Usage of Google Analytics for Beginners

The usage of Google Analytics for beginners can be a cumbersome task if the right approach isn’t known and adequately adhered to; just like when a child learns how to walk, they are usually baby steps, but these same “baby steps” are eventually going to be used to make higher strides if appropriately learned. 

Do you wish to understand how Google Analytics functions? if yes, this article is on the verge of doing just that. So stay tuned!

Google Analytics for beginners provides insightful data on the users of your website. However, using it isn’t simple because many beginners find it difficult.

Because of this, we’ll explain how Google Analytics functions in this article. Additionally, we’ll guide you through several reports and explain their meaning.

Google Analytics for beginners is a mastery course embedded in this article that should guide you in gaining the proper knowledge needed for effective google analytics running for your platform’s site like WordPress, Squarespace, Shopify, Wix, Medium, etc. 

The above image is a screenshot of the Google landing page when signing up as a user; this, for a fact, is the first step in eventually running google analytics for beginners and even for anyone.

When starting as a beginner on google analytics, the idea is usually to improve your website, target your marketing efforts, and expand your business; you must understand how to use Google Analytics and identify insights in your data.

Your reports give you information about your audience and their behavior, allowing you to determine what is (and is not) working.

It’s not unexpected that I frequently receive letters from folks on the verge of giving up because learning how to use Google Analytics can be a complex undertaking.

There are countless reports and what seems like numerous setup and configuration possibilities. But there and then, let’s get started.

GOOGLE ANALYTICS FOR BEGINNERS 101

What is Google Analytics?

Google Analytics is a platform and free website tracking tool that gathers information on how visitors use your website.

To create the interactive reports we see on the platform, Google Analytics organizes the data after it has been collected.

One of the many tools offered by Google to assist users in understanding what visitors are doing on their website is Google Analytics.

The tool can track and analyze your website’s and visitors’ vital statistics. Is Google Analytics Free? is a frequently asked question. 

The answer to this is, “Yes, and it’s one of the most widely used free tools out there, but there is also a premium version called Google Analytics 360.

However, the usage of this version depends on the type of need you want to use it to meet.

The platform gives you a complete picture of how your website is doing. It gathers a massive amount of data and intelligently analyses it.

It then creates reports for you to view the data. You may utilize those reports to learn vital information about your website and its users. 

You can read more on Everything you should know about Google Analytics here.

Brief History (What brought about the need for Google Analytics?)

Website data wasn’t always aesthetically pleasing or straightforward to read. In the past, reading the server log was the only way for people to learn how much traffic their website received.

Each activity on the site would produce a list of details in the server log. Although helpful, the information was challenging to understand.

Companies began gathering log files and producing reports based on the information to simplify things.

 A company named Urchin analyzed the log files; this quickly became well-known and attracted a lot of attention. So much so that Google bought “Urchin” in 2005 and began developing and launching Google Analytics.

Why you should use Google Analytics

The course Google Analytics for Beginners provides information on the tool’s cost, which is free and with arguably maximum appealing features.

This opens up the platform to everybody with a website, which fosters the increase of a much broader person base for the trade of information and assistance. 

Google Analytics is simple to apply for humans of all talent tiers due to its abundance of commands on how to use it. Another reason you should use Google Analytics is it’s useful for analysts of any level. 

With Google Analytics, you could adopt extra essential analyses of the overall performance of your website; however, there’s additionally room for additional in-intensity studies. 

You can screen which websites users are coming from at exceptional instances of day, similarly to studying which advertising and marketing techniques are bringing visitors to your website.

Also, as search engine marketers, many of the paintings aim to gain Google’s trust, being the biggest search engine.

Having a platform that could inform us of a number of the facts Google monitors on our website is extraordinarily useful for strategic planning.

Using the numbers in Google Analytics, you’ll be capable of making adjustments to your website with the data-pushed method instead of depending entirely on intuition.

As marketers, we use several Google equipment: Search Console, Google Ads, Data Studio, Google Tag Manager, Google Optimize, and more. All of that equipment combines seamlessly with Google Analytics.

How to learn Google Analytics as a Beginner

You can learn Google Analytics by experimenting and exploring the reports for weeks, months, or even years.

But by utilizing my suggested resources, you can accomplish the same goals in a shorter amount of time instead of relying solely on trial and error.

Start with a trial account.

Before you even have a website, getting started with the demo account can give you practical experience with Google Analytics. A ton of data in the demo account can be examined. To create a demo account:

• Please visit analytics.google.com
  
  
  
• Make an account.
  
  
  
• Include the trial account
  
  

Throughout this lesson, we will use data from a demo account. It will be easier to retain what you learn if you go into the account and follow along. 

