Google Analytics

Author:
Willie Kadel
Summer Intern (Wabash College)
Crawfordsville | Montgomery County Chamber Of Commerce

Chamber interns and Wabash College Juniors Willie Kadel and Tyler Rector discuss their work on implementing Google Analytics

This summer I had the amazing opportunity to work as a summer intern at the Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce. One of the goals I had for the summer was to do some research on how to utilize Google Analytics for our website/business. This sent me down the rabbit hole that is Google Analytics. There is so much to learn and utilize. At first glance, Google Analytics seems like too much to comprehend. To the untrained eye all these new terms can be very intimidating. From managing different properties to assigning tags to track ad campaigns, what does it all mean and how does it apply to me and my business? But I was given a task to learn the software and to share what I have learned with others. So, I put my best foot forward and began my journey learning about Google Analytics in hopes of becoming proficient in the software and maybe teaching someone else in the process. In this blog I want to explain what Google Analytics is and why it is possibly the most important tool for your business. By the end of this article I want you to feel motivated to go out and set up your own account and begin learning things about your business that you didn’t even know were possible.

So what is Google Analytics anyway?
Google Analytics is a digital marketing tool designed to help you track usage on your website and to transfer that newly acquired knowledge to some of your marketing techniques. In Google Analytics you can check real time data as well as data from previous time periods to compare and contrast different statistics. Being able to monitor all of the different pathways people can access your website simultaneously allows you to find out what is working well and what could use more attention. This also allows you to compare different marketing techniques and how well they are working to attract more traffic to your website. Google Analytics also collects data on metrics such as bounce rates and time on page. This can show you what parts of the website could benefit from some reworking to improve traction. Basically, Google Analytics is a software that gives you access to statistics about your website clientele to make informed decisions about marketing techniques.

Why is Google Analytics important?
Have you ever been looking at your website and asked yourself: “who are these people accessing my website? What things are they looking at when they access my website? How can I boost my marketing campaign traction?” These are all questions that Google Analytics can help you answer. Think about what you could do if you knew how people were gaining access to your website. Are they finding your company from ads on Facebook? Are they simply finding you through a Google search? If so, how can I generate more traffic to my website using these different reference sources? For example, in my Google Analytics I found that a majority of the people who access my website are doing so through organic searches (AKA a Google search), but what I want to see is more traffic coming from my social media accounts. Google Analytics would show me that not many people are being referred from social media and that I should put some more effort into updating my social media to make people more prone to visit my website. Basically, Google Analytics gives me the information I need to improve traction on my website. This is important because it helps you pinpoint where you are lacking and or thriving in terms of marketing

How can I get this started for my business?
If you are ready to get started with Google Analytics check out the step-by-step guide my fellow intern Tyler Rector and I created to help assist our members in their journey with Google Analytics. They are all located on the Business Resources page on our MOCO Chamber website. The “Google Analytics Start-up Guide” will help you get the initial set-up of the software up and going as well as offering some key word definitions. There is also a corresponding “Google Analytics: The Set-up” document that offers more visual aid for people setting up their Google Analytics account. After getting your account set-up and a tracking code installed check out the “Google Analytics: The Basics” PowerPoint. It will help you with navigating the Google Analytics site. Feel free to use these documents to assist you in your research with Google Analytics.
 
All in all, Google Analytics is a fantastic tool for both small and large businesses alike. Each and every business can utilize this free online program and benefit from the things it offers. No matter if you have the best marketing scheme or none at all Google Analytics is going to help you figure what is working well and what needs to be swept under the table. Check out our Business Resources page to get started now. 

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