Wednesday, May 16, 2012

7 Time-Saving Google Analytics Custom Reports

Google Analytics Custom Reports can be incredible time savers if you have the right reports. Instead of spending time digging around for important metrics, you can find what you need separated neatly into columns for some analysis that will lead to some actionable insight.

1. Content Efficiency Analysis Report

This report is from none other than the master of Google Analytics, Avinash Kaushik. Brands all over the world are starting to double down on content so it's important to answer questions such as:
  • What types of content (text, videos, pictures, etc.) perform best?
  • What content delivers the most business value?
  • What content is the most engaging?
content-effiency-report-google-analytics

The Content Efficiency Analysis Report comes in handy by putting all the key content metrics into one spot.

Here are the columns that the report will pull in:
  • Page title
  • Entrances
  • Unique Visitors
  • Bounces
  • Pageviews
  • Avg. Time on Page
  • Per Visit Goal Value
  • Goal Completions

2. Keyword Analysis Report

keyword-analysis-report-google-analytics

If you're doing SEO, you want to make sure that your optimization efforts are working as intended. Is the right keyword pointing to the right page?

This first tab of this report, Targeting, will break things down by placing the title and keyword side-by-side. The four metrics you'll see are:
  • Unique Visitors
  • Goal Completions
  • Goal Conversion Rate
  • Avg. Page Load Time (sec)
Using the 4 metrics above, you'll be able to judge whether you need to make adjustments to your campaign or not.

The second tab, Engagement, will tell you how effective each page is by looking at the following six metrics:
  • Unique Pageviews
  • Pages/Visit
  • Avg. Time on Page
  • Bounce Rate
  • Percentage Exit
  • Goal Conversion Rate
The third and final tab, Revenue, will tell you how much money a keyword is bringing you based on 3 metrics:
  • Revenue
  • Per Visit Value
  • Ecommerce Conversion Rate

3. Link Analysis Report

link-analysis-report-google-analytics

What websites are sending you the best traffic? If you're link building, what links are worth going back for more? Link building isn't all about rankings, it's about increasing traffic and conversions as well. If you find a few gems, it's worth looking into them more.
Here are the columns you'll see with the report:
  • Source
  • Landing Page
  • Visits
  • Goal Completions
  • Pages/Visit
  • Bounce Rate
  • Percentage New Visits

4. PPC Keywords Report

If you're paying for search traffic, you obviously want to discover high performing keywords. You can then take this data and use it for future SEO campaigns.

Here are the metrics in this report:
  • Visits
  • CPC
  • Goal Completions
  • Cost per Conversion
By breaking things down easily, you'll be able to hone in one which keywords you need to put on hold and which ones you need to pour more cash into.

5. Social Media Report

social-media-report-google-analytics

Ah yes, a report that tells you how different social media channels are performing for you. This is a simple way to figure out where you should consider investing more time into socially.
The social media report looks at:
  • Visits
  • Social Actions
  • Goal Completions
  • Goal Conversion Rate
  • Goal Value

6. E-commerce Traffic Report

ecommerce-traffic-report

If you run an e-commerce site, it's important to break down your different traffic channels to see which one performs best. Why is one channel performing better than the other? Is it worth it to invest more in a campaign that is trending upwards? Is your investment with paid advertising effective?

This report answers some of your e-commerce questions by looking at the following metrics:
  • Visits
  • Percentage New Visits
  • Bounce Rate
  • Pages/Visit
  • Revenue
  • Average Value
  • Per Visit Value

7. Browser Report

browser-report-google-analytics

This report will tell you how different browsers are performing for your site. You'll immediately see which browsers are your winners and which ones might have problems.

For example, if Chrome and Firefox seem to be doing OK but if Internet Explorer has extremely high bounce rates, you might want to look into Internet Explorer more. After all, Internet Explorer has x percent of the browser share. (research market share for internet explorer)

Bonus: Custom Reporting in Google Analytics

Jaime from SEOmoz created a wonderful realtime Google Analytics report. Here's what it looks like:

google-analytics-realtime-data
This spreadsheet allows you to compare different metrics of your choice with different start and end dates as well. You can easily see how your campaigns are performing from a high level all in the comfort of a clean Google Doc.

Want even more custom reports? Make sure to read Greg Habermann’s top five most used Google Analytics Custom Reports to learn about and get custom reports for Unique Visitors by Page; Conversion by Time of Day; Customer Behavior; Top Converting Landing Pages; and Long Tail Converters.

Conclusion

Google Custom Reports ultimately save you a lot of time and help you make actionable decisions that will help your bottom line. Take a few minutes to set these reports up and explore them. You won't regret it.

What are some useful Google Analytics Custom Reports that you use?

Source : http://searchenginewatch.com/article/2175001/7-Time-Saving-Google-Analytics-Custom-Reports

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