CONVERGE 2014: PRECONFERENCE SESSION A Using Analytics to Drive Decision-Making - BECKY VARDAMAN Heard how important web analytics are to your overall strategy, but not sure where to start? Join us as we discuss set up, strategy and gaining actionable insights from Google Analytics. You'll leave knowing which data points to track and why. KEY TAKEAWAYS: How to track and engage visitors to your website Set up measurable goals, event tracking and campaign tagging Gain actionable answers through reporting

1. Using Analytics to Drive Decision-Making
Converge 2014 Pre-Conference
October 13, 2014
#Converge2014

2. Thank You!
I’m Becky Vardaman.
becky@convergeconsulting.org
@BeckyVardaman
#Converge2014 October 13, 2014
Becky Vardaman

3. Converge 2014 Pre-Conference Workshop
• Google Analytics 101
• Is my data accurate?
• What should I be looking at?
• Goals Exercise
• Getting It Done
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4. Google Analytics 101
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5. Web analytics is the study of online
“behavior in order to improve it.”
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6. Web Analytics Process
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7. • Comparative analysis: measure website trends
• Quantitatively evaluate web content quality
• Challenge and validate assumptions
• Demonstrate how your website meets
established business goals and users’ needs
• Enable stakeholders and content owners to
measure the success of their own content
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What GA Can Do:

8. Without context,
your data is meaningless.
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9. Numbers Rarely Speak for Themselves
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• 2,000 page views
• 70% returning visitors
• 80% bounce rate

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11. Google Analytics Tracking Code
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• Data structure
• File downloads
• Outbound links
• In-page events
• Flash animation
• Embedded videos
• Defining goals and
monetizing them
• E-commerce
transactions
• Keyword grouping
• Visitor types/labels
• Segmenting visitors
• Tracking error pages
• Tracking internal site-search
usage
Not Tracked by Default

14. Session Based System
Pageviews
Sessions
Users
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15. Universal Analytics
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16. The Measurement Protocol
The new Measurement Protocol defines how you can send to data to Google
Analytics from any system or any device.
Data is still sent via the __utm.gif image request and you can send data via a GET or a
POST. As long as long as you format the data according to the protocol Google
Analytics will accept the data.
This means you can send data from call center systems, point of sale systems, etc.
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17. Offline Conversion Import
Not only can you send offline activities, such as pageviews, to GA reporting, but you
can also import conversions.
You need to send the data to Google Analytics when the offline conversion happens
using the Measurement Protocol. When you send the hit you’ll need to include some
identifier that links the offline conversion to the data in Google Analytics.
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18. Server Side Sessionization
In the old Google Analytics sessionization was handled in the tracking cookies. The
cookies store things like session length and campaign information, as well as an
anonymous identifier. With Universal Analytics all of the sessionization happens at the
server level.
Now you can configure in the console:
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19. Custom Dimensions and Metrics
Next generation Custom Variables – but with less coding (because of server side
sessionization)!
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20. Dimension widening is based on custom dimensions and metrics. The key difference is
that this is a bulk-type of feature. Whereas custom dimensions and metrics are done
one at a time, dimension widening allows you to add a bunch of new dimensions via a
data upload.
Let’s say you are a publisher, and your analytics data has thousands ISBN numbers
(basically unique book IDs) in the content reports. You can import detailed information
like publication date, author, edition, etc. into Google Analytics, link it with the ISBN
number and view other info like publication date, author, edition, etc.
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Dimension Widening

21. A great way to use the custom metrics feature is to import cost data associated with a
marketing campaign. Using an ID number in your content data (like a query string
parameter named CID), import cost information about your marketing campaigns.
We’ve always had cost data about Google AdWords but not other marketing activities.
This has made it hard to measure true marketing ROI within Google Analytics.
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Cost Data Import

22. Multi-Platform Tracking
Universal Analytics lets you track the same user, for example, on a work computer,
mobile device, home computer, or RFD key (swipe card/loyalty card). By consolidating
various login IDs, as well as customer loyalty cards, Universal Analytics can track offline
and online purchase behavior. Again, very exciting for retailers.
Other applications? How about display booths at conventions and the fancy nametag
swipe readers that add attendees to a mailing list or enter them into a contest? That
data can be aggregated, made anonymous and correlated to online conversions in
Universal Analytics.
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23. 12346
12345
12346
12345
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WEBSITE
12346
$
♬
12345
$
♬
$
$
POSTE
R
$
$

