Tracking Content
Goals With Google
Analytics
Presented by: KeidraChaney
What I’ll Cover
• Setting business objectives
• Content goals
• Tools in Google Analytics
About me
•
•
•
•

Started as web content
manager, knowledge of HTML,
CSS, PHP
Trained through books, courses
and experience.
Became a web analytics
evangelist (and nag) at my
workplace.
Started consulting on analytics
and website optimization
Has this happened to you?
Sure
thing!
Hey, our
client wants
metrics on
the new
microsite
Hey, so….
What does
this
spreadsheet
mean?

Well…
We got
2,000
visits
???

Is that good
or bad?
Top Down or Bottom Up
Approach to measurement?
• Top Down: Starting with defined set of goals and a selected
group of relevant metrics
• Bottom Up: Starting without a defined set of goals
GO TOP DOWN!

Don’t jump in to Google Analytics without a measurement
plan for your content!A measurement plan provides context
for data and makes using Google Analytics a LOT easier.
Step 1: Define the business
objectives of your digital content
• They help align your digital content goals and your overall
business goals
• Help leaders and content owners creators understand the
value of content
Examples of digital content
business objectives
• Increase brand awareness on social media
• Improve customer service for customers
• Enhance print communication materials
Continue with content goals
• Web content goals demonstrate user action
• Think of outcomes (downloads, comments, form
completion) not metrics (visits, pageviews, etc.)
• DON’T JUMP THE GUN!
Content goals
WEB/CONT
ENT

ACTION

GOAL

Home Page

Sign up for
newsletter

Collecting contact
information

Blog

Reading an
article

Increased readership

Video view

Customer
engagement

Video
Then think measurement!
• What success metrics fit best with your content goals?

GOAL

METRIC

Collecting contact
information

# of newsletter signups

Increased readership

Average time on site

Customer engagement

# of video views
Is it the *right* success
metric?
• Does it show results? Can you use it to show
definitive ROI on your efforts? Does it show that
it’s helping you sell widgets, create awareness?
Increase registrations?
• Does it give insight? Can you learn more about
your users, the effectiveness of your
content/campaign by looking at it?
• Is it actionable? Can you look at it and take some
kind of immediate action to make things better?
• Can you benchmark it? Can you look at data
month or month/week or week and see trends?
Goal Tracking In Google Analytics

Over Here!
Goal Tracking In Google Analytics

Track multiple user
actions and $ value
Goal Tracking In Google Analytics

Here!

Click “goals”
Then “create a goal”

Here!
Goal Types in Google Analytics
• Destination goals (ex. thank you page for newsletter
signup form)
• Duration goals (ex. average time on website)
• Event goals (ex. video views)

Dunno how to set up events? Go here:
http://gaconfig.com/google-analyticsevent-tracking/
Goal Types in Google Analytics
How do you track success?
Trends!
Look at trends to benchmark your average
traffic and use that as the standard to beat.
Visits

If your unique visitor count
increases 5% month over
month, that’s your benchmark
3,500

3,400

3,300

3,200

3,100
Visits
3,000

2,900

2,800

2,700
Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec
Annotations: Provide context to
trends
Goal Flow

View visitor funnel
patterns by multiple
dimensions – where do
visitors drop off?
Segmentation
• Trends in aggregate may hide actual
insights.
• Look at segmented traffic to compare
traffic from different audiences.
• Segmentation allows you to give context
to your data by focusing on a specific
slice of your audience or audience
behavior.
Segmentation
Takeaways
• Identify business objectives
Don’t jump in to Google Analytics without a
measurement plan
• Identify content goals for your content!
• Match appropriate metrics to goals
A measurement plan provides context for
• Set up tracking in Google Analytics
data and makes using Google Analytics a
• Benchmark and segment
LOT easier.
Tools and Resources
Google Analytics Education (Videos and more):
goo.gl/mGpDG
Google Analytics Support:
goo.gl/dKOkS
Google Analytics Blog:
goo.gl/fQDWC
Google Analytics Reporting Tools (Excel Plugins and more):
goo.gl/zzA66
Google Analytics URL Builder:
goo.gl/MB6zX
Thanks!
keidra@gmail.com
www.thelearnedfangirl.com
www.keidrachaney.com
@kdc

