Digital analytics is all about understanding how people use websites. It's like being a detective, looking for clues in data to figure out what users like and don't like. This helps businesses make their sites better and more user-friendly.

Web metrics are the numbers that show how well a site is doing. They tell us things like how many people visit, how long they stay, and if they buy stuff. By tracking these metrics, companies can see what's working and what needs fixing on their websites.

Digital analytics terms and concepts

Defining digital analytics and key metrics

• Digital analytics measures, collects, analyzes, and reports web data to understand and optimize web usage
  • Focuses on identifying meaningful patterns and drawing actionable insights from online user behavior
• Key metrics in digital analytics provide different perspectives on user engagement and site performance
  • Page views
  • Unique visitors
  • Bounce rate (percentage of visitors who leave after viewing only one page)
  • Average time on page
  • Conversion rate (percentage of visitors who complete a desired action like a purchase or sign-up)
  • Exit rate (percentage of visitors who exit the site from a specific page)

Segmentation and reporting

• Segments isolate and analyze subsets of traffic data based on specific criteria
  • Demographics
  • Traffic source (organic search, paid search, email, social media, direct)
  • Device type (desktop, mobile, tablet)
  • User behavior (new vs. returning visitors, logged-in vs. guest)
• Dimensions are attributes of the data being collected
  • Page URL
  • Referral source
  • Geographic location
• Metrics are quantitative measurements of user interactions
• Reports combine dimensions and metrics to answer business questions
• Attribution models assign conversion credit to touchpoints in a user's journey using rule-based approaches
  • Last-click attribution (gives 100% credit to the final touchpoint before conversion)
  • First-click attribution (gives 100% credit to the first touchpoint)
  • Linear attribution (distributes credit evenly across all touchpoints)
  • Time-decay attribution (gives more credit to touchpoints closer in time to the conversion)

Importance of web metrics

Data-driven insights into user behavior

• Web metrics provide quantitative data on how users are interacting with a website
  • Reveals patterns in user behavior, preferences, and journeys
  • Removes subjectivity from decision making by relying on data
• Tracking audience behavior metrics over time allows analysts to gauge content performance and identify areas for optimization
  • Page views
  • Time on site
  • Bounce rate
• Understanding the user journey through metrics uncovers roadblocks in the conversion funnel
  • Navigation paths (sequence of pages visited)
  • Landing pages (pages where users enter the site)
  • Exit pages (pages where users leave the site)

Measuring business objectives and marketing ROI

• Conversion metrics measure how effectively a site fulfills its business objectives
  • Form completions
  • Email sign-ups
  • Purchases
  • Improving conversion rates has a direct impact on an organization's bottom line
• Acquisition metrics provide insights into which marketing efforts are driving quality traffic to the site
  • Traffic source (organic search, paid search, referral, social, email, direct)
  • Channel performance
  • Enables more effective budget allocation to high-ROI activities

Applying digital analytics tools

Implementing tracking and reporting with Google Analytics

• Google Analytics is the most widely used web analytics service that tracks and reports site traffic
  • Provides a comprehensive suite of metrics, dimensions, and reporting capabilities
• The Analytics tracking code must be properly installed on every page of the site to capture user interactions
• Customized event tracking can be implemented to track specific user actions
  • Button clicks
  • Video plays
  • File downloads
• Analytics allows you to set up goals to measure conversions
  • Destination-based (visiting a specific page)
  • Duration-based (session lasting a specified amount of time)
  • Pages per session-based (viewing a specified number of pages)
  • Event-based (completing a specified user action)
• Funnels can be applied to goals to analyze the steps users take toward conversion

Supplementing Analytics with additional tools

• Heatmapping tools provide visual representations of user interactions on a page
  • Hotjar
  • Crazy Egg
  • Uncovers insights into how users engage with content and navigate the site by tracking clicks, scrolls, and mouse movements
• A/B testing tools allow analysts to compare the performance of different versions of a page
  • Optimizely
  • Google Optimize
  • Determines which design or content elements drive better conversions
• Analysts can create custom dashboards and reports in Analytics
  • Monitor key performance indicators (KPIs) for their specific business needs
  • Share insights with stakeholders

Interpreting data for strategy and UX

Focusing on data trends and benchmarking performance

• Analysts should focus on data trends and patterns over time rather than obsessing over individual data points
  • Avoid making knee-jerk decisions based on short-term fluctuations
• Benchmarking current performance of key metrics sets a baseline to measure against
• Comparing to industry benchmarks provides competitive context
• Analyzing month-over-month or year-over-year trends reveals performance trajectory

Optimizing content and navigation based on user engagement

• High traffic pages with high bounce rates or low time on page may indicate poor content quality or relevance
  • Update and optimize these pages to improve engagement
• Navigation summary and user flow reports show how users are navigating through the site
  • Identify common pathways
  • Redesign menu structure and internal linking to simplify user journeys
• Landing page reports show the most common entry points to the site
  • Ensure these pages make a strong first impression
  • Include clear calls-to-action to encourage further exploration
• Exit page reports show where users are leaving the site
  • Analyze these pages to reduce friction
  • Give users compelling reasons to continue their journey rather than abandoning

Identifying high-performing audience segments

• Segmenting conversion metrics can reveal high-performing or underperforming audience segments to focus on
  • User demographics (age, gender, location)
  • Device type (desktop, mobile, tablet)
  • Traffic source (organic search, paid search, social media, referral, email)