Here’s How Google Analytics Works
You’re simply browsing a random webpage on the net. But unknown to you, the owner of the site has added some JavaScript code to the webpage you’re browsing. Once your web browsers finish to load up the page, the JavaScript code then runs automatically.
What the code does is send a string of data to the site’s server, informing it of the webpage you just loaded, the IP address of the computer you’re using, your language, and a distinctive code that specifically identifies you.
What follows is Google retrieving the data and organizing it in a manner that can easily be understood by an average web user.
From the IP address, Google can easily tell where you’re operating from — or on the very least where your Internet Service Provider (ISP) happens to be.
Usually, the information provided by Google will be accurate to a few miles err.
Here’s the information that Google is able to collect using the JavaScript code:
- Your identity – not your name, but some random ID that specifically identifies you.
- Where you’re operating from
- The web pages you’ve been visiting, and in their rightful order
Now think like the web owner, and what you could do with all this information when it’s availed to you in an organized manner.
As a matter of fact, that’s what Google does via its Google analytics platform. Through the tool, you’ll be provided with all the information you need to make necessary adjustments to your site and the marketing strategy you employ for better results and user experience.
Here’s a relatable example:
Through your Google Analytics account, let’s say you’re able to find out that the bulk of your visitors are from Germany. That means that if the trend continues then perhaps you’d want to consider adding a German language version of the site.
Again, it also occurs to you that people that land on a particular web page clicks the exit button almost immediately without checking any other page. That’s a dead giveaway that that webpage is a total bore and that you should be thinking of doing something to it.
Lastly, imagine a scenario where the information supplied through Google Analytics shows there’s a particular page on your site that visitors frequent the most. Meaning this is the page you should be paying most attention to compared to the other pages you have on site.
Of course, there’s more to analytics than what we just mentioned. But this sums up pretty much everything you need to know about the tool at the basic level.
A real-time analogy you can relate to:
Think of Google Analytics as a member card you’re required to fill at the local grocery store in Singapore. Whether or NOT they require you to enter your name, that piece of information is irrelevant to them. All they care about instead is your spending habit.
Through the card, the store wants to find out about your spending habits. They want to find out about your preferred day of the week for shopping. They want to find why you’re so loyal to a particular brand or why you prefer your pizza frozen.
With the information they get from you and hundreds of other members that also fill a similar card, the company will be able to make a few adjustments to their marketing strategy and their mode of operation as well, just to make you happy and get to attract even more customers of your kind.
So What Exactly is Google Analytics and Why is it so Important to a Singapore Web Owner?
As the name suggests, Google Analytics is a web analytics tool offered for free by Google. It’s the tool web owners use to analyze their site traffic.
Web analytics may sound like something of negligible importance, but there’s so much to it than you can afford to ignore. Its implications stretch far and beyond.
As with most companies, your website is at the center of all the digital traffic you’re driving. Whether you’re running a search ad or social media ad, every single one of the visitors you attract will be landing on your website.
That means your website is the best place to look for a holistic view of how effective your marketing campaigns are. Keep in mind that all this information is provided for free. All you have to do is familiarize yourself with the tool and you’re good to go.
As it stands, more than 50 million websites from every corner of the worlds are using Google analytics to keep track of their web traffic. So if you’re NOT using it, then there’s a whole lot you’re missing in terms of positioning yourself favorably for web traffic. You can make a point to sign up today and be among the 50 million enjoying the indisputable benefits of tracking their web traffic.
Distinctions between Metrics and Dimension
There’s a clear distinction between metrics and dimension even though people have a tendency of using the two terms interchangeably.
First, metrics are nothing more than the statistics Google collects with regards to user behavior on your website, while dimensions are the numerous ways you’ll be viewing the numbers presented depending on the kind of business question you’re attempting to answer.
In other words, dimensions tend to be more specific, whereas metrics is the generic data offered in crude form.
An example to help you understand:
Through Google analytics, it’s easy to tell by a casual glance the number of people your site is attracting. This information is important but it doesn’t leave you with an idea of what to do in order to increase the number.
But if the information is presented in a granular form – like the number of visitors your website is attracting based on age, location, and interest, it’s possible to look at the data and develop a rough idea of how best you can adjust your campaigns to attract a bigger number of visitors.
Let’s say you come to find out that a great majority of the people visiting your website are women. The next logical thing to do is to start focusing on attracting more women. You can do this by switching your content to something women-centric and adjusting your social media campaign to start targeting women more.
The same applies to location and age. The information you get should help you figure out the best group of audience to start targeting, which should lead to more positive traffic results in the future.
For this case, the statistical number provided in crude form is the metric, while the granular presentation based on age or location is the dimension.
The Kind of Data You will be found on Google Analytics
The kind of data presented on Google analytics can be broadly classified into two:
User Acquisition Data
This kind of data includes any information about your online users before they landed on your site. This includes their age, gender, location, and known interests.
User Behaviour data
User behavior data includes any information on your users after they landed on your website. They include:
- Information on the length of time users spends on your site after landing on it.
- Information on the first and last page visitors spend on your site.
- Information on their navigation pattern. Which path do they take upon landing on your page?
It’s a Wrap
It’s all clear – there are numerous ways your business can benefit from Google Analytics. This post comes only as a small segment of what you’re likely to gain by using Google Analytic to keep track of your web traffic.
Google decided to make one of the most effective online marketing tools, yet vailed it for free for all and sundry — what a generous act. Make good use of it while you still can and get to stand out from the other businesses you’re competing with.
MediaOne has been helping businesses in Singapore work on developing a sound marketing strategy that should propel them to the next level. Here’s your chance to make good use of their super-friendly customer relation team by contacting them today for a free SEO consultation.
