If you're like us, you love using Google Analytics for its ease of use and insights, but still, you will find yourself wasting time completing the same actions again-and-again as you review the performance of your site each day.
Bookmarklets (check out other useful bookmarkets for digital marketers) provide a quick way to save time through shortcuts for these repeated actions. Here's my top 5 saving which allow you to go straight to the report you want even if you don't have GA loaded! They all work through a standard URL query string for each report .You will need to set them to the profile id you're currently working with otherwise you'll just see the first profile in the account. I've saved the best for last.
1. Show today's data
By default you start with the previous day, but when customising Google Analytics you often need to check the latest data collected to…
Just published this week, and now in its second edition, this new book on Google Analytics, by ex-Googler, Brian Clifton is a "must-buy" for any company serious about using Google Analytics to help their company succeed online.
The book's title is Advanced Web Metrics with Google Analytics, but the title of this review is intended to highlight why I think it's essential reading. I think much of its value is in customising or tailoring Google Analytics to a business. I say this since, when working with clients or training, I find that the majority of companies don't have Google Analytics with a tailored setup which is right to improve results for their business. This prompted me to write my post giving a checklist of 6 customisation options from simple to difficult.This book explains how to implement all of these setup steps in an easy to follow format.
2015 update
Although I am a big…
Dave Chaffey's summary of the most significant postings and developments giving guidance on Google Analytics Setup and configuration which I think all digital marketers need to be aware of. I have given a star rating of the importance [rating=5] of the updates based on their importance to the average small-business business installation of Google analytics. Analytics Ninjas or power users may well rate more highly.
As well as my take on the major updates, you will also want to check out the Google Analytics Update page if you don't know about - it's tough to find. I also track the Google Analytics Blog which is great for analytics folk, but not most general marketers.
Retweets previously
recommending this post
on Marketing Online wiki
before new site:
//
Major developments in Google Analytics Setup and new features
Google Analytics Annotations now available in…
Google Analytics is a fantastic tool from the moment you arrange to have the tracking code installed and you experience the thrill or anxst of your first reports appearing showing how real people are interacting with your business.
Every business now needs a Google Analytics customisation strategy
You can certainly get a lot of value from reporting and analysis using the standard setup, but to really drive results for your business, you're better off spending some time on customisation.
Retweets previously
recommending this post
on DaveChaffey.com
before Smart Insights
launched:
//
With each passing month there are more customisation options available in Google Analytics, so I believe you really need a strategy of what to customise, particularly if there are several team members using the account. This post gives my ideas on a…
A 12 step guide for marketers, designers and site owners
I've written this guide since I now find when training, that the majority of the marketers on the courses have Google Analytics installed on their websites.
But oftentimes, although Google Analytics is installed, it hasn't been configured to help marketers track and review their campaign or site effectiveness.In fact, when I take attendees through the configuration options, it seems very often little or no configuration has been done in their organisations!
So, I have written this guide as a checklist for non web-analytics specialists. It is a top-level guide, but I have provided links through to detailed descriptions on more specialist sites on the technical approaches needed to configure.
This guide steps through all main configuration concepts and issues to consider for using Google Analytics to improve your results from online marketing. I haven't seen any other lists that cover everything in a single list…
