3. Table of Contents
The
Cure
For
Analytics
Phobia ......................................................................................................................................................................... 6
A
Business
Analytics
System ............................................................................................................................................................................. 7
A
Business
Analytics
System:
B2B.................................................................................................................................................................................. 8
A
Business
Analytics
System:
Charities........................................................................................................................................................................ 9
A
Business
Analytics
System:
News ............................................................................................................................................................................... 9
1.
How
to:
Install
Google
Analytics.............................................................................................................................................................10
Resources:
Google
Analytics
Install.............................................................................................................................................................................15
2.
Setting
up
and
tracking
goals..................................................................................................................................................................16
Figuring
out
your
goal
and
goal
page.........................................................................................................................Error!
Bookmark
not
defined.
Example:
A
membership
site ........................................................................................................................................Error!
Bookmark
not
defined.
Setting
up
a
page-based
goal
in
Google
Analytics..................................................................................................Error!
Bookmark
not
defined.
Setting
up
a
non-page-based
goal
in
Google
Analytics.........................................................................................Error!
Bookmark
not
defined.
Lots
of
goals ........................................................................................................................................................................Error!
Bookmark
not
defined.
3.
Calculating
&
Applying
Value..................................................................................................................................................................17
Customer
value:
E-commerce.......................................................................................................................................Error!
Bookmark
not
defined.
Customer
value:
Lead
generation ...............................................................................................................................Error!
Bookmark
not
defined.
Customer
value:
Publishing ..........................................................................................................................................Error!
Bookmark
not
defined.
Customer
value:
Anything
else.....................................................................................................................................Error!
Bookmark
not
defined.
Lead
conversion
rate.......................................................................................................................................................Error!
Bookmark
not
defined.
Click
conversion
rate.......................................................................................................................................................Error!
Bookmark
not
defined.
From Google Analytics to Business Analytics 3
4. Click
value:
An
e-commerce
site ..................................................................................................................................Error!
Bookmark
not
defined.
Click
value:
A
business-to-business
site ...................................................................................................................Error!
Bookmark
not
defined.
Fudging
it.............................................................................................................................................................................Error!
Bookmark
not
defined.
Sample
data ........................................................................................................................................................................Error!
Bookmark
not
defined.
Resources:
Value
Calculation .......................................................................................................................................Error!
Bookmark
not
defined.
4.
Measuring
and
Building
Growth ............................................................................................................................................................19
Tracking
content
performance:
A
quick
trick.........................................................................................................Error!
Bookmark
not
defined.
Tracking
traffic
sources .................................................................................................................................................Error!
Bookmark
not
defined.
Tracking
traffic
sources:
Referring
sites ..................................................................................................................Error!
Bookmark
not
defined.
Referring
sites:
An
example ..........................................................................................................................................Error!
Bookmark
not
defined.
Tracking
traffic
sources:
Keywords ...........................................................................................................................Error!
Bookmark
not
defined.
Improving
growth
using
traffic
sources:
Examples ..............................................................................................Error!
Bookmark
not
defined.
Tracking
content
performance ....................................................................................................................................Error!
Bookmark
not
defined.
Tracking
content
performance:
Context
matters ..................................................................................................Error!
Bookmark
not
defined.
Finding
high-performing
content ...............................................................................................................................Error!
Bookmark
not
defined.
Other
ways
to
find
‘good’
content................................................................................................................................Error!
Bookmark
not
defined.
Improving
growth
by
finding
‘good’
content:
E-commerce ................................................................................Error!
Bookmark
not
defined.
Finding
and
improving
poor-performing
content.................................................................................................Error!
Bookmark
not
defined.
Final
points
about
growth .............................................................................................................................................Error!
Bookmark
not
defined.
5.
What’s
next.................................................................................................................................................. Error!
Bookmark
not
defined.
Additional
resources .......................................................................................................................................................Error!
Bookmark
not
defined.
About
Ian
Lurie
&
Portent
Interactive.......................................................................................................................Error!
Bookmark
not
defined.
Other
stuff
by
Ian
Lurie.....................................................................................................................................................................................21
Contacting
Ian
Lurie .........................................................................................................................................................................................................21
From Google Analytics to Business Analytics 4
5. Google
Analytics
Scares
the
Snot
Out
of
You
You’re not alone.
It’s a great program. But with
dozens of metrics and dozens
more possible ways to view them,
there are literally thousands of
possible reports, data points
and other goodies in your
analytics report.
From Google Analytics to Business Analytics 5
6. The Cure For Analytics Phobia
Google Analytics is overwhelming because
people often let the reports drive their
research & strategy. So they click
around, trying to take in every last digit.
The cure? Have a goals-focused
method for using Google Analytics.
That will help you pick and choose
which reports to use and when,
and keep you from getting lost in the data.
You need a business analytics system.
From Google Analytics to Business Analytics 6
7. A Business Analytics System
You need to perform business analytics.
