Introduction to the future of Google Analytics Reports:
Google Analytics report is the new default experience in regards to investing for future improvements. It helps in gathering data and benefit from the latest innovations by keeping current implementation intact. Google Analytics reports are considered the primary measurement platform for millions of websites and digital marketing campaigns.
Along with Google Search Console and few more third-party measurement tools and platforms, Google Analytics custom reports provide critical insight into metrics like website performance, organic search, social media, audience and paid search.
A Google Analytics report is part of our daily routine for monitoring performance and reporting. It is the number one platform to maintain an online presence based on sheer numbers. Needless to mention hence is used by many brands and organizations for maintaining online business’s total traffic.
This platform offers far more than just a basic header-presentation dashboard. It provides excellent technical and analytical features and is considered a terrific resource for businesses. The Google Analytics real-time tool and its purpose are about helping to get a holistic view of an organization followed by measuring each stage of the business path contributing to overall success.
List of 11 Google Analytics reports providing valuable insights:
Custom Dashboards
One can create custom dashboards from any data, followed by viewing one can break down into analytics. The best part is adding data and reports in widget format from multiple reports into one page. Google Analytics is a great platform to start with for every business before jumping to Google Data Studio, which offers even better options.
Lifetime Value
Also known as “beta” in Google Analytics, this report is crucial. Every business has a site that engages users, and visitors often come back to make purchases. Here one can track the value of specific users with the aspect of a buyer’s journey. To add always keep in mind that when something is in beta, the report could be removed, updated, enhanced or changed at any given point in time.
User Explorer
This report gives access to in-depth details about the journeys of specific website visitors. As one cannot identify the user in Google Analytics by default, here how individuals consume content and acted within the website over a given period is monitored. It provides insight that eventually rolls up revenue data and other standard Google Analytics metrics in a single report.
Interests – Affinity Categories
This Interests or Affinity Categories report is the most interesting and helpful one across a wide range of users. If data is not visible by default, agree to the terms and advance, give Google authorization to show on behalf of your account. Sometimes the data may or may not align with what you expect; thus, one can choose to leverage theme by categories.
Benchmarking – Channels
The benchmark report is the hidden gem that can help compare yours with other industries. Here one can select detailed industry verticals and analyze how a site is responding across various channels regarding standard Google Analytics traffic metrics. This tool is excellent to use and set a baseline followed by establishing goals.
Users Flow
A report visually overwhelming but looks busy and is hard to decipher most of the time. For beginners, give it a moment and start using the zoom slider, followed by moving around on the page.
Do not forget to use the dropdown above the first column to change the dimensions as per convenience for reviews. This page can provide some solid insight and info in a much easy way if compared. This tool helps with patterns and tendencies thoroughly in shaping the content within a given time.
Site Content – Landing Pages
The basic yet the most overlooked one is this report. Knowledge of top landing pages helps connect and validate the dots between specific marketing efforts, organic search, and viral content.
This dimension tool allows looking at the source for each page, followed by letting users know about traffic for a particular page. The scenario is a bit different for SEOs; one needs to confirm that one must get a diversified set of landing pages completely based on optimization strategy over time.
Site Search – Search Terms
As we all know, most e-commerce platforms and content management systems provide reporting on the exact terms that are being searched through on-site search functions and Google Analytics.
The Google Analytics search terms report helps to see the actual terms a web platform is likely to show, and from there, one can also apply to all of the typical Google Analytics dimensions.
Further, it helps users study the source, behavior followed by what they did on a site in a much more detailed way. One can always use this data for UX, CRO, and other improvements to make the content easier to find on time and ensures the search is working as intended.
Multi-Channel Funnels – Assisted Conversions
Industry experts say eCommerce purchase goal conversions and lead submission usually don’t happen on the first visit. Having said that being able to give credit to visits even before the actual visit where the conversion occurred is potent. If you see the same channel as the bulk of your last-click conversions, do not be surprised as giving credit to the deserving ones is essential.
Multi-Channel Funnels – Top Conversion Paths
The next step is about going a step further than assisted conversions. Here we can see accumulated data showing the most popular and in-demand orders of channels, eventually resulting in conversions in the customer journey.
Another powerful platform to see how the platforms perform together and what revenue comes from is multi-channel funnels.
Attribution – Model Comparison Tool
Attribution has always been the topmost concern of digital marketers. Aside from Wicked Reports, Google Analytics today provides tools to compare different models like first-click against the default of last-click. One can find other models or import them and create your model based on a specific business model.
Conclusion
Our busy day-to-day routines are hectic, and thus we tend not to go deeper into Google Analytics than we need to. All we do is grab the required data, create reports, and answer questions.
Knowledge and usage of the wide range of information available to you in Google Analytics are crucial. It helps in improving your marketing skills on various channels like UX and CRO. Lastly, it will help to connect your content with users that ultimately move them towards conversion points.