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Not sure what to look for in Google Analytics? Start here.
In my last blog on tracking marketing success, I talked about the importance of reviewing your marketing results, especially around end of financial year. One of the simplest tools you can use for that is Google Analytics.
But I get it. If you’ve ever opened Google Analytics and immediately wanted to shut it again… you’re not alone. There’s a lot going on in there.
So this blog is here to help. I’m keeping it beginner-friendly and focused on what actually matters for small business owners who just want to know “Is my marketing working?”
What is Google Analytics, in plain English?
Google Analytics is a free tool that shows you what people are doing on your website.
It tracks things like:
- how many people visited your site
- how they found you (Google, social media, direct, etc.)
- what pages they looked at
- how long they stayed
- and whether they did anything while they were there (like clicked a button, downloaded something, or filled out a form)
Think of it like a behind-the-scenes look at how people interact with your website.
And when you know that, you can start making decisions based on facts. Not just guesses.
Where to start in Google Analytics
You don’t need to understand everything in there.
I recommend only a few key areas to check when you’re starting out (so you don’t get overwhelmed, and you can get some good insights as to the value your website is delivering).
1. Users and sessions
This tells you how many people visited your site and how many times. A “user” is a person, and a “session” is a visit. So if one person comes back three times, that’s one user and three sessions.
Useful for: seeing if your traffic is growing over time.
What this means: If more people are visiting your site month-on-month, it suggests your marketing is helping you reach more of your ideal clients. And if you notice repeat sessions from the same users, that can show growing interest. Maybe people are coming back to compare services, check your blog, or look you up again before getting in touch. If those numbers are flat or dropping, it could be a sign to tweak your content or promotional activity.
2. Traffic sources
This shows where people came from. Was it Google? Instagram? A direct URL? If you’ve been running campaigns, you can see which ones brought people in.
Useful for: understanding what’s bringing people to your site.
What this means: You can double down on what’s working. If most of your ideal clients are coming from LinkedIn, that’s a good cue to post more there. Or if email is consistently driving traffic, maybe it’s time to grow your list. On the flip side, if you’re spending heaps of time on a channel that barely shows up here, it might be time to rethink where you focus your efforts.
3. Pages viewed
You can see which pages are getting the most visits. This is handy for figuring out what content people are actually interested in.
Useful for: seeing if your services page or blog content is doing its job.
What this means: If your most-viewed page is your team bio or FAQ section, that tells you what people want to know before they reach out. You might use that to update your homepage or create more content around the questions you get asked most. Or if a particular blog is getting all the views, that might be a topic to build on in future marketing (and maybe even turn into a freebie or lead magnet).
4. Engagement
This tells you how long people are staying, and how many pages they look at. If someone comes to your site and leaves straight away, that’s a “bounce.” A high bounce rate might mean they didn’t find what they were looking for.
Useful for: knowing if people are sticking around or just dropping in and leaving.
What this means: Helps you understand how relevant your content is. If your homepage has a high bounce rate, it could mean the message isn’t quite connecting with your ideal clients or it’s unclear what to do next. If people are spending more time on certain pages, that shows what’s resonating. You can use that insight to update your site navigation, clarify your offers, or make sure your calls-to-action are more obvious.
Example: how this helps in real life
Let’s say you’re a small accounting firm and you’ve written a few blog articles this year. One of them is “What to include in your EOFY checklist.”
You open Google Analytics and see that this blog is your most visited page (besides your homepage), and people are spending an average of 3 minutes reading it. That’s a good sign. It means people are finding it helpful.
You also notice that most of the traffic to that blog came from LinkedIn, where you shared the link.
Now you know:
- That topic is useful to your ideal clients
- LinkedIn is a solid platform for you
- Writing more practical content like that could bring more people to your website
See? Not so scary. And really helpful when it comes to planning your next few months of marketing.
GA4 vs the old version (real quick)
If you've used Google Analytics before and things look different you're not imagining it. Google switched everyone to a new version called GA4 from 1 July 2023. It's not the same as the old version, and yes, it takes some getting used to.
But all the basic info above still applies. You just might find it in a slightly different spot.
If you’re not sure whether you’re using GA4, it’s worth checking in with whoever set it up. Or feel free to reach out, I can help you sort that out.
Start small and check in often
You don’t need to spend hours each week in Google Analytics. But getting into the habit of checking your key stats once a month (or at EOFY) can help you spot patterns, save time, and make better marketing decisions.
And if you’ve just finished reviewing your marketing performance, now is the perfect time to jump into Google Analytics and see what the numbers say.
Or, if you still feel overwhelmed with understanding your analytics and you’d rather not look at a single dashboard, I can help you with that too. Let's talk.
