Getting Granular With Google Analytics

Ryan Faria - March 31, 2009

Late last week, I was speaking with a client about their campaign performance by using Google Analytics.  Since this client only services one specific part of the country, I was able to show them a state view which indicated how many visitors arrived from each city in the area.  It occurred to me that many advertisers are not getting as deep of a level of information as they could be.

Not only does Google Analytics allow advertisers to track both paid and non-paid search engine marketing efforts, but it also allows insight into user patterns and trends.  For example, by comparing goal conversions to amount of visitors, an advertiser can see which days result in higher conversions.  From this information, it is even possible to then determine which days may require a larger budget than others.

Google Analytics data is also helpful in assessing which countries, states or cities result in goal conversions and sales.  For example, an advertiser who sees that specific states have significantly lower conversions and higher bounce rates compared to other performing states may use this information to exclude the non-performing states or cities.

I always recommend to my clients to use their Google Analytics or at least play around with it.  The level of detailed information available with Google Analytics plays an important role in shaping your online efforts.  There is more to look at than only the Google Analytics dashboard; try clicking around and see what types of campaign information you discover.  Remember, you are not going to break it, so explore the wonderful world of Google Analytics for yourself.