When you’re advertising your business online, your goal is to create growth—reaching new audiences and increasing sales. To do that, you need to understand your audience, what brings them to your website, and how they interact with your site once they’ve arrived. That information can help you encourage new prospects to become regular customers, and regular customers to spend more, but only if you understand how to access and use that information to improve your digital marketing efforts. Knowing how to use Google Analytics to your advantage is key to unlocking the potential growth of your business.
Making the Most of Google Analytics
The good news is that the information you need is out there, and it isn’t hard to access. However, it isn’t simply handed to you, either. Here’s what you need to do to ensure that you’re using the insights you can get from Google Analytics to drive growth.
Get your Google Analytics setup right: To make Google Analytics work for you, you need to make sure you’re capturing the data you need and that you’re focused on the most relevant information. For example, test conversions in real-time with a form or a transaction.
The first thing to do is check for accurate data recording on your site (for example, by checking your tag setup). If this isn’t correct, any metrics derived from inaccurate traffic recording won’t be correct either. Once you’ve confirmed you’ve got the record right, then you need to choose the right KPIs to match your objectives and set up Analytics goals for them.
Get comfortable with Google Analytics: Take some time to familiarize yourself with what you can do and learn on the platform. The better you know the features and controls, the more you’ll get out of it. There are plenty of YouTube videos. Connection Marketing also provides coaching services.
Implement the right online channels to drive traffic and sales: To bring potential customers to your website, you need to find your prospects online. Potential channels to bring visitors to your site include Google ads, email marketing, content marketing, social media marketing, and YouTube advertising. When you’ve put these in place, Google Analytics will help you see where your traffic is coming from. The best way to do this is a Source / Medium report.
Increase your Average Order Value: One of the most valuable things Analytics tracks is your Average Order Value—simply, the average revenue each ecommerce transaction brings in on your site. Aside from the topline number, it also breaks it down by traffic source. This will tell you exactly where your marketing efforts are paying off, and which channels are underperforming.
Increase buyer frequency: Google Analytics will tell you who is coming to your site, how often, and when those visits result in a sale. Frequency, recency, and conversions will help you see the behavior of your customers and optimize your marketing and your site to encourage repeat purchases.
Conversion rate optimization: Google Analytics insights can help you determine which landing pages are most effective. Put in a process for testing your different landing pages and tracking their conversion rates. The higher the rate, the better your ROI/ROAS. Keeping a sharp eye on this will help you keep your ad strategy focused on tactics and channels that are producing value.
Check your demographics: Demographics and Interests reports within Google Analytics can help you figure out who your high-value customers are. You should check these reports frequently, taking a look at the age, gender, and interests of your highest-converting (and lowest-converting) visitors. Adjust your marketing, if necessary, to make sure your ad spend and content are targeting your most promising audience.
Nobody has an unlimited marketing budget. When you want to make the biggest possible impact with every dollar, you need a marketing strategy that is focused on the tactics that work. At Connection Marketing, we create customized, responsive campaigns that generate leads and increase sales while maximizing your return on investment. We help you get the most out of every tool at your disposal. To find out more about how Connection Marketing can boost your bottom line, contact us at info@connectionmarketing.com to schedule a free initial consultation.
