A few weeks ago we discussed the many different ways to measure the success of search engine optimization. We talked a little bit about Google Analytics, and mentioned that it was a powerful tool for tracking a number of different website marketing metrics. In fact, Google Analytics is a key component of any search engine marketing strategy because it provides some of the best info available in a clear, concise fashion. Best of all, it’s free to use and easy to incorporate into your webpage.
Getting Started With Google Analytics Website Marketing Metrics
The first step for using Google Analytics is to actually sign up for it. This is as simple as registering for a Google webmaster account, and linking your webpage to that account. The full details for how to do this are readily available through Google. Depending on whether you were in charge of your search engine optimization or you had another company do it for you, your website might already be registered and tracking your metrics. Ask your search engine marketing provider whether they set it up, and if so ensure that you’ve got a way to access the results.
If it’s not set up, you’ll have to place actual lines of website code inside your page. You may need to ask your website marketing company for help here, but it’s well worth it for the information that you will receive. The task itself is fairly simple, but can be overwhelming for a first-time user. Upton Tech generally provides this service for our clients.
What Search Engine Optimization Info Does It Provide?
The data gathered by Google Analytics is directly useful for website marketing. The code you place on your website will track everyone coming into your website and leaving again. This simple tracking yields powerful search engine marketing results because it tracks in rather great detail. For example, it can tell you where someone came from. Did they get to your page through online ads for website marketing? Did they arrive directly? Or did they click over from Google’s search engine, indicating that your search engine optimization is taking effect?
Taking Your Search Engine Marketing To The Next Level
There are many layers of detail which can be viewed through Google Analytics. For companies just starting out with website marketing, the raw data of visitors to the homepage is usually sufficient information for most decisions. As your business grows, you can begin exploring the more in-depth elements of Google Analytics. It is a very powerful service, capable of revealing where most visitor traffic originates, how long they viewed each page, and more. This more detailed information might overwhelm a new user, but is perfectly suited to a more experienced search engine optimization consultant.
Most companies who are serious about search engine optimization in the long term will install Google Analytics quickly and start using it right away. This powerful tool is something that no website marketing team should miss, It is completely safe for your website and has no impact on user privacy, yet provides valuable information for your search engine optimization team.