Use Analytics as a Guide, Not an Authority

For those of us who love data, Google Analytics is addictive. We could spend endless hours compiling reports and analyzing trends and creating graphs. But if this sounds like you, it’s a good idea to rein in that obsession a bit. Don’t get me wrong-Google Analytics is an excellent way to help measure the effectiveness of your website’s content in order to guide your web content strategy. But make sure you’re seeing the whole picture in context.

As the saying goes, “There are lies, damn lies, and statistics.” It’s easy to wrangle numbers into something you want them to be. But if you use analytics correctly, you can avoid that pitfall. The analytics can tell you what the users are doing on your website, if you look at it right. But it’s the why that needs to be explored more. Here’s a good listing of what analytics can and can’t do for you.

The why in analytics is discovered less by crunching numbers, and more by taking into account who your users are. Why might they like a particular video? Why do they bail on certain pages? You can assess this by talking to members. Talking to just a few might give you great insight into some of the analytics data.

We know that everyone is mobile now. Therefore, mobile statistics are extremely important to consider. Here’s some good advice on understanding the mobile user traffic.

But if you’re one of the many who stare at your Google Analytics dashboard and feel lost, here’s a good beginner’s resource (PDF).

Also, We can help you analyze your traffic! .orgSource Senior Consultant Fred Faulkner is Google Analytics Qualified and can help you understand if your website traffic is flowing in ways that are helping meet your business goals. Contact .orgSource for more information.