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Google Analytics was created by Google as a way for website owners to track visitors’ behavior on their site. This tool has a variety of features that measure website engagement, including data collection, analysis, monitoring, visualization, reporting and integration with other applications.
So, what is Google Analytics? It is a helpful and free online tool that provides web analytics on everything from website visits to the characteristics of website users. The formal redesign and implementation of Google Analytics occurred in 2005 and was immediately met with high demand. Since then, many different versions have been released to include additional features. It is a free extension that can be added to any website to collect data on visitor behavior.
Google Analytics is useful for website users to gauge interest and engagement with their pages. It can provide basic or advanced reports on everything from bounce rate, visitor session length, pages visited, and files downloaded. Bounce rate is particularly important because website owners should reconsider their websites if the bounce rate is high and visitors are not accessing more than the first page. The website might not be visually appealing or may be difficult to navigate.
Important information about the website’s audience can also be gathered such as geographical location, age, gender, interests, and more. Knowing your audience is extremely important in website design and marketing strategies.
Additionally, Google Analytics can tell you how someone came to your website whether through a search, a display advertisement, or social media. This data on customer behavior and experience shows companies how accessible their web pages are and if they are attracting customers to interact with the website in a way the company desires. It also shows where companies should focus their advertising and media energies.
Since 2011, Google Analytics has allowed users to access real-time analytics so they can see data about who is on a website at any given time. With website performance reports, companies can make decisions about marketing strategies and user experience. Conveniently, reports can be accessed at any time, via desktops or through an app, or set up to be emailed at selected intervals.
When combined with Google Ads, businesses can analyze their marketing campaigns and use the provided data to adjust their ads accordingly. Businesses may want ads to direct visitors to buy a certain product, download a particular file, or visit a particular page. Together, Ads and Analytics allow companies to see how their marketing and advertising is working to meet their goals. This tool is particularly beneficial for e-commerce businesses. E-commerce businesses utilize Google Analytics to collect data on sales activity, performance, popularity of products, and more.
Which careers benefit from the use of this tool? Any company with a website should incorporate some form of web analytics on their website. Since Google is the most popular search engine and the tool is free, Google Analytics is a popular choice by companies in all industries. Anyone associated with a business’ marketing strategy, social media platforms, or website design should want to understand and utilize Google Analytics. In particular, UX/UI designers, front-end developers, social media managers, and web developers can all use this tool to design, maintain, and make updates to their websites to increase engagement, decrease bounce rate, increase sales, or attract desired users.
Ready to learn how Google Analytics works and how to read reports in a way that can help you to grow a business? You are in luck because there are a variety of options to help you!
If you want to pursue learning this tool on your own, there are many online tutorials and youtube videos that can help you along the way. Google even has its own Analytics Academy where you can take courses for beginners to more advanced. Online schools also offer courses to learn this skill.
If you want a more structured way to learn Google Analytics or want to learn this skill in conjunction with preparing for a career in areas such as web development or UX/UI design, a bootcamp may be a great choice for you. Bootcamps can be offered in-person and online and can help you earn a Google Analytics certificate that will show your mastery level on a resume. Whichever path you choose, Google Analytics is an excellent tool to learn if you are looking to enter a career related to websites in any industry. If you think that a bootcamp is best for you, below you will find a list of bootcamps that include this tool in their curriculums.
