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Getting Started with Google Analytics
Before you begin analyzing data, you must first install Google Analytics. To do this, you need to sign up for an account on the Google Analytics website and follow the instructions provided. After signup, you’ll need to add the tracking code to your website. The code would look something like this:
<script>
(function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){i['GoogleAnalyticsObject']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){
(i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o),
m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m)
})(window,document,'script','https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js','ga');
ga('create', 'UA-XXXXX-Y', 'auto');
ga('send', 'pageview');
</script>
<p>Make sure to replace 'UA-XXXXX-Y' with your website's tracking ID.</p>
<h2>Understanding the Google Analytics Dashboard</h2>
<p>Once you've installed Google Analytics, you're ready to explore the Google Analytics dashboard. The dashboard has an array of features and statistical data which can be complicated for beginners. Let's break it down:</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Real-Time:</strong> This shows what's happening on your website at any given moment. It includes active users, the pages they are viewing, the source of their visit, etc.</li>
<li><strong>Audience:</strong> This provides insight into the characteristics of your website visitors, such as their demographics, interests, geography, behavior, technology, etc.</li>
<li><strong>Acquisition:</strong> This shows how you acquire users, detailing traffic sources, social media performance, and campaigns.</li>
<li><strong>Behavior:</strong> This focuses on your website content, showing what's working and what's not. It includes data on site content, site speed, and site search.</li>
<li><strong>Conversions:</strong> This is where you track your business goals and see how well your site fulfills your target objectives.</li>
</ul>
<h2>Setting Up Goals</h2>
<p>One of the most powerful features of Google Analytics is goal tracking. Goals can be set up in the 'Admin' area under the 'View' column. For example, let's set up a goal to track contact form submissions. The goal setup would look something like this:</p>
[sourcecode]
// Select 'Custom' under 'Goal setup'
// Set 'Type' to 'Destination'
// Set 'Goal details' -> 'Destination' to 'equals to' -> '/thank-you.html'
// Click on 'Save'
This will track every time someone lands on the ‘thank-you’ page, which should only occur after a contact form submission.
Conclusion
Google Analytics is a potent tool for understanding your website’s performance. It’s a deep subject with lots more to explore than what’s covered here, but we hope this guide has given you a good start. Happy analyzing!
