shows you where your site visitors are coming from, including which social media platforms and referral sources are driving the most traffic. It provides a detailed breakdown of different channels such as organic search, direct traffic, paid search, social, and more, helping you understand which sources are most effective.

2. Pages and Screens Report

The Pages and Screens report allows you to see which pages and screens are most popular among your users. It provides insights into user engagement, showing metrics like views, average engagement time, and event counts. This report helps you identify the most visited sections of your site and target your audience more effectively.

3. Technology Overview Report

The Technology Overview report helps you understand how visitors are using your site on different devices. This report provides insights into devices and platforms, including what browsers and operating systems are being used by visitors to your site. You can use this report to compare mobile, tablet, and desktop usage, allowing you to optimize your site for people’s preferred devices.

4. Landing Page Report

The Landing Page report is an essential tool for understanding which pages users first land on when they visit your site. This report helps you analyze the performance of your landing pages, providing insights into user behavior and engagement on those pages. It helps you identify which landing pages are driving the most traffic and conversions.

Conclusion

Google Analytics is a powerful and robust analytics tool. Any website can benefit from tracking the activities of its visitors. By using Google Analytics, you can better understand your audience and how they are using your site. This information can help you to create a more user-friendly experience. You can create landing pages that have higher conversion rates and create more effective marketing campaigns.

At Loves Data, we offer a comprehensive Google Analytics course to enhance your practical skills and knowledge. You'll learn how to set up, configure, customize, and use Google Analytics. Join our Google Analytics course today!