Implementing Google Analytics to track digital marketing success is a great way to determine the overall effectiveness of your marketing strategy. Learning commonly used terminology surrounding Google Analytics will allow any user to build confidence when it comes to better understanding your customer’s actions.
TRACKING CODE
This is a basis for Google Analytics to receive data from the site you are looking to gain analytics from. All websites or apps come equipped with a unique tracking ID.
Three levels fall under Google Analytics organization which include:
ACCOUNT
This gives the user access to track properties. At least one account must be present in order to do so. Different accounts can be used for different branches of the company to protect sensitive information from one another.
PROPERTY
These are considered as any device, such as a website or a mobile app, that the user would like to track. It’s possible to have an account for each one. You may also choose to have one account for multiple properties. A different tracking ID is used for each property so they can be tracked separately.
VIEW
A view consists of different filters where reports are viewed configuring different subsets of data. Google Analytics automatically creates a raw version of every property to refer back to, and each one can have up to 25 different views to analyze different areas of data.
GOALS
Goals determine if the objectives that are initially being set from the user are being met. Vital information is being determined when it comes to the property that is being tracked and to ensure progress, goals are necessary.
CONVERSIONS
A conversion is a completed activity that is part of a goal. This is an important part of ultimately reaching one. A conversion can be a customer signing up for a subscription or an appointment being booked. Conversions contribute to the overall success of a business and should be the priority of one.
METRIC
A metric is any quantitative value, basically, anything that can be measured using numbers. An example would be how long a visitor viewed your page for and how many times. These numbers allow for data to be created and built into a unique view.
DIMENSION
Dimensions are qualities of the user such as what city they’re in or their gender. They are characteristics that analytics use to assign metrics to. Dimensions are in rows with metrics in columns to be easily readable by the user.
Learning commonly used terms before setting up Google Analytics will give you a basis to connect different definitions to. With what may seem like an infinite amount to learn, realizing each of these attributes build off of each other will allow for a smoother process.
