Google Analytics Integrations - Waisberg Daniel

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you would like to measure multiple websites that are linked together within a single Google Analytics property, it is important to adjust the code with Cross Domain Tracking (tracking behavior across subdomains does not require additional configuration). Failing to take into account multiple domains when implementing Google Analytics can significantly decrease data accuracy. Common cases are ecommerce carts, which are sometimes hosted on different domains; if the tracking code is not set up correctly in such instances, you might see a large number of direct or self-referral sessions ending on a transaction.

      In order to understand Cross Domain Tracking thoroughly and grab the necessary codes for implementation, I recommend reading through both the Developer documentation at http://goo.gl/5JvxJ1 and the Help Center at http://goo.gl/TJ0Wfp.

Enhanced Ecommerce

      If your website or app offers merchandise or another type of ecommerce transaction, it is critical to implement the Google Analytics Enhanced Ecommerce functionality so that you can understand your customer journey better. This feature will enable you to have a deeper understanding of shopping behavior, campaign ROI, customer lifetime value, and other important information.

      For a business and technical overview of the Enhanced Ecommerce feature, read http://goo.gl/th9Roy.

Custom Dimensions

      Creating audience segments is one of the most important techniques when trying to understand and optimize customer behavior; it allows you to make your website or app more relevant to different groups of users. Google Analytics provides a powerful segmentation capability by default, using a multitude of metric and dimension combinations.

      In addition to the default segments, Custom Dimensions allow you to add attributes of a user, session, or action when collecting data. For example, a business that sells different types of memberships should be able to understand how each member type behaves; a large publisher should be able to understand how each of their authors is performing; and a travel website should be able to know which kind of hotel their returning customers like the most.

      You will learn more about Google Analytics Segments and Custom Reports throughout the book. However, the subject is especially important when it comes to Custom Dimensions, as those dimensions do not appear in any of the standard reports. Therefore, the best ways to analyze behavior based on Custom Dimensions are as follows:

      1. Create a segment: The Segment builder enables you to create a segment that includes or excludes the behavior of specific users. For example, you might want to exclude from your reports all your existing clients (defined through a Custom Dimension) using a segment. This would be wise when analyzing customer acquisition efforts. You might also want to include in your reports only users who are part of your loyalty program (defined through a Custom Dimension) to analyze what type of content they are most interested in. Those are only two examples; to learn more about creating segments, visit http://goo.gl/6gbC2k.

      2. Build a Custom Report: Google Analytics allows its users to create Custom Reports using the metrics and dimensions available in the tool to tailor their reports to their business needs. This functionality can be used to build reports including Custom Dimensions and acquisition behavior, or conversion metrics that can help you understand your users' behavior. To learn more about Custom Reports, visit http://goo.gl/e0ADkr.

      For a detailed explanation on why and how to use Custom Dimensions, read http://goo.gl/fvhL8L.

Download Clicks

      Different websites have different goals. You learned previously about a way to measure ecommerce transactions, and you will learn shortly about a way to measure advertising revenue through the AdSense integration, but some websites will have downloads as their main goal. Google Analytics will not measure clicks on download links by default, so it is critical to add a customized code to your website if you are encouraging people to download any type of file. Here is a guide explaining how to do it: http://goo.gl/uUm4rq.

Advanced Content Tracking

      Every website owner should be able to understand how its users consume content. However, sometimes users behave in ways that cannot be measured by a default implementation. For example, when someone lands on a long article, reads through the whole piece, and then leaves the website, from a Google Analytics perspective, this person viewed just one page and didn't interact with the content. This is a problem when it comes to content publishers.

      With that in mind, Justin Cutroni, Analytics Evangelist at Google, developed a script that sends events to Google Analytics whenever a user scrolls down a page. In addition, the script uses Custom Dimensions to categorize users into “scanners,” users who scroll to the bottom of the content in less than 60 seconds, and “readers,” users who take more than 60 seconds to reach the bottom of the content. This solution is excellent for measuring users' content consumption patterns. Read more at http://goo.gl/21eIiO.

Troubleshooting Code Implementation

      If you manage a website, it is critical to keep an eye open at all times to make sure your implementation is okay, especially when you update the website code. The following list of tools created by the Google Analytics team will help you with this task:

      ● Diagnostics (in-product feature): When you log in to your Google Analytics account and select a view, you will notice a bell icon in the upper-right corner of your page. You will also notice that sometimes there will be a notification number there. If you click on the bell, you will find a list of customized notifications for your code implementation and set up. Make sure you read through them and fix the issues. Learn more at http://goo.gl/8NC2Y4.

      ● Real Time (in-product feature): Google Analytics provides Real Time data for website behavior, where you can see what is happening right now on your website or app. This is very useful for website debugging, since you can make changes in the code and find out how they are affecting the data in real time.

      ● Tag Assistant (Chrome extension): This extension allows you to check your Google Analytics tag (and other Google tags) while browsing the website. It is a handy tool to check and troubleshoot implementations quickly. Download it from the Chrome Store at http://goo.gl/P1LstJ.

      ● Google Analytics Debugger (Chrome Extension): This extension provides more detailed and technical data (as compared to the extension) about what is being sent from a page to Google Analytics. Download it from the Chrome Store at http://goo.gl/yn9dHj.

      Setting Up the Google Analytics Interface

      In this section you will learn some of the most important settings to help you create a clean Google Analytics account with a good level of data accuracy. For a comprehensive and detailed explanation of all possible tool settings, visit http://goo.gl/2aWv9b.

Setting Up Goals

Goals are the soul of a Google Analytics account; no analysis will provide valuable insights if you do not measure your goals. Goals can be measured in multiple ways: an ecommerce transaction (see previous section), a thank-you page for a newsletter subscription, a session that lasted a certain time, a visit with a certain number of pages viewed, and others. In order to help website owners set up goals, Google Analytics provides a series of templates, as shown in Figure 1.2.

Figure 1.2 Google Analytics goals templates

      However, if you decide to create a custom goal based on your own needs, you can choose among four goal types:

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