At a glance...
Not ready to make the switch to Google’s new Analytics 4? Enhance your businesses’ current Google Analytics implementation by enabling these advanced (yet easy to activate) features. Enjoy enhanced data accuracy and granularity with just a few clicks.
Google Analytics is the go-to free Analytics system for enterprise businesses, and small mom-and-pop shops alike. Google Analytics is very simple to install, and has robust features for advanced users and data-forward businesses. That said, there are many enhanced features and opportunities in Google Analytics (at the Account, Property, and View levels) that many businesses have failed to activate; this means you are likely missing out on valuable business analytics information that you could have had right at your fingertips, for free. If you installed your Google Analytics tag, checked for tracking, and then stopped there, I’m talking to you.
There’s nothing worse than logging into Google Analytics for specific business metrics and finding that your half-hearted GA installation left the enhanced features unused. Now, the information that you and your team thought you were tracking is nowhere to be found, and you are hindered by a significant lack of robust digital data. Activate these enhanced features now, and the data will be there when you need it for business decision-making.
Here are the most impactful Google Analytics features and settings for improving the accuracy and usefulness of your business’ digital analytics.
1. Create Additional Google Analytics “Views”
To Implement:
Go to Admin > Create View > Enter View Name & Timezone > Create View
2. Enable Demographics & Interest Tracking
To Implement:
Go to Admin > Property Settings > Scroll to Advertising Features > Enable Demographics & Interests Report
This may require a tweak to your Google Analytics tracking code; details will be provided when you enable this feature.
3. Enable Ecommerce Tracking
To Implement:
Go to Admin > View > Ecommerce Settings > Enable Ecommerce
Additional steps and developer support may be required, depending on your Content Management System (CMS) and website infrastructure.
4. Create & Track Your Goals
To Implement:
Go to Admin > View > Goals > Goal Setup
5. Connect Google Search Console
To Implement:
Go to Admin > Property > All Products > Unlinked Products > Link Search Console
If you have not yet claimed your domain on Google Search Console, you will need to do so before completing this integration.
6. Activate Google Signals
To Implement:
Go to Admin > Property > Tracking Info > Data Collection > Turn on Data Collection for Google Signals
7. Activate Cross-Channel Attribution
To Implement:
Go to Admin > Click “Attribution” (bottom left) > New Project > Get Started
8. Enable Bot-Filtering
To Implement:
Go to Admin > View > View Settings > Bot Filtering > Check “Exclude all hits from known bots and spiders”
9. Remove Facebook Click Identifier Parameters
To Implement:
Go to Admin > View > View Settings > Exclude URL Query Parameters > Enter “fbclid” > Save
10. Increase Site Speed Sample Rate
By default, Google Analytics only captures real world site speed data for 1 out of 100 website visitors. For businesses receiving less than several hundred visits per day, this will mean major gaps and inaccuracy in this hugely important metric, and an incomplete understanding of how your users experience your website.
Adjusting your Google Analytics site speed sample rate is a slightly more complex task, requiring a change to your GA tracking snippet. Learn more about Google Analytics site speed measurement protocols in the Analytics Help Center. Additional details about changing your own website site speed sample rate can be found in the analytics.js developer documentation.
WordPress users, learn to test and improve website load speeds for a better user experience.