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A favorite tool of website publishers, Google Analytics measures the audience with explicit statistics and graphs. It has the merit of being intuitive, accessible and above all free. If you still have gray areas regarding this online service, the next insights are intended for you.
Why use Google Analytics?
As the name clearly suggests, Google Analytics measures the number of clicks on a website. It gives traffic statistics. The audience is dissected using various figures and percentages. Attendance is detailed according to several parameters.
- Number of visitors,
- Geographic location of visitors
- List of pages opened during passages
- Duration of visit to web portal
- Rebound rate
Google Analytics remains a relatively easy tool to set up. The editor or Webmaster can do this from their Gmail account. They must complete a dedicated form for this purpose. After accepting the general conditions, he receives the instructions to follow in his email. The procedures can also be carried out by a digital communications agency. This service provider also provides advice to increase the visibility of the site. In this case, simply make sure that your service provider has Google Analytics certification, you will thus have the assurance that they have the adequate skills to set up effective visitor tracking (important in the field of e -trade).
What additional tools does Google Analytics offer?
Google Analytics features go well beyond audience measurement. In addition to traffic statistics, it offers other additional services for users. It’s a whole toolbox for improving SEO. It is also a way to make the investment in time and money for publishing web pages profitable.
- Email alerts are part of the complementary service panel. These notifications warn in the event of an anomaly in the audience. They are used in particular to signal a significant drop in traffic. The user can configure the thresholds. In this way, it can be alerted as soon as the level is critical.
- An editor can specify a sequence of open pages. The model varies depending on the purpose of the platform itself. For an online store, for example, the Internet user arrives at the reception and then consults the URLs of products that interest him. He validates his purchase and confirms his order before paying.
- Another built-in tool is conversion optimization. Google Analytics evaluates site navigation scenarios. It provides a possible reason why the visitor does not continue the desired path.
- A dashboard summarizing the various audience data in real time can be consulted at any time.
What features differentiate this tool?
For a better understanding of traffic, Google suggests defining segments. This advanced analysis consists of observing the behavior of visitors in the publisher’s country and abroad. The functionality particularly concerns new customers. It measures their conversion by referring to the total audience during a specific event (promotion, etc.).
A true digital marketing tool, advanced segmentation establishes the different profiles of the target audience. A virtual assistant allows you to enter the parameters to take into consideration. The user must list the measurement series (metrics). Thus, it can specify the type of visitors to isolate, their origin, and the content they consult. Targeted segments report separately from general site activity statistics.
Segmentation is a way of recognizing whether editorial work, images, videos or commercial offers correspond to the targeted clientele. For e-commerce sites, details such as the basket amount are essential to adjust communication, but also the merchandise catalog. In addition, a testing service confirms whether the implemented strategy works.
Does the tool offer other details?
Claiming the status of leader in its sector, Google Analytics eliminates parasitic data. The number of internal clicks within the company is, for example, isolated from the traffic of real Internet users. Thus, if several employees are in the same brand, their visits are not counted in the statistics. The duration of their stay does not come into consideration either. Concretely, Larry Page’s team suggests filtering that the Webmaster can adjust according to his needs.
A click map gives more precision on traffic. It allows you to recognize the pages that attract the most visitors and the URLs that interest them less. This information is essential to optimize content according to the target audience.
Timeline reports are another tool in the hands of the Webmaster. A selection of dates allows you to observe the evolution of traffic. A detailed statement during an event (sale, end of year, etc.) will contribute to understanding. The publisher can compare the data to better understand the behavior of its prospects over a specific period.
Is Google Analytics paid?
Accounting for 85% of the audience measurement market, Google Analytics has always been free. Its business model is based on a completely different department of the company. When publishers realize the performance of their pages, they are contacted by the advertising agency. The latter offers paid services with a view to significantly increasing traffic.
In competition with providers specializing in audiometry, Google chooses to keep its analysis tool free. This allows it to stand up to companies such as eStat, Piwik (php My Visites) or Xiti. The Mountain View firm also offers an interface dedicated to developers. It invites them to access raw data to develop more efficient platform projects. Details like loading speed may be useful to them.
Designed by Urchin Software Corporation, Google Analytics was purchased and renamed by the Alphabet group in March 2005. At the time, the publisher offered a paid service of $495 per year. After the acquisition, the service became free for any site with fewer than 10 million views per month. Publishers subscribing to active Adwords have no limitations.
Are there any other details to know before installation?
Considered a reference, Google Analytics is indeed a powerful analysis tool. It has allowed many publishers to optimize their site. Indeed, the purpose is not to have statistics, but to adjust Web marketing accordingly. Additionally, new features are added regularly. Among the most recent are:
- Average site loading time
- The heaviest pages to lighten
- Opening speed depending on browser type
- The velocity index for each country
Regardless, Google Analytics is not mandatory. Businesses prefer a paid service for various reasons.
- The Google tool is not certified by the OJD. It is excluded from the certified organization which manages objective audience measurements on the Internet.
- Google is both judge and party. Its main motivation remains redirection to the Adwords service, the advertising network.
- The web giant collects strategic information on the analyzed site. Besides the question of confidentiality, nothing prevents it from reselling this data to competitors of this platform. In short, take it or leave it.
