1. Verify Property ID
The
Property ID looks something like UA-000000-2. You want to make sure the
ID associated with your account is the same one seen on the live
website. It’s not uncommon for Google Analytics to be tracking an
outdated website because often developers forget to update Google
Analytics codes when launching new sites. We recommend using Google Tag
Assistant to effortlessly check your property ID.
2. Check for Tag Updates
Once
you know the Property ID is correct, you’ll want to check to see if
your tags are the new Universal Analytics or the Global Analytics tags,
not old Google Analytics tags.
If
you’ve been using Google Analytics for a long time it’s possible your
site has an outdated tag. Remember, Google is constantly updating their
suite of tools and you want to keep up with the latest version.
3. Verify Your URL Consistency
Next,
you’ll want to verify that the default URL in Property Settings
corresponds to the default URL of the live site. Ensure that you’re
paying close attention to HTTP/HTTPS and www/non-www. It is not
uncommon for people to forget to update their Google Analytics when
they update their SSL certificate to have their websites load with
HTTPS.
4. Verify Your Tracking Code
Open
Tag Assistant and verify the tracking code is placed on all pages only
once. Often, page view tags are accidentally placed multiple times on a
single page which results in the doubling of important data. This can
lead to skewed results and inaccurate data, which would not be good
when making marketing decisions.
5. Clean Up Your Data
It’s
important to make sure that all of the traffic coming to your website
is traffic from outside sources. To ensure that your Google Analytics
data is clean, set up filters so that internal traffic (your own team
or developers) is not being counted. We often see reporting that is way
off because the internal team visits the website and that traffic is
counted in the data. By setting a filter, you ensure that the data
being tracked is real traffic.
6. Set Up Google Search Console
Google
Search Console (formerly known as Google Webmaster Tools) is a very
powerful tool for keeping a close eye on your site’s SEO strength and,
once set up, integrates with Google Analytics. Google Search Console
allows you to submit sitemaps, monitor organic SEO rankings and
traffic, and check for SEO site errors, such as broken links (ex. “page
not found” 404 errors). Make sure to connect the correct property by
again paying close attention to HTTPS/HTTP and www/non-www.
7. Set Up Goals
Open
the Admin area of your Analytics account and check which goals are set
up. The types of goals chosen are specific to every business. Each
business should have a unique set of goals such as webform completions,
sales, quote requests, etc. These goals are great for reporting as they
quickly show month-to-month growth or decline per marketing channel.
8. Enable eCommerce
For
any eCommerce site, it’s important to enable the enhanced eCommerce
settings as this gives details into which products are purchased. This
step might require a developer to work on the site’s platform because
it can be a bit tricky, though most modern eCommerce platforms have
settings to enable this feature.
9. Use Site Search Settings
If
your site uses a search box (a MUST for eCommerce sites) then under
“View Settings” is a feature called “Site Search Settings.” With this,
you can add a query parameter which enables a “site search report.”
This report will give you insight into the user’s site search activity
which provides insight into which products should be more
front-and-center. Find more info about setting up Site Search here.
10. Use URL Builder
URL
Builder allows businesses to create unique tracking URLs to mark up
custom sources and marketing channels. For example, we recommend using
the URL Builder to create tracking URLs for all of your email marketing
campaigns so you can run reports on your site’s traffic from email
campaigns. This is important for identifying which sources and
campaigns are driving traffic, leads, and sales.
Conclusion
Google
Analytics is vital for tracking growth and developing a digital
strategy for literally any business with a website. Yet, like most
Google products, Google Analytics is designed with professionals in
mind, making the initial setup both complex and technical. Use our list
to ensure your bases are covered and be sure to give yourself the time
to meticulously set up your account so that it matches your specific
digital business goals.
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