by Liz Lockard
(okay, really 15 minutes a month, but the math works out, right?) 🙂
Do you have Google Analytics setup for your business? It’s one of the best free support tools for actually knowing what’s going on with your website traffic – where your visitors are coming from and what they’re doing on your site.
If you don’t have it setup yet, feel free to check out my simple guide for installing it on any website.
If you’re already familiar with Google Analytics – at least to the point where you have it on your site (yay!) – you probably know how crazy-overwhelm it can get when you’re faced with that much data. I mean, WHAT do you do with all that? How much time do you REALLY have to spend in your account to get some value out of it?
My answer? Not that much. Maybe 15 minutes. A month. No, really. 🙂
The Super-Quick Google Analytics Routine for Your Small Business
(to be performed once a month, or more if you just can’t get away from your data)
- Check what’s working
- Do more of what’s working
- Stop doing or readjust what’s not working
Sounds simple enough, but what’s involved in each step? Let’s take a look
Check What’s Working
Here I mean, what’s working for your website and your business. Where are your newsletter subscribers coming from? What sources generate your sales? Where are your lead contact form submissions coming from? What posts are most popular? Which advertising campaigns are sending in leads or sales?
You can find out where your newsletter subscribers and sales are coming from in your Conversions report in Google Analytics. As long as you have goals setup, that is.
You can find out which posts are most popular by heading to your Content report. The report auto-sorts by most pageviews.
Do More of What’s Working
Once you know what sources and content are working for your business, rinse and repeat!
Spend more money on that campaign that’s working or write a follow-up post to your most popular content.
Verifying what’s working in Google Analytics ensures you’re spending your marketing time in the most effective way for your business.
Stop Doing What’s Not Working (or Readjust)
Are you spending a LOT of time on Twitter but not seeing little to no results in your Google Analytics account? You might want to scrap the medium altogether or readjust your approach with a program like Alicia Cowan’s Twitter Brilliance.
Are you spending way too much time every week as a regular contributor to a blog that isn’t bringing in ANY leads? Consider axe-ing the relationship.
A Caveat
Only you know the story behind the data. If that regular contributor relationship is actually a stepping stone to getting in with some bigwigs in your industry, perhaps it’s worth keeping.
Not everything can be understood from the sources listed in the Conversions: Goals report. Sometimes things like Twitter are the first or second touch you have on your own audience before a blog post you wrote claims the actual conversion. Check out the Conversions: Multi-Channel Funnels report for a more rounded data view.
Your Turn
Google Analytics setup for your website? What’s your routine? How often are you in Google Analytics? Did you find this post helpful? Let us know in the comments!
Bio:
Liz Lockard is a Google Analytics geek who loves helping small businesses uncover real marketing insights from their data and drive more of the right kind of traffic to their websites. Get free training and the insider’s scoop on her Google Analytics course here.