Consider following along with the demo account before applying the lessons to your website because each part will include step-by-step instructions.

With this, you can save time, money, and, most importantly, the irritation of not knowing how to use your data and report by concentrating on the best resources available, even though it will still take some time to get confident in utilizing the platform.

How to understand Google Analytics for Beginners and How the data works

Starting google analytics for beginners requires you to understand how its data works; this enables you to know about the data collection, the kind of hits google analytics tracks, data processing, report generation, dimension, and metrics in google analytics. 

DATA COLLECTION

Data gathering is the first component of Google Analytics. The platform can collect a wide range of information about your website and its users. Later, a detailed discussion of the precise nature of the data gathered will occur. 

The most important information is how many visitors your pages receive, where they come from, how they navigate your site, what visitors do on your pages, how visitors engage with the items on your pages, how long visitors stay on your pages, and when visitors leave your site.

Google Analytics uses a straightforward JavaScript script to collect all of this data. As discussed later, you receive that code when you set up Analytics for your website. 

Every page has the code, creating a cookie in every site visitor’s browser. Following that, a hit from the cookie reports every interaction a user makes with your website to Google Analytics.

THE KIND OF HITS GOOGLE ANALYTICS TRACK

There are three different major kinds of hits the google analytics work with

– Page View

A pageview hit is sent every time someone views one of your pages. It includes details on the browser and device that users are using. Additionally, you may learn which of your pages they visit.

– Event hit.

A hit is sent when a visitor takes action on your website. For instance, they might play a video, click a link, or fill out a form.

– Transaction or E-commerce Hit 

This is transmitted when a website visitor makes a purchase. These hits may include details such as visitors’ pages before making a purchase. There are also more apparent insights, such as the items they purchased or their total spending.

DATA PROCESSING

User data is information about various, unique site visitors. For each new visitor to your website, Google Analytics generates a distinct, random user ID. Analytics can identify the user ID if the same user returns to your website in the future.

If they visit using the same device, they will be recorded as “returning” visitors. The procedure can be thwarted if they delete your cookie from their browser cache.

Data from sessions is the time a person spends on your website. When a user first accesses the website, it starts with a pageview hit and lasts until they eventually leave. Analytics gathers a wide variety of session data during each session.

The pages visited, the actions made, and the time spent on your site are all part of the session data. This information can help you learn more about the behavior of site visitors. As we’ll discuss later, it may be crucial to comprehend site performance.

REPORT GENERATION

Here, you are given reports that detail Google Analytics procedures. These visually show the data. They are made to make it simple to recognize patterns and develop understanding. After all, complicated topics are considered to be better communicated through visuals. 

Note that reports from google analytics show together with the dimension and metrics.

GOOGLE ANALYTICS DIMENSION AND METRICS

Dimensions are the fundamental characteristics of the gathered data. One dimension that could be offered for user data is “Country,” for instance. With this, you could find out from which nations the site’s visitors are.

Metrics are numerical measurements that provide the quantity of an item. For instance, the “Sessions” measure reveals the number of sessions on your website over time.

Google Analytics generates a variety of default reports. Additionally, you can design unique pieces that incorporate numerous metrics and dimensions.

Reports cannot be created using all dimensions and metrics. Each of them has a so-called “scope.”

They each have what is known as a ‘scope,’ that is, the level at which their data is collected. The different scopes are ‘user-level,’ ‘session-level,’ and ‘hit-level.’ Only the dimensions and metrics of the same size can be combined. 

Google Analytics Dashboard

Once Analytics and its features are configured, you can unwind by sitting back. The platform should have gathered enough information within 24 hours for you to view your initial reports.

These reports are accessible via the Google Analytics dashboard. This dashboard’s home page, commonly referred to as the Overview dashboard, is displayed above. It is the starting point of each of your visits to Analytics. Everything you require to use the platform will be on that page.

Google Analytics Dashboard in General

You may discover access to particular Analytics reports along the left side of the dashboard. Each major category of reports will be covered in more detail later.

The first information about your site’s data is on the overview dashboard’s right side.

Graphs, tables, and different representations of your records are displayed on ‘playing cards.’ They’re the panels on that right-hand part of the house page.

There are accessible alternatives connected to the playing cards to adjust what they show. Typically, you could extrude the sort of records displayed and the term for which it’s said. 

You can even frequently be capable of clicking on a hyperlink to go to the overall record from which the photo has been taken.

The layout of these reviews is similar to the homepage. They have playing cards with tables and graphs, which you could edit to reveal amazing facts as you notice fit.

