You need more than just appealing visuals. The success of a site often hinges on its performance data. Enter Google Analytics and Search Console. But simply having these tools isn’t enough – ensuring your web designers have the right access is the real game-changer.
What is Google-Analytics and What’s Google Search Console? In the Simplest Terms:
Imagine you own a shop, which is your website in this analogy.
Sign in to Google Analytics: Think of this as unlocking the door to the back office of your shop where you have a special screen – the Google Analytics Dashboard. This dashboard, like a security camera feed, shows you everything happening inside your shop. It tells you how many people walked in, which sections they browsed, what items they were interested in, and how long they lingered.
Google Search Console: This is like having a report on your desk each morning about the town’s chatter. It tells you how many folks heard about your shop, which streets or town criers (search queries) were directing them to your shop’s entrance, how visible your shop’s billboard (website) was in the town square (search results), and if there were any town events or blockages (website errors) preventing them from visiting.
To put it simply:
- When you sign in to Google-Analytics, you’re accessing a dashboard that shows you what visitors are doing once they’re inside your website.
- Google Search Console gives you a peek into how people discover your website via Google and if there are any hiccups affecting your website’s visibility in those search results.
Having access to both tools ensures you’ve got a holistic view of how your digital “shop” is performing.
Google Analytics is free and so is Google Search Console
1. Beyond the Basic Google Analytics JS Code
Google provides a standard JavaScript code to be embedded on websites for tracking. However, it’s not always the most efficient method, especially when considering website loading speed. There are alternative methods and tools that can help optimize this process. When web designers have direct access, they can choose the most efficient way to integrate these analytics tools, ensuring faster load times and a smoother user experience.
2. Testing and Validating
Simply pasting a code isn’t the end of the story. How do you know if it’s working as it should? With direct access, web designers can implement the tracking code and run tests to ensure it’s functioning correctly. This step is vital because any mishap in the tracking can lead to flawed data.
3. Leveraging Advanced Features with Plugins
For those running their sites on platforms like WordPress, there are several plugins that make the integration of Google Analytics and Search Console even more beneficial. When implemented correctly, these plugins can:
- Display SEO data directly on the WordPress dashboard, offering a quick overview without diving deep into separate tools.
- Show SEO stats on individual pages, giving a granular view of performance.
- Exclude admin users from data collection, ensuring the analytics remain unbiased and accurate.
4. Informed Design Decisions Through Analysis
Access to data is a designer’s best friend. By understanding user behaviour, as shown in Analytics, designers can tweak layouts, navigation, and content. Similarly, insights from Search Console about the website’s search performance can further inform design decisions.
5. Granting the Right Level of Access
It’s essential to strike a balance between granting access and maintaining security. Luckily, both Analytics and Search Console allow for different levels of access, ensuring that your designers have the tools they need without compromising the overall site’s safety.
Giving Access to Pressiic
Google Analytics
Please add tech[at]techgeneration.uk with Marketer access to your Google-Analytics account.
Please see instructions on how to do this.
If you don’t have a Google Analytics account, please let us know and we will create one for you and give you full rights.
Google Search Console
Please add tech[at]techgeneration.uk with full access to your Google Search Console account.
You will remain the owner of the account.
Instructions on how to give access to Google Search [From Google]
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What are the 4 types of Google Analytics?
Audience Reports: These give insights into the characteristics of your website’s users. It includes details like demographics, interests, location, and information about the devices they use.
Acquisition Reports: These show where your visitors come from, be it direct traffic, referrals, search engines, or social networks. This can help in understanding which channels drive the most traffic.
Behaviour Reports: These provide data about how visitors use your website. This includes the pages they visit, how long they stay on them, and the paths they take through your site.
Conversion Reports: If you’ve set up goals or e-commerce tracking, this is where you’ll see how well your site fulfils your target objectives. It provides details on the path users take towards conversions and the conversion rate.