12346
$
12345
$
♬
Example: Lollapalooza

24. WEBSITE
12346
$
♬
12345
$
♬
POSTE
R
♬ 
Example: Lollapalooza
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CRM

25. People Involved:
• Marketing
• IT
• Third party applications
• Internal Stakeholders (Admissions, Academics, Athletics)
Time Involved:
• Actual transition is very quick (replace code)
• Making and executing a plan takes longer (up to six months)
This is a great time to be sure you have a strategic analytics plan:
• Accurate, reliable data
• Audience based goals and events to support them
• Regular dashboard reporting and improvements
• Tag management
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Upgrading

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Upgrading

27. Both Universal and Asynchronous
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28. You’ve Got Two Years...
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29. Takeaways:
This is coming (really, it’s here).
You will need to get on board (you’ve got about two years).
There are some great tools yet to be released… stay tuned.
Migration:
November 2012: Private Beta
April 2013: Public Beta
Summer-Fall 2013: Gradual roll out of features.
April 2014: Out of Beta
Should We Switch?
1. Not should you, but when?
2. Now is the time to start making a plan.
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The Bottom Line

30. Is my data accurate?
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31. Accounts, Properties, Views
and Data Quality
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32. http://www.convergeuniversity.edu/login
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Protocol
Subdomain
Root Domain
subdirectory
Anatomy of URL

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Perfect World

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Higher Education

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Account Structure

36. Subdomain & Domains Currently in UA? Used? Purpose? Include or Separate or 301 Create View
Careercoaches.ntc.edu
Courseschedule.ntc.edu
Dairylandacademy.org
Notes02.ntc.edu/intranet2
Ntcptl9u.aurora.tc
Replay.ntc.edu
www.ntc.edu
www.sparkintomanufacturing.c
om
Mprtoolkit.ntc.edu
wampen
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Make A Map

37. #AnalyticsHigherEd
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Root Domains

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Subdomains

39. Finding the Domains & Subdomains
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40. Finding the Domains & Subdomains
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41. Finding the Domains & Subdomains
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Tool

43. Set Up Considerations
• There is a limit of 50 views for any given web property.
• You cannot migrate historical data from one account to
another.
• You cannot transfer views or web properties to other
accounts.
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44. Club Site
Club Site
Club Site
Club Site
Club Site
Club Site
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UA-12542-20
UA-12542-X
UA-12542-X
UA-12542-X
UA-12542-X
UA-12542-X
UA-12542-X
Example

45. Self Referrals
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Self Referrals

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Self Referrals

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Self Referrals

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Self Referrals

51. Filter: Include Subdomains
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52. Filter: Include Subdomains
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53. Universal Analytics to the rescue!
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Self Referrals

54. Campaign Tracking
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55. Reminder:
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Direct
Visitors who come directly to the
website using the domain name.
Search engines
By default, GA tracks 20+ different
search engines.
Referrals
Links that appear on
other websites.
Campaigns Custom! You decide.

56. What is Campaign Tracking?
http://www.convergeuniversity.edu/admissions?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=fall-2013-
campaign&utm_content=video1
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http://gaconfig.com/

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When to Use it

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In the Reporting

59. Source:
“The brand name”
facebook, newsletter, affiliate link, google
Medium:
The bucket
email, social, cpc, ppc, display
Campaign:
The message/content
date, fall2014, alumni2014-8-15
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The Three Facets

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Easier Than it Looks

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Record Your Plan

62. But that URL is so long....
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63. • Always tag your links
• Automate when possible
• Coordinate and be consistent
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Best Practices

64. Event Tracking
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What are Events?

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When to Use Them

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The Three Facets
Category = video
Action = homepage
Label = student-affairs
OR
Category = homepage
Action = video
Label = current-student
OR
Category = video
Action = {{URL}}
Label = {{innerText}}
Watch a Video

