Being able to measure data is a great concept. We can get feedback and see our steady progress towards the end goal. Google Analytics is one of the most comprehensive free tools around because it can connect to any digital advice and give you the related metrics for any marketing campaign.
It is important to remember that the data won't tell you exactly what you need to know. You have to extrapolate the right answers for your business. All the possible comparisons and conclusions to be reached can be overwhelming, but it is possible to become an expert and use the data in your favor. We will show you, with a few metrics, how to do that.
Metrics Applied
| Metric | Why It is Good | How it Can Be Bad |
| Bounce Rate | A high rate means people could be entering through an ad and find what they need, complete their goal and leave, which is good. | Users could be entering your site through an ad that might be irrelevant and unintended on your part, so they leave instantly. |
| Visit Frequency | They found what they need on your site, content, product or otherwise and come back for updates as often as you have them. | If users are meant to visit the site only a few times and then start working with the sales staff, this should be kept low. |
| Time on Site | Lots of time spent means users can't get enough of you and love learning and reading what you offer. | It can also mean that they can't find what they need or they spend time in the wrong places rather than getting to your calls to action quickly and leaving. |
| Pages per Visit | Visitors love your content and can't get enough, so they spend time reading anything they can find. | They can't find what they want and search for a bit before, ultimately, leaving. |
| Events Completed | You cater to your users, and they enjoy the varied mediums of content you provide. | They only enjoy the related events and either can't find your calls to action or aren't interested, so visitor quality is low. |
Improvements
Bounce Rate. Make sure the message that gets users to your site correlates with what users find on your site. Having this consistency keeps users on your site and builds trust with them. By serving them relevant content that agrees with an ad or link they clicked on, they maintain interest and are more likely to convert.
Visit Frequency. Your visitors should have a purpose for visiting your site. Your site should either provide a service or be a segue to getting in touch with you so you can provide that service. If visitors are frequenting your site's contact pages too much, look at the communication with your sales team to ensure that process is watertight.
Time on Site. If users spend too much time on your site without eventually converting, make sure your calls to action are visible and not crowded by ads or content. Calls to action should be available on every page and should stand out from the rest of your content to grab their attention.
Pages per Visit. If users don't convert after visiting a few pages, look at the quality of visitors that you are getting to make sure they are the kind you want. Another suggestion is to analyze your design strategy to see that each page links to relevant content that leads to the overall goal of a conversion.
Events Completed. Some users prefer watching videos or reading articles, depending on how they want to interact with content. This content is valuable to them, but it should also be valuable to you. Make sure that the content medium speaks to the type of customers your site is intended to serve.
Summary
No matter what type of business you have, you have specific calls to action that you want users to find and complete. Whether they are micro or macro conversions, you want to build trust by providing relevant content. Google Analytics is a very useful, thorough tool that helps you monitor how you are doing, but be sure to look at all aspects of the data and your company background to make an informed decision.
Photo by Scott Akerman