A complete, start-to-finish guide to Google Analytics instrumentation and reporting
Google Analytics Breakthrough is a much-needed comprehensive resource for the world's most widely adopted analytics tool. Designed to provide a complete, best-practices foundation in measurement strategy, implementation, reporting, and optimization, this book systematically demystifies the broad range of Google Analytics features and configurations. Throughout the end-to-end learning experience, you'll sharpen your core competencies, discover hidden functionality, learn to avoid common pitfalls, and develop next-generation tracking and analysis strategies so you can understand what is helping or hindering your digital performance and begin driving more success.
Google Analytics Breakthrough offers practical instruction and expert perspectives on the full range of implementation and reporting skills:
- Learn how to campaign-tag inbound links to uncover the email, social, PPC, and banner/remarketing traffic hiding as other traffic sources and to confidently measure the ROI of each marketing channel
- Add event tracking to capture the many important user interactions that Google Analytics does not record by default, such as video plays, PDF downloads, scrolling, and AJAX updates
- Master Google Tag Manager for greater flexibility and process control in implementation
- Set up goals and Enhanced Ecommerce tracking to measure performance against organizational KPIs and configure conversion funnels to isolate drop-off
- Create audience segments that map to your audience constituencies, amplify trends, and help identify optimization opportunities
- Populate custom dimensions that reflect your organization, your content, and your visitors so Google Analytics can speak your language
- Gain a more complete view of customer behavior with mobile app and cross-device tracking
- Incorporate related tools and techniques: third-party data visualization, CRM integration for long-term value and lead qualification, marketing automation, phone conversion tracking, usability, and A/B testing
- Improve data storytelling and foster analytics adoption in the enterprise
Millions of organizations have installed Google Analytics, including an estimated 67 percent of Fortune 500 companies, but deficiencies plague most implementations, and inadequate reporting practices continue to hinder meaningful analysis. By following the strategies and techniques in Google Analytics Breakthrough, you can address the gaps in your own still set, transcend the common limitations, and begin using Google Analytics for real competitive advantage.
Critical contributions from industry luminaries such as Brian Clifton, Tim Ash, Bryan and Jeffrey Eisenberg, and Jim Sterne – and a foreword by Avinash Kaushik – enhance the learning experience and empower you to drive consistent, real-world improvement through analytics.
Table of Contents:
Foreword xi Acknowledgments xiii
About the Author(s) xv
About the Contributors xvii
Chapter 1 Introduction 1
Why This Book? 1
Who Should Read This Book? 4
Chapter Summary 4
Get Started 7
Chapter 2 Google Analytics Reporting Overview: User Characteristics and Behavior 9
Google Analytics Reporting: User Characteristics and Behavior 10
Dimensions and Metrics 30
Real-Time Reports 43
Key Takeaways 45
Actions and Exercises 46
Chapter 3 Measurement Strategy 47
Objective: Business Impact 47
Measurement Plan 51
Six Steps for Analytics Effectiveness 53
Key Takeaways 58
Actions and Exercises 58
Chapter 4 Account Creation and Tracking Code Installation 59
Creating a Google Analytics Account 59
Google Analytics Account Structure 64
Installing the Tracking Code 66
Key Takeaways 88
Actions and Exercises 89
Chapter 5 Google Tag Manager Concepts 91
Google Tag Manager Concepts 92
Benefits of Google Tag Manager 95
Creating a Google Tag Manager Account and Container 98
Deploying Google Analytics through Google Tag Manager 100
Access Rights 105
Migrating to Google Tag Manager from Native Tracking 108
GTM Environments 109
Key Takeaways 122
Actions and Exercises 122
