Google Analytics

The idea behind Google Analytics is similar to AdWords conversion tracking: add a code snippet to your web pages so that you can understand what works and what doesn’t. However, comparing Google Analytics to AdWords conversion tracking is a bit like comparing a fully loaded Ferrari to a Ford Model T. Both programs are intended to help website owners understand website dynamics so that they can make better business decisions and enhance performance. But beyond shared goals, there really is no comparison.

Note

Google Analytics and AdWords conversion tracking do not interfere with each other. In other words, there’s no reason you can’t have both running at the same time.

Google Analytics offers a wide breadth of functionality. To start with, the program shows you where your visitors come from and how they interact with your site. Ultimately, you can use this feature to calculate your rate of return for each AdWords keyword.

In addition to basic conversion tracking, Google Analytics offers:

Visitor flow tracking through your site
Understanding the sources of referrals to your site
Page view information across your entire site
Advanced conversion reporting
Funnel analysis

Google Analytics can’t solve website performance issues for you. However, it very likely can help you pinpoint problem areas—so you can solve the problems yourself. In addition, the price is right (Google Analytics is free). It’s worth noting that this is enterprise-caliber software that can be used by everyone from mom-and-pop shops to large organizations. Furthermore, Google Analytics will help you monitor your site performance even if you are not using other Google products. There’s no requirement that either AdSense or AdWords must be implemented on your site for you to use Google Analytics.

Getting Started with Google Analytics

To get started with Google Analytics, click on the Reporting tab of the Google AdWords page and select Google Analytics. The window shown in Figure 13-18 will load.

Figure 13-18. It’s easy to create a Google Analytics account from within AdWords

There are two options available. I will show the option for linking to an existing Google Analytics account in Figure 13-19, but will take you through the steps of creating a new account as shown in Figure 13-20.

Figure 13-19. Link AdWords to an existing Google Analytics account

Assuming you don’t already have an Analytics account, choose the “Create my free Google Analytics account” option and click Continue. The New Account Signup window, shown in Figure 13-20, will open. Enter the domain you want to track.

Figure 13-20. Although you can further differentiate, aggregate websites are the fundamental unit for tracking

Note

Once you’ve created an Analytics account, you can add additional domains to be tracked from the Analytics Overview page by clicking Add New Profile. Note, however, that each domain requires its own unique tracking ID and JavaScript code snippet.

Click Continue. The Tracking Code page, shown in Figure 13-21, will open.

Figure 13-21. Google Analytics generates the JavaScript code you’ll need to add to your pages

On the code page, you’ll see your ID as well as some tracking code. This tracking code needs to be included in every page on your site, usually just above the </body> tag.

For example:

<html>
<head>
...
</head>
<body>
...
   <script type="text/javascript">
var gaJsHost = (("https:" == document.location.protocol) ? "https://ssl." :
"http://www.");
document.write(unescape("%3Cscript src='" + gaJsHost + "google-analytics.com/ga.js'
type='text/javascript'%3E%3C/script%3E"));
</script>
<script type="text/javascript">
try {
var pageTracker = _gat._getTracker("UA-7959080-2");
pageTracker._trackPageview();
} catch(err) {}</script>
</body>
</html>

If you don’t personally maintain your website, that’s fine: just pass the code snippet along to your tech person.

Note

Actually, all you may need to pass along to the techie is the ID; the rest of the code is the same across the board.

You should try to paste the Google Analytics code as it was written without changing line breaks. You can check to make sure the code has been correctly added by opening your web pages and viewing the source code.

If your website is generated from a database using a content management system, there is likely an easier way to add the Google Analytics code to each page than doing it by hand.

For example, there are a number of plug-ins, like the one shown in Figure 13-22, that add the Google Analytics code to all the pages in a WordPress blog. All you have to do is enter the ID number in the Plugins settings page.

Figure 13-22. You can use a plug-in to add Google Analytics capabilities across an entire WordPress blog

Once the tracking code has been added to your pages, you’ll start to see data in the Google Analytics Dashboard, shown in Figure 13-23.

Note

To open the Analytics Dashboard from within Google AdWords, go to the Analytics tab and choose the website you are interested in from the View Reports drop-down list.

Figure 13-23. The Google Analytics Dashboard helps you understand your site performance dynamics at a glance

Using Google Analytics

The JavaScript code that Google Analytics asks you to add to your web pages passes information back to a Google Analytics server about your site visitors, your pages, and the actions of the visitors on the page (for example, what links were clicked). The real value of Google Analytics is in the processing and presentation of this data.

The Dashboard

When you’ve chosen which URL you’d like to view the reports for, the Dashboard opens (Figure 13-23). By default, the date range at the top is the past 30 days.

A line graph beneath the date shows you the number of visits for each day. There is a summary of the vital statistics for the 30 days below that include pages per visit, average time on the site, and percent of new visits.

When you change the date range, the Dashboard refreshes, making it easy to notice trends. You can also compare data from two different time frames. The differences between the two sets of data are displayed in green (for a positive change) or red (when the change is negative).

Map Overlay

The Map Overlay, shown on the lower right of Figure 13-23, is an important tool for websites targeting visitors from more than one location. You can use the Map Overlay to drill down and quickly (and visually) find out the countries and cities that your site visitors come from.

When you pass the mouse over a city on the Map Overlay, you can find out the number of visits from the city for a given date range, as well as the number of visits from a specific IP.

The Map Overlay feature is best used to track promotional efforts aimed at specific geographic regions. For example, using the overlay of the United States and drilling down to the state level, you can view visitors by state, county, or city.