Content jam

  • 1.
    Tracking Content Goals WithGoogle Analytics Presented by: KeidraChaney
  • 2.
    What I’ll Cover •Setting business objectives • Content goals • Tools in Google Analytics
  • 3.
    About me • • • • Started asweb content manager, knowledge of HTML, CSS, PHP Trained through books, courses and experience. Became a web analytics evangelist (and nag) at my workplace. Started consulting on analytics and website optimization
  • 4.
    Has this happenedto you? Sure thing! Hey, our client wants metrics on the new microsite
  • 5.
  • 6.
  • 7.
    Top Down orBottom Up Approach to measurement? • Top Down: Starting with defined set of goals and a selected group of relevant metrics • Bottom Up: Starting without a defined set of goals GO TOP DOWN! Don’t jump in to Google Analytics without a measurement plan for your content!A measurement plan provides context for data and makes using Google Analytics a LOT easier.
  • 8.
    Step 1: Definethe business objectives of your digital content • They help align your digital content goals and your overall business goals • Help leaders and content owners creators understand the value of content
  • 9.
    Examples of digitalcontent business objectives • Increase brand awareness on social media • Improve customer service for customers • Enhance print communication materials
  • 10.
    Continue with contentgoals • Web content goals demonstrate user action • Think of outcomes (downloads, comments, form completion) not metrics (visits, pageviews, etc.) • DON’T JUMP THE GUN!
  • 11.
    Content goals WEB/CONT ENT ACTION GOAL Home Page Signup for newsletter Collecting contact information Blog Reading an article Increased readership Video view Customer engagement Video
  • 12.
    Then think measurement! •What success metrics fit best with your content goals? GOAL METRIC Collecting contact information # of newsletter signups Increased readership Average time on site Customer engagement # of video views
  • 13.
    Is it the*right* success metric? • Does it show results? Can you use it to show definitive ROI on your efforts? Does it show that it’s helping you sell widgets, create awareness? Increase registrations? • Does it give insight? Can you learn more about your users, the effectiveness of your content/campaign by looking at it? • Is it actionable? Can you look at it and take some kind of immediate action to make things better? • Can you benchmark it? Can you look at data month or month/week or week and see trends?
  • 14.
    Goal Tracking InGoogle Analytics Over Here!
  • 15.
    Goal Tracking InGoogle Analytics Track multiple user actions and $ value
  • 16.
    Goal Tracking InGoogle Analytics Here! Click “goals” Then “create a goal” Here!
  • 17.
    Goal Types inGoogle Analytics • Destination goals (ex. thank you page for newsletter signup form) • Duration goals (ex. average time on website) • Event goals (ex. video views) Dunno how to set up events? Go here: http://gaconfig.com/google-analyticsevent-tracking/
  • 18.
    Goal Types inGoogle Analytics
  • 19.
    How do youtrack success? Trends! Look at trends to benchmark your average traffic and use that as the standard to beat. Visits If your unique visitor count increases 5% month over month, that’s your benchmark 3,500 3,400 3,300 3,200 3,100 Visits 3,000 2,900 2,800 2,700 Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
  • 20.
  • 21.
    Goal Flow View visitorfunnel patterns by multiple dimensions – where do visitors drop off?
  • 22.
    Segmentation • Trends inaggregate may hide actual insights. • Look at segmented traffic to compare traffic from different audiences. • Segmentation allows you to give context to your data by focusing on a specific slice of your audience or audience behavior.
  • 23.
  • 24.
    Takeaways • Identify businessobjectives Don’t jump in to Google Analytics without a measurement plan • Identify content goals for your content! • Match appropriate metrics to goals A measurement plan provides context for • Set up tracking in Google Analytics data and makes using Google Analytics a • Benchmark and segment LOT easier.
  • 25.
    Tools and Resources GoogleAnalytics Education (Videos and more): goo.gl/mGpDG Google Analytics Support: goo.gl/dKOkS Google Analytics Blog: goo.gl/fQDWC Google Analytics Reporting Tools (Excel Plugins and more): goo.gl/zzA66 Google Analytics URL Builder: goo.gl/MB6zX
  • 26.

Editor's Notes

  • #7 They probably didn’t have goals
  • #8 Lou Rosenfeld- A list apart
  • #9 What’s the ROI usually means. This is pointless, why are we doing this?
  • #10 They list specific outcomes
  • #11 You don’t want to jump the gun and think of creating goals around metrics rather than finding the right metrics to fit your goal. This happens a lot.
  • #13 Look at time on site as a way to show more engagement for a content-driven site
  • #24 The “advanced” segment button at the top of your Google Analytics interface allows you to look at traffic from a variety of preselected audience types, including new visitor, returning visitors, paid visitors and more. I’m selecting “new visitor” here: The “advanced” segment button at the top of your Google Analytics interface allows you to look at traffic from a variety of preselected audience types, including new visitor, returning visitors, paid visitors and more. I’m selecting “new visitor” here:  The “advanced” segment button at the top of your Google Analytics interface allows you to look at traffic from a variety of preselected audience types, including new visitor, returning visitors, paid visitors and more. But what kind of content is engaging new visitors? Looking at the Content Top Landing Page section through the new visitor segment will let me know. (Remember, once you select a segment to view your Google Analytics dashboard through, you’ll keep seeing only traffic data for that segment until you unselect it.)