You can do that by focusing on what really matters to your business: Things that
generate value and improve growth.
Value comes from whatever generates bottom-line dollars or results for your
organization. Value = the value of one click that brings a visitor to your site. It’s
the King (Queen) of all analytics. Without it, nothing else matters.
Growth is all about reach and audience access. Growth is what you get when you
can bring more visitors and introduce them to the pipeline. The pipeline only
improves if your visitors want what you’re offering and find it when they arrive
on your site. Growth is all about visit source and quality: Where visitors come
from, how long they stay on your site, how many pages they look at, and how
engaged they really are.
From Google Analytics to Business Analytics 7
8. That value-growth duo is what drives your business, whether you know it or not.
If you use it when you look at Google Analytics, it’ll keep you focused on your
business, instead of the reports.
As you read this e-book, you’re going to create an at-a-glance system that’ll let
you do this efficiently day-to-day. Web analytics can work that way, if you use it
right.
This system will work whether you’re in an e-commerce business or not. Here are
some examples:
A Business Analytics System: B2B
If you’re a purely business-to-business, lead-driven company, then your value
comes from leads.
Your growth opportunities come from expanded company reach (more people
finding you online), and from more, higher-quality visitors to your site.
From Google Analytics to Business Analytics 8
9. A Business Analytics System: Charities
If you’re a charity and/or a non-profit, your value comes from funding and
grants, as well as subscribers and supporters you recruit online.
Your growth opportunities come from reach, much like B2B. But in this case,
you’re attracting potential donors.
A Business Analytics System: News
If you’re a news site or other publication, your value comes from pageviews you
can turn into advertising sales.
Growth results from additional readers who find their way to your site. Your
business improves when those potential readers look at more pages per visit and
spend more time on your site. It also improves when readers subscribe to your
site’s RSS feed or newsletter, or pass stories along to friends.
From Google Analytics to Business Analytics 9
10. 1. How to: Install Google Analytics
It’s easy! If you don’t have Google Analytics set up on your site yet,
this is where you start. Otherwise, skip ahead to Calculating &
Applying Value.
From Google Analytics to Business Analytics 10
11. First step: If you don’t have a Google Account, get one.
1. Go to www.google.com/accounts
2. Click ‘Create an account now’:
3. Fill out the form. All done.
From Google Analytics to Business Analytics 11
12. Next: Set up your Google Analytics account.
1. Go to www.google.com/analytics.
2. Click ‘Sign up Now’.
3. Log in using your Google Accounts password (you set that up on page 11).
4. Click ‘Sign Up’, and you’re ready to set up your first site.
From Google Analytics to Business Analytics 12
13. Once you click ‘sign up’ you’ll see the form below:
You can track multiple sites in a single Google Analytics account. This form sets
up your first one.
For Website’s URL, enter the exact address of your site. That means, if your
site is at www.gibblegibbet.com, include the ‘www’. If your site address doesn’t
include ‘www’, use gibblegibbet.com. Account Name will automatically reflect
the site address. If you’re going to manage multiple sites, you might want to
From Google Analytics to Business Analytics 13
14. change this to something you’ll recognize. Select your time zone and country, and
click ‘Continue’.
Finally, grab the code that Google Analytics provides and paste it into your web
site per their instructions. In about 24 hours, you’ll start seeing data. Woo hoo!
You’re off and running.
From Google Analytics to Business Analytics 14
15. Resources: Google Analytics Install
A few resources you can use to help you install Google Analytics:
I did a video tutorial:
http://bit.ly/dh8zPs
And, of course, Google’s own tutorial ain’t bad:
http://bit.ly/9yTERy
From Google Analytics to Business Analytics 15
16. 2. Setting up and tracking goals
Every business web site has one or more goals: An action they’d
like every visitor to take. That action might be a purchase, or a vote,
or a simple, “Hmmm, that’s interesting”. Before you can start
applying value and measuring growth, you have to set up Google
Analytics to measure those goals.
From Google Analytics to Business Analytics 16
17. 3. Calculating & Applying Value
Last chapter, you learned to set up goals. That’s great, but a goal,
when accomplished, delivers value. Value is real cash generated,
not ‘attention’ or ‘eyeballs’. If you can’t calculate value, goals data is
one more distracting bar chart.
From Google Analytics to Business Analytics 17
19. 4. Measuring and Building Growth
Time to apply all that cool stuff you just learned. In this section,
you’ll match value to specific sources, and tie them together with
goal measurement.
From Google Analytics to Business Analytics 19
21. Other stuff by Ian Lurie
The Fat-Free Guide to SEO Copywriting
The Web Marketing All-In-One Desk Reference for Dummies
Conversation Marketing
The Fat Free Guide to Internet Marketing (subscription-based)
From Google Analytics to Business Analytics 21
22. Contacting Ian Lurie
E-mail: ian@portent.com
Twitter: @portentint
Blog: www.ConversationMarketing.com
From Google Analytics to Business Analytics 22