There are five predominant classes of a record. Each class has a dashboard. You can get the right of entry to them by clicking the applicable hyperlink down the left-hand menu of Analytics. Each one gives you a selection of various reviews.

Based on their reviews, the types of dashboards on google analytics are Real-time, Acquisition, Audience, Conversion, and Behaviour Dashboards. 

Real-time Dashboard

On the left-hand menu, the Real-Time dashboard is the first choice. The primary overview dashboard’s appearance is similar. The distinction is that it only shows real-time data visualizations of users actively viewing your website.

Real-Time reports are updated as Analytics receives new hits. The dashboard gives information about consumers and displays how they are consuming content.

For instance, by selecting the ‘Locations’ option, you may view the locations of the site’s current visitors.

Audience Dashboard

Use the Audience dashboard to find more information on your website’s visitors—all of them, not just those visiting the site right now. You may see a comprehensive overview of the data Analytics makes available when you open the overview section of the dashboard.

You can view the number of visitors and sessions your site has received during the specified time frame. You can also see the specific number of pages users visit and how long they spend on your website. You can explore the user data more thoroughly by selecting other reports in the Audience dashboard.

Acquisition Dashboard

The Audience dashboard provides information about the visitors to your website. You can learn more about how those users discovered your website using the Acquisitions dashboard. Once more, the overview report serves as the section’s introduction to Analytics.

Multiple aspects and metrics are shown in such a report. The three categories of “acquisition,” “behavior,” and “conversions” make up the metrics and dimensions. You can learn about your website’s users from various sources by looking at the “acquisition” information. 

Metrics tracking users’ “behavior” provide information on what they do, while statistics tracking users’ “conversions” from various channels show how they behave.

You can analyze your data in many ways with the help of the additional reports in the Acquisitions dashboard. You may access more in-depth reports on the information shown in the overview report under “All Traffic.”

Other options, on the other hand, focus on specific acquisition channels. For instance, you may see how people find your website organically by looking at the “Search Console” data.

The number of users visiting your site and their search terms can be discovered through Google.

How to set up Google Analytics for Beginners (A Complete Guide for Beginners)

It’s pretty easy to get started using Analytics. You must first create a Google Account. If you use Google Drive, Gmail, or other services, you already have one. If not, setting one up is simple.

Log into your account once you’ve created one to begin configuring Google Analytics and adding Google Analytics to a website.

The image up top is taken from Google Analytics’ home page. It demonstrates the platform setup’s simple three-step procedure. Click the registration button when you’re ready.

That will direct you to a page where you must begin by describing who you are and why you plan to use analytics.

Following the directions on the screen is the only tricky element of this process. After selecting an account name and a few other preliminary decisions, you choose what you want to measure.

Entering the precise information for the website you need to track is the last step in the account registration procedure.

You can add up to 50 different websites to track after creating your Analytics account. Enter the URL you want to use to link your account for the time being.

Your Google Analytics account will be activated once you click the create button. Additionally, it will provide you with your tracking code for the website you selected to track.

The tracking code enables Google Analytics to gather information from site visitors. The code must be added to your website as your next task.

How to integrate Google Analytics for Beginners on Popular Platforms

Activation of google analytics for beginners varies depending on the kind of platform you intend to integrate it into. E.g

WIX

• Step 1: On the Wix platform, locate the SEO & Marketing tab, which is usually on the left side of the dashboard.
  

• Step 2: Check through the “Marketing Integration” menu. The “Marketing Integration” menu is divided into three sections: SEO, Marketing, and Branding.
  
  Select “Marketing Integrations” at the bottom of the page after you reach the “Marketing” section.
  

• Step 3: The connection with Google Analytics is made at this point. 

There are many connectors on this page, including Google Analytics.

It ought should be one of the first options to show up on the screen.

Alternatively, simply scroll till you do. To proceed, select “Connect” when you’ve found it.

• Step 4: Here, your Google Analytics tracking code will be added.
  

Just paste the tracking ID that I previously demonstrated how to create. Verify that no spaces precede the code. 

Google won’t save the IP addresses of anyone who visit your website if you check the “IP Anonymization” box. 

You’ll need a paid Wix site with a linked domain to finish this last stage. Therefore, you won’t be able to install Google Analytics until you upgrade if you’re on a free plan or haven’t connected your domain.

WORDPRESS

There are different ways in which google analytics can be integrated into WordPress; even as a beginner, it can be done manually or by using a plugin. Plugins like Monster Insights and Site kit made available by google are the most popular ones.

Going through the process of manual integration, with this step, the use of a plugin is not needed.

Read more on the Step-by-Step Guide to Install Google Analytics for WordPress here.

