What is Google Analytics?
Google Analytics is a piece of software, created by Google, that is connected to your website through a unique tracking code. This code lives on every page of your website and keeps tabs on how people found your website, how long they stayed, what they did while they stayed, and many other data points. Google Analytics is free to setup and use for your retail store and even manufacturer website. Enterprise versions are available, for a nominal fee, but to most users will find incredible value in the free Google Analytics account.
Why use Google Analytics?
Google Analytics is one of the most powerful tracking tools on the web. Many website providers and Content Management Systems can show some data about your website. In the case of MicroD, you can view product details, draping usage, and furniture-specific data from the OmniVue platform. But how do you get more in-depth with the visitors on your website and how they become customers for life? Google Analytics. Every good marketer and business owner ranks Google Analytics at the top of their “Must-Have Tools” list to grow a business. All of this powerful data can be (and should be) used to find your target customer.
How can Google Analytics help my business?
- Audience location– Google Analytics software can track what location (state and city) your visitors are coming from; which can be valuable information when deciding where to advertise or expand your business.
- Traffic Sources- Tracking where your website traffic is coming from is extremely important. You want to know where your customers are coming from so that you can serve them valuable content on those channels to bring more customers like them to your website.
- Audience Engagement- This tool measures visitors time on your website pages and is a great indicator of how well your audience is interested in your content. Adding interactive elements like online room planners to your website or using one of our drapable catalogs will give your customers more time on site visiting different product pages and interacting with your content; meaning they’re building a stronger relationship with your furniture business.
- Mobile Traffic Behavior- Knowing what platform your visitors use is key to turning them into customers. If most of your visitors are accessing your website via mobile vs. desktop, you can spend more time and energy optimizing your website for the best mobile experience. If your website isn’t mobile friendly, it could turn off potential customers and even make it hard to find in Google searches.
- Site Search Behavior- Being able to see what your visitors are looking for on your website is important when deciding what items or categories to rank more important on your website. If you have a lot of people searching for a certain brand of a chair, it would be wise to bring that chair up to the front of your item browser pages so it is easier for your visitor to buy.
Retargeting with Google Analytics
One of the great features of Google Analytics is a function called retargeting, or as Google calls it, remarketing. The purpose of remarketing is to collect data on users actions and then re-engage them with a personalized ad, email, phone call, etc. Say that a user visited your sites page on a certain brand of bedroom furniture. With the Google Analytics tracking code, you can send every user that visited the page with the certain brand of dining table and send them ads with that exact table. Repetition is key to converting visitors into paying customers and Google Analytics is a powerful tool that will help you learn about what your customers are interested in.
How to install Google Analytics tracking code
• Sign in to Google Analytics with your Google account
• Click the Admin button at the bottom left sidebar of your dashboard
• Select an account or create an account
• Click on the drop-down menu to create a property
• Click on Website and add your site’s name and URL
• Choose your industry
• Choose your time zone
• Click on Get Tracking ID
• Install Tracking ID on your website