The document discusses using Google Analytics to analyze WordPress website data. It recommends installing Google Analytics on a WordPress site using a plugin or code. It presents the ABC framework for analysis - examining Acquisition (how users reach the site), Behavior (what users do on site), and Conversions (whether users complete desired actions). The framework can be applied through Goals and Custom Reports in Google Analytics. Insights from data, like high-converting pages or sources, can help optimize content and marketing. Caution is urged to ensure sample sizes are large enough for meaningful conclusions.

1. Using Google Analytics for
Better WordPress Website
Data and Analysis
Andy Stitt
WordPress Consultant
WordCamp Lehigh Valley
August 18, 2018

2. What we will cover
● Why you should pay extra attention to Google Analytics
● How to install it on a WordPress site
● A simple framework for better analysis without drowning in a sea of data
● How to write custom reports that allow you to use this framework

3. Why should you care?
Developers/Freelancers/Agency Owners
● Add data collection and analysis to your retainer agreements
● Charge a higher fee for those agreements
● Insights from the data can perpetuate new project work
Marketers/Bloggers/Business Owners
● Know if your website is really working for you or not
● Easily see where you can double down on what’s working and tweak what isn’t

4. How to Install Google Analytics on
WordPress

7. Other ways of installing Google Analytics
● Find a different plugin that works for you
● With code: directly editing header.php or functions.php
● Genesis users: Theme Settings -> Header and Footer Scripts
● Genesis Simple Hooks plugin also works

8. Now that you have it installed….

12. ABC framework in English, please
Acquisition: How did they get to your website
Behavior: What did they do while they were there
Conversions: Did they ultimately take the action that you wanted them to take?

24. ABC framework in action
Acquisition: Source / Medium, Users, Sessions
Behavior: Avg. Session Duration, Pages / Session
Conversions: Goal Completions, Goal 2 Completions

25. What insights can be gleaned?
● If a particular website is a large source of conversions, talk to the owner about
how you can provide them more content
● If Twitter is your highest social source of conversions, focus on it
● You can even find sources of false traffic

29. What insights can be gleaned?
● The highest converting blog posts: write more on that same topic
● The blog posts with low to no conversions: consider not writing more on that
same topic

30. Caution when analyzing data
● Make sure your numbers are high enough to be able to do real analysis
● If your numbers are in the tens, possibly the hundreds, it might not be high
enough for statistical significance
● Data alone doesn’t always cut it
● Data + your intuition about your business = winning combination

31. Summary
● Install Google Analytics on WordPress with a plugin or through code
● Acquisition-Behavior-Conversions framework to keep things simple
● Execute this framework through Goals and Custom Reports

32. Questions?
Ask now or ping me later:
Twitter: @andywpdev
andy@andystitt.com
Download the slides: https://andystitt.com/wclvpa18
I also blogged about this topic:
https://andystitt.com/website-analytics-framework/