• Step 1: Click the “Theme Editor” menu.

The Appearance menu on the dashboard takes you to the theme editor. Google analytics integration should be done in a “child theme.”

You do not need to rewrite the code if you do not need to alternate your WordPress topic frequently.

You may not be capable of entering the header from right here if the child theme inherits template documents from the parent theme to access the title. 

Afterward, click on the call of your parent theme. Here, the parent theme withinside the below image is twenty-twenty.

• Step 2: Next, click the “Theme Header” menu.
  

Scrolling via the documents at the proper facet of the web page will permit you to get to the header. Another alternative is to browse and manually look for the head> section.

• Step 3: The Google Analytics Tracking Code is usually added here.

Once the theme header has been sorted out, the google analytics tracking code is then. The tracking code here is the “global site tag” earlier derived. 

SHOPIFY

Integrating google analytics into your E-commerce website like Shopify is made relatively easy even as a beginner. With just two fast navigations, your E-commerce is set up for google analytics.

• Step 1: On the Shopify dashboard, under the sales channel, press the “Online store” on the left side of the menu and click “Preferences” beneath the menu, as shown in the image below.
  

• Step 2: Here, the google analytics tracking code is added. 
  
  
  

Check where the Google Analytics Section is on the preference screen and paste the previously generated tracking code. 

Note: The Tracking Code should be pasted, not the Tracking ID Number. This is because of several lines of code and not just a single ID Number that starts with UA.

SQUARESPACE

There are two steps to integrating Google Analytics on a Squarespace website. The first uses a tracking code, and the second uses a tracking ID on the left side of the dashboard.

• Step 1: At the Settings of the Squarespace site. 
  
  
• Step 2: On the advanced setting of the Squarespace site, this is seen at the bottom of the Squarespace site. 

• Step 3: The Tracking ID is pasted here

The simplest method for installing Google Analytics in Squarespace is here. But it’s not the only choice available.

You could also access “Code Injection” (instead of External Services) from the Advanced Settings menu. The Google Analytics code can be easily added to the header by copying and pasting.

Note: Using both methods to install Google Analytics on Squarespace is not recommended. Choose only between the two.

The simplest option is to use a tracking ID, but inserting the code into your header isn’t that challenging either. Personal preference is all that counts.

Custom Google Analytics Installation

You can still incorporate Google Analytics with a custom installation if you run your website on a different platform.

To start, copy and paste the tracking code into the site’s HTML editor’s header or footer. The heading is the suggested choice.

If your site runs a lot of JavaScript, adding the code to the footer could affect accuracy. This is because JS snippets are activated in the order in which they are included on your website.

Therefore, the header scripts will be one of the first to load, but the footer scripts won’t always run.

After installing the code, you can send test traffic to your website to ensure it functions correctly. This may be seen on your GA Tracking Code page under “Status.”

The active user number would be updated in real-time if the code was correctly installed. This number may not refresh for up to 30 seconds.

The time has come for you to begin using Google Analytics to track the data from your website. You know how to set up the platform and its main features. 

The various methods you may use to benefit your website should likewise be well-known. 

You can benefit from analytics in many ways, from fine-tuning marketing campaigns to enhancing website content. Because it provides verifiable facts, the platform is beneficial. On your website and your users, you can obtain data. 

You may use the information in this data to enhance your business further by using the specific insights it offers. 

You have access to those insights now that you are familiar with Google Analytics.

Frequently Asked Questions on Google Analytics for Beginners

1. What are some fundamental functions of Google Analytics?

Google Analytics can provide details on the people who visit your website, the number of views it receives, the most popular content, and more.

2. How does one learn about Google Analytics?

The best way and place to learn google analytics and navigations around it is from google.

3. Google Analytics tracking code is what exactly? 

To collect data about your website, Google Analytics uses a tracking ID that you include in the source code of your website or a plugin.

4. Is Google Analytics free or paid? 

There is the free version, and the paid version, the usage of either of the versions depends on what you need google analytics for. However, the free version has several features you can make do with.

5. What advantages does Google Analytics provide? 

Google Analytics offers comprehensive data on the effectiveness of your website.

Conclusion

The mastery course of google analytics for beginners is a self-explanatory process that, when followed through, will bring the desired result.

The good thing is that an infinite amount of information about the data on your website is available through Google Analytics.

Once Google Analytics is installed on your website, you may view metrics for almost every step of your client’s purchasing cycles.

To evaluate the effectiveness of your efforts, you can also build personalized reports. Also, with your analytics-driven marketing plan, you might be able to make intelligent modifications to your website that will eventually attract more visitors to your business.

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