Understanding Google Analytics
The Google Analytics interface has grown more complicated over time, but the data is also more expansive. Below is a quick rundown on the major areas inside Google Analytics and what each category holds in the way of information.
The navigation shows the major areas to grab information. Each has numerous drill down options when clicked.
By looking through the numerous options, insights into the source and activity of a site’s traffic can be gained and used to improve conversion. The sheer volume of ways to drill down into a site’s traffic data can be overwhelming but it is worth going through each element to know what they are. You want to consider how each piece of unique information can be used to improve calls to action and to direct visitors to affiliate offers. The Audience options are listed below, and many have deeper options that can be viewed.
Working through the various information types within Google Analytics also allows one to then use Google Tag Manager to further manipulate a website’s traffic, as well as understanding the sources of that traffic. This is a good read for how to implement UTM tags.
Also on the Dashboard, you can find how many users are on your site.
And if set up you can have a solid overview of your activity and numbers including insights such as:
The above numbers show the busiest times of day, where visitors are coming from, and what device they are using. With this information, you can start to get a clearer picture of your visitors. An even deeper dive into conversion and time of day and source of traffic can also help guide your affiliate ad choice.
Geolocation is one factor that can be manipulated once the data has been examined and what pages lead to conversions by country, state or city. If certain content or products attract buyers, or in the case of affiliates clickers, from specific places, you can target them and create specific messaging to increase success. Use a Geo IP recognition program - Wordpress has plugins that will allow you to send location-specific traffic to certain pages and even block countries from accessing pages.
This can all be determined based on the data in analytics. The options, while not quite endless, are numerous but if used effectively can provide methods to improve the user experience, as well as the profitability of affiliate marketing efforts.
In the above, information about site speed can instruct when to optimize what pages.
The company offers an educational series of videos to train on understanding Google Analytics at the Google Analytics Academy and you can then take an online test to become certified.
The course and the certification are great tools to have in your arsenal.
Everyone’s needs and data are different. Inside your analytics account, you can look at all the data through many filters. If you want to succeed at affiliate marketing then a solid knowledge of analytics must be part of your skill set.