Chapter 6 Events, Virtual Pageviews, Social Actions, and Errors 125
The Need for Event Tracking 126
Event Tracking in GTM 134
Virtual Pageviews 147
Tracking Google Analytics Events through the Google Tag Manager Data Layer and Custom Event Trigger 155
Tracking Social Interactions 164
Error Tracking 173
Key Takeaways 180
Actions and Exercises 182
Chapter 7 Acquisition Reports 183
Acquisition Terminology and Concepts 183
Campaign Tracking: Google Analytics Needs Your Help for Attribution 188
Channel Customizations 202
Tracking Organic Traffic 208
Key Takeaways 219
Actions and Exercises 220
Chapter 8 Goal and Ecommerce Tracking 221
Goal Tracking 221
Ecommerce Tracking 243
Multi-Channel Funnel Reports 270
Integrating with Third-Party Shopping Carts 279
Key Takeaways 281
Actions and Exercises 283
Chapter 9 View Settings, View Filters, and Access Rights 285
Why Do We Need Multiple Views? 285
Best Practice: Working, Test, and Unfiltered Views 287
View Settings 287
View Filters 294
Access Rights 305
Change History 309
Trash Can 310
Key Takeaways 310
Actions and Exercises 311
Chapter 10 Segments 313
Segment to Focus and Amplify 313
Mapping Customer Constituencies as Custom Segments 325
Sampling 332
Segments versus Filtered Views 334
Key Takeaways 335
Actions and Exercises 336
Chapter 11 Dashboards, Custom Reports, and Intelligence Alerts 339
Dashboards 339
Custom Reports 342
Shortcuts 347
Intelligence Alerts 348
Annotations 352
Key Takeaways 353
Actions and Exercises 354
Chapter 12 Implementation Customizations 355
Custom Dimensions 355
Content Grouping 366
Custom Metrics 369
Calculated Metrics 371
Demographics and Interests 373
Enhanced Link Attribution 374
Tracking Info Customizations 375
Cross-Domain and Roll-Up Reporting 378
Cross-Device Tracking with User ID 386
Key Takeaways 397
Actions and Exercises 397
Chapter 13 Mobile App Measurement 399
Tracking Mobile Apps 399
Why Is Mobile Important 399
Mobile Strategies 400
What to Measure 401
Mobile Configuration in Google Analytics 403
Setting Up Google Analytics in Your App 404
Account Structure Best Practices in Mobile Properties 407
Real-time App Reporting 408
Integrations 410
Mobile Campaign Tracking 415
Mobile Privacy 421
Key Takeaways 427
Actions and Exercises 428
Chapter 14 Google Analytics Integrations—The Power of Together 429
AdWords 430
AdSense 444
YouTube in GA 447
Analytics 360 Integrations 448
Additional Integrations 448
Key Takeaways 451
Actions and Exercises 451
Chapter 15 Integrating Google Analytics with CRM Data 453
Long-Term Perspective 453
Calculating Cost per Qualified Lead 454
Joining Google Analytics and CRM Data with Visitor ID 463
Key Takeaways 475
Actions and Exercises 476
Chapter 16 Advanced Reporting and Visualization with Third-Party Tools 477
Framing the Issue: How to Get Data Out of GA 478
ETLV–The Full Reporting Automation Cycle 485
Advanced Use Cases for BigQuery/Tableau 488
Key Takeaways 501
Actions and Exercises 501
Chapter 17 Data Import and Measurement Protocol 503
Data Import 503
Measurement Protocol 520
Key Takeaways 528
Actions and Exercises 529
Chapter 18 Analytics 360 531
Why Analytics 360? 531
Increased Capacity 532
Service-Level Agreements (SLAs) 535
Analytics 360 Resources 547
Where to Buy—Resellers or Google Direct? 548
Key Takeaways 550
Actions and Exercises 550
Appendices
Appendix A: Broadening Your Optimization Program 551
Qualitative Inputs 551
Overlay Reporting 558
Testing 559
Marketing Automation and Personalization 575
Appendix B: Resources 581
Index 585
About the Author :
FERAS ALHLOU is co-founder and Principal Consultant at E-Nor (founded in 2003). He's built an industry-thought-leader organization providing marketing intelligence solutions to some of the world's most recognized brands.
SHIRAZ ASIF is co-founder and Vice President of Analytics at E-Nor. He has extensive background in solutions architecture for Web and mobile analytics, report automation, and data analysis.
ERIC FETTMAN is a founder of E-Nor Analytics University and an analytics trainer at E-Nor. He seeks to empower his students in digital analytics and optimization as well as all professional endeavors.
