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The Importance of Being (Google) Analytical

I saw an article recently on the importance of Google Analytics (agreed!) and its prompted me to write this. I have to say quite honestly an alarming amount of businesses don’t have Google Analytics on their websites.

 

Whenever I do a refresh, add content, update or give an ‘MOT’ to a client site the first thing I look for is the Google Analytics.  And more often than not I am met with a blank face or ‘I don’t think I have that’.

 

I’m finding that not all website developers and designers will add Google Analytics to a site. I don’t know why, clients tell me that its because they didn’t know to ask for it – and why would you, you’re not an expert in web development or marketing.  To me, as a marketer, its standard procedure and an absolute must have. You want to see how your site is performing, where your visitors are coming from and what they are interested in.

Also, and this is the truly baffling thing, ITS FREE!!!  That’s right FREE access to a whole host of information about the visitors to your site that could potentially be new customers.

 

For example, its not just visitor numbers you can find out, lots of visitors is nice but where are they coming from, how did they get there, are they even staying…?

 

Google Analytics gives you demographics, websites that have led them to you, what pages they have been on AND spent time on and for how long. Are they a returning visitor and what device are they viewing your site from; if you have a lot of mobile visitors you know you need to make sure your site is mobile friendly.

All this information is key to tweaking and refining your site (and we all know how much Google loves fresh content) and is a powerful tool for making the most of your online presence.  Knowledge is power, arm yourself with the knowledge of who your visitors are.

 

Got a pretty website? Great, but is it working for your business?

 

Worried about the GDPR aspect?  Kim Bradford from Sphere Data Protection advises

It’s worth pointing out though that services like this from Google are now covered by the GDPR and the UK Data Protection Act 2018, and elements of the soon-to-be-upgraded PECR guidelines. Individuals have a right to privacy, which covers online tracking and IP address monitoring, and so any website that uses these must have a very clear notification of what tracking and monitoring happens with that site and the purposes of such tech, and an easy mechanism for people to opt out (or in) of the various cookies, pixels and tracking tech. In any case clarity is key – some simple websites don’t support Do Not Track requests from a browser, and there are additional considerations for any kind of webforms that capture enquiry information from people as these plug-ins often store this data and you’ll therefore need to announce this in a privacy notice. The company supplying the webforms plug-in or app becomes a data processor for the personal data they capture or keep a copy of. These kinds of considerations feature in our training courses.

 

If you’re not sure if you have Google Analytics on your site or would like a website MOT get in touch