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uncommon for Google Analytics to be tracking an outdated website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outdated tag.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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