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Basic Google Analytics Terms You Should Know

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Nu
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If you have a website for your business, monitoring your site's data is a must. Tracking tools such as google analytics provide valuable insights into your website and your site visitors.

GOOGLE ANALYTICS LETS YOU ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS:

  • Who is visiting my website?
  • How did they find my website?
  • What are they doing on my website?

This valuable tool is essential for businesses of all sizes, but all those charts and options can get confusing. Here are some basic terms you’ll see in Google Analytics and what the data is telling you about your website.

BASIC GOOGLE ANALYTICS TERMS 

SESSIONS

This is the number of visits to your website, or on a specific page, within the designated timeframe. Unique visitors may have multiple sessions if they leave your website and come back later. You’ll find sessions information under the “Audience” section of Google Analytics. 

PAGES PER SESSION

The average number of pages a visitor views before leaving your website. The more pages per session, the more engaged someone is with your content!

SOURCE

How a person found your website. This information is found under the “Acquisition” section of Google Analytics. If you’re hoping to drive traffic from a specific source, tracking this information will allow you to monitor your progress. To the right, you’ll see the four most common traffic sources you might see in your Google Analytics report. 

  • Direct: Someone typed in the website URL directly, was sent the link by someone else, or used a bookmark. Visitors who come to your website directly may have found you via printed material such as business cards, flyers, or brochures.
  • Organic: Your website was found via a search engine (Google, Yahoo, Bing, etc.). Strong website SEO will increase organic traffic.
  • Social: Your website was linked via a social media platform (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn etc.). This might be your social media page or a paid advertisement you’ve set up.
  • Referral: An external website or platform has a link to your website. Many B2B businesses set up referrals with partner companies and affiliates. 

BOUNCE RATE

How often a visitor leaves without engaging with your web page. The universal bounce rate average is ~68%. A high bounce rate indicates that people aren’t finding what they were looking for on your page and leave within a few seconds. The lower this number is, the better!

EXIT RATE
 

This indicates that a page was the last page seen before a visitor left your site. Pages such as a “thank you” page after filling out a contact form or making a purchase are ideal exit pages, but if you find other pages such as your homepage with a high exit rate, you might want to check on your site. There may be a technical issue with a page that’s causing people to leave or visitors simply aren’t finding what they’re looking for.

LANDING PAGE
 

Also called the “start page.” This is the first page a visitor lands on when visiting your website. You’ll find information on landing pages in the “Behavior” section of Google Analytics.

 

ARE YOU INTERESTED IN OPTIMIZING YOUR WEBSITE, UPDATING YOUR SEO TACTICS, AND INCREASING YOUR BUSINESS LEADS BY GETTING FOUND ONLINE? AT NU EXPRESSION, WE CRAFT A CLEAR AND CREATIVE MESSAGE BECAUSE WE CARE ABOUT YOUR SUCCESS! CONTACT US TODAY FOR MORE INFORMATION.!


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