68. Keep Track of Your Event Strategy
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Use Them for Goals!

70. Use Them for Custom Segments
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71. Use Them for Custom Segments
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Great in Dashboards

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How to Implement

74. Hard Coded Implementation
<a href="http://www.lehigh.edu/home" onmousedown="ga('send',
'event', 'link-click', 'logo', 'header')"><img
src="http://www4.lehigh.edu/Media/Website
Resources/images/admissionsv4/admissions_logosm.gif" alt="Lehigh
University" border="0"></a>
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jQuery Events
Replace with this:

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jQuery Events

77. Google Tag Manager Auto-Event Tagging
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78. What should I be
looking at?
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79. A Quick Tour
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Date Ranges

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Chart Options

82. Secondary Dimensions
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83. Secondary Dimensions
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Advanced Search

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Advanced Search

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The Reports

87. Reports What You Can Learn
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Audience
Who are these people?
Where geographically?
How often do they come back?
Acquisition
How did they get here?
Search? Direct? Referral?
AdWords Campaigns? Social?
Behavior
What did they do?
Which pages did they look at?
What did they search for?
Conversions
How much are they worth?
Did they complete our goals?
If not, where did they drop off?

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8
Who are these people?

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How’d they get here?

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What’d they do?

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How much are they worth?
EXAMPLE DATA:

92. Automated Reporting:
Dashboards
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98. • Goals
• Current reporting (replace with a dashboard)
• Content heavy sections of your site (blog, news)
• Content stakeholders
• A specific Campaign
• A specific Traffic Source (social media, ppc, referrals)
• Inbound marketing process (attract, convert, delight)
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Where to start?

99. Goals Exercise
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101. • Any website action can be a goal
• Visitors can only convert once per visit, per goal
• Goal processing occurs at the view level
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About Goals

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103. Types of goals
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URL destination
Goal completed when visitor
views defined URL
Time on site
Goal completed when visitor spends
X amount of time on site
Pages / visit
Goal completed when visitor views
X number of pages on site
Event
Goal completed when visitor takes
a predefined action

104. Example (required) Funnel Steps
Step 1: Membership Description
Step 2: Membership Payment
Step 3: Membership Welcome Page
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105. Sample funnel steps
Step 1: /membership.html
Step 2: /membership/payment.html
Step 3: /membership/welcome.html
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107. Virtual Pageviews
How do I track my form if the URL doesn’t change, page to page?
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• Can use in Goal Funnels
• Ads to total pageview count

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Engagement Goals

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Event Goals

110. Goal Framework:
Developing KPIs
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111. Web Analytics Framework
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1 Business Objectives
2 Website Goals
3
Key Performance
Indicators (KPIs)
4 Targets
5 Segments

112. Web Analytics Framework
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1 Business Objectives
What is the purpose of
your institution or your
group within it?
2 Website Goals
3
Key Performance
Indicators (KPIs)
4 Targets
5 Segments

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114. Web Analytics Framework
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1 Business Objectives
What actions on your
website contribute to
meeting that objective?
2 Website Goals
3
Key Performance
Indicators (KPIs)
4 Targets
5 Segments

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116. Web Analytics Framework
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1 Business Objectives
What relevant web
metrics can be used to
measure your website
goals over time?
2 Website Goals
3
Key Performance
Indicators (KPIs)
4 Targets
5 Segments

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118. Thank You!
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119. Web Analytics Framework
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1 Business Objectives
How do you rate
success?
2 Website Goals
3
Key Performance
Indicators (KPIs)
4 Targets
5 Segments

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121. Web Analytics Framework
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1 Business Objectives
What visitor attributes
will provide meaningful
insights?
2 Website Goals
3
Key Performance
Indicators (KPIs)
4 Targets
5 Segments

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124. Web Analytics Framework
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AUDIENCE:
1 Business Objectives
2 Website Goals
3
Key Performance
Indicators (KPIs)
4 Targets
5 Segments

125. Getting It Done
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Getting it Done

127. #Converge2014 October 13, 2014
Getting it Done

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Getting it Done

129. Additional Resources
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132. Identical links stats
[image]
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http://gaconfig.com/

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136. Thanks & Questions
Becky@ConvergeConsulting.org
@BeckyVardaman
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