With over 50 reports available in Google Analytics, it can be overwhelming to determine which reports and metrics to focus on. It’s no secret that Google Analytics is an incredibly helpful, insightful, and (mostly) free tool for business owners, but if you don’t know how to use it, it’s not going to do you any good. The good news is that you don’t have to spend hours analyzing Analytic reports in order to get a better understanding of your business; instead, start by focusing on the following 7 metrics only. All of these reports can be downloaded through Google Analytics and will help you to generate more website traffic and engage with your users.

 

1. User Demographics

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By learning more about your visitors, you can ensure your products and information are relevant and of interest to your consumers and viewers. 7 standard reports on user demographics are available including age, gender, and interest overview. User demographics can also help you connect on a more personal level with your users. Find out exactly who your audience is so you can then target your content and advertising to meet their needs. Your marketing tactics will be so much more effective if you know you’re providing value to your users based on what they’re interested in.

 

2. Most Popular Content

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Pay close attention to what content is driving the most traffic. Analyze which posts and pages receive the most views and tailor your content to meet the interests of your audience. You can change the dates on this report to consider all your content for the year or narrow it down to a smaller time frame. You will be able to see the number of views each page has and which is driving the most traffic. This is a great time to consider what content is no longer relevant to your viewers or what type of post will resonate the most with users in the future. You may want to use this information to revamp your content strategy.

 

3. Form Conversions

 

When a user fills out a form, they have a high level of engagement. You can collect a variety of information, from leads to comments and feedback. Forms are a great way to grow your business and your audience. You will find this report especially useful if you want visitors to take a specific action, for instance, make an appointment or sign up for your newsletter. You will find information for each form submission and button on your site. Use this information to determine who is filling out forms, when they’re filling them out, and which buttons or CTA’s are prompting the most form conversions.

 

4. Google AMP (Accelerated Mobile Project)

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It is imperative that your website be mobile friendly considering the majority of searches are completed on a mobile device. By tracking your AMP reports, you can make improvements to enhance your user’s mobile experience. You will want to keep in mind that desktop traffic is unaffected by AMP.

 

5. Search Console

 

Tracking this tool’s report is crucial in growing your business. Using this tool will show you what search words drive the most traffic to your website and keep you informed about your organic search traffic. You will also see impression and site engagement data through this tool.

 

6. Custom Dimensions

 

Use the custom dimensions feature to set up your own business-specific metrics that Google Analytics doesn’t automatically track. This will help you gain more knowledge and insight into what is working (or not) for your business. You are allowed up to 20 custom dimensions. Follow this guide from Google to learn exactly how to customize your analytics page.

 

7. eCommerce Tracking

 

If you are selling products on your website, you will want to analyze your store’s eCommerce metrics. Using this tool will allow you to track sales, revenue, and transactions. You can see information such as the average order value, product information, conversion rates, and more. All of this is helpful when determining which products are selling well and which ones aren’t, so that you can adjust your sales strategy in the future.

 

As you become more comfortable with using Google Analytics, you may find additional reports and metrics that can be useful to you and your business. A deeper understanding of your users and site traffic will provide insight on how to tailor your marketing strategy and ultimately grow your business. Don’t spend hours of your time going through every single report Google Analytics has to offer- instead, start with these 7 metrics and make your business decisions based on this important data. It should only take an hour or 2 of your time, so you’ll have plenty of time left over for more important tasks like running your company.

 

feature image credit: developers.google.com

images 1-3: taken from author’s Google Analytics account