MARKETING

Don’t you love having options? To have the freedom to choose between a donut or apple for lunch, whether you’ll wear a blue or green shirt today or spend your weekend fishing or laying on a beach? ‍ Do we have the same freedom when it comes to web analytics software? Of course we do! ‍ Although when we talk about analytics, which is the first tool that comes to mind? No doubt, Google Analytics. Many businesses aren’t even aware of the host of alternatives available to them which may actually suit their business needs better. ‍ They simply learn to deal with the good, the bad and the ugly of this analytics tool. But have you ever wondered… ‍ Are there alternative analytics platforms out there worth considering? Why should I switch to a google analytics alternative? ‍ Yes! There are many substitutes out there that can rival the world’s favorite free web analytics platform. But why consider an alternative at all? ‍ Why consider an alternative to Google Analytics? ‍ Photo by Vanessa Garcia from Pexels‍ ‍ First and foremost, Google Analytics is not incredibly intuitive. Admittedly, there are many Youtube videos and Google tutorials to help you understand the platform, but most business owners are just too busy to sit for hours learning how to analyze traffic data. Let alone understand how to turn these reports into actionable insights that help you increase your revenue ‍ A second reason why many have recently moved away from Google Analytics is data protection laws. Users don’t want their data to be sold to the highest bidders. And some European countries are considering a ban on Google Analytics in their countries stating that Google Analytics does not sufficiently protect their citizen’s data. ‍ Pricing could also be a deciding factor. Once your business outgrows the free version, you will have to sign up for Google 360. This comes with a hefty price tag of $150,000 per year. That’s a sizable chunk of money to invest in a marketing campaign, and you’ll have to ensure the revenue you gain will be worth the money you invest. If that doesn’t convince you, here are more reasons to consider a google analytics alternative. Don’t be afraid of change! ‍Photo by Thirdman from Pexels ‍ An analytics tool is an essential part of any digital marketing campaign. It tells you who your customers are, how they engage with your site, the success of your ad campaigns and so much more. You must be able to comfortably navigate your analytics tool of choice and understand the reports it gives you. ‍ Although there will always be die-hard SEO specialists out there who swear by Google Analytics, you might be pleasantly surprised by what the competitors have to offer. ‍ Don’t stick with something just because it’s what everyone uses. If Google Analytics meets your needs, great. If it doesn’t, there are many analytics alternatives out there. ‍ How do I find the best alternative for my needs? ‍Photo by Startup Stock Photos from Pexels ‍ The Saas program you choose should be the one which suits your needs best. What works for a blogger, probably won’t work for a large enterprise. What works for an e-commerce site won’t necessarily be the best choice for a brick-and-mortar store. ‍ Here are a few helpful questions to ask before choosing the right Google Analytics alternative for you: ‍ How much am I willing to spend on a website analytics program? Which personal or business goals or metrics would I need to track? What website data would be most relevant to my business? Will the program I choose grow with my business and continue to meet its needs? How tech-savvy am I? Will I, or my staff, need additional training to use the program effectively? How much time and money am I willing to invest in training? Will I outsource the work to a digital marketing agency or SEO specialist? How important is data protection to my company? Do I need reports with only the most relevant information or will I need more advanced web analytics? ‍ Now that you have a clearer idea about what your personal needs are, here is a list of the five best Google Analytics alternatives. Look out for the highlights and key points for each one that can help you choose the best platform for your business. Abralytics ‍ Source: Abralytics‍ ‍ Abralytics has a user-friendly interface that swops complicated jargon-filled reports with ones that are easy to understand. They understand that we’re not all data analytics scientists or SEO specialists – go figure. ‍ It has been designed to integrate with other major platforms like Squarespace, Wix and Shopify to name just a few. If you need help, they’ll even set you up at no additional cost. Highlights Abralytics puts privacy first by replacing cookies with anonymous measurements. The platform is completely GDPR, CCPA and PECR compliant straight out of the box. Abralytics has also put data analysis on a diet. By using lightweight coding this web analytics tool keeps websites speedy and visitors engaged. ‍ ‍Photo by Yan Krukov from Pexels What to keep in mind ‍ Many analytics platforms will offer either a free version with limited features or a paid version with full features and a rather large price tag. The idea behind this is that smaller businesses either don’t need access to higher-end features or that larger companies can afford to fork out a hefty amount for their data reports. ‍ But Abralytics takes a slightly different approach. Regardless of the size of your business, you get unlimited access to all features for under $15/month. This means you pay the same amount, no matter how much traffic your site gets or how much your business grows. ‍ While you can try Abralytics for free for 30 days, there isn’t a free version available for continuous use. Privacy comes at a cost and by not selling your

Ecommerce businesses allow you to sell products online without paying for a brick-and-mortar building. ‍ No need to worry about who will open the shop each day. Instead, your biggest concern is whether your delivery company can keep up with all the online sales you’re generating. ‍ But having an online store isn’t all about sitting back and watching the cash roll in. ‍ There are a few key e-commerce metrics you want to keep a close eye on, whether you use Google Analytics or any other Web Analytics tool. What are KPIs? KPI stands for Key Performance Indicator. ‍ Simply put, your e-commerce KPIs are a collection of the most important metrics you track to help you grow and maintain your online store’s performance.  Q: How are they different from Metrics? While it’s true that all metrics in an analytics report are helpful to a certain degree, the reality is that not all metrics are VITAL to the success of your e-commerce store. ‍ For example, take the News Letter Opens Metric. ‍ Super helpful in determining if your email campaigns are getting better click-through rates on mobile devices as opposed to desktops and tablets. ‍ But does that metric doesn’t strike you as an e-commerce KPI that you just can’t do without? Identifying Key Metrics ‍ Before deciding which e-commerce metrics and KPIs are most relevant to you, you need to figure a few things out about yourself and your business. Set your objectives Here are a few questions to help you identify which metrics make the list of your most valuable key performance indicators. How far along in my sales journey am I? All e-commerce businesses are at different stages of development. And different metrics matter at various stages of the process. ‍ A brand new business would be more interested in New Customers than Customer Loyalty. You’ve just started, right? ‍ So in its beginning stages, it would make way more sense to track new website traffic than how many of them have been returning. That metric becomes more relevant later on in your journey. What would I like to achieve in the next business quarter? Your KPIs help you set goals for your business growth. They give you real-time feedback on what’s going on in your business that will help you make the needed adjustments immediately. ‍ Take this scenario, for example. ‍ Your analytics report shows excellent traffic flow. Visitors to your site seem to be landing on the right pages. But you just can’t seem to interest them in a new product you’re promoting. ‍ In response, you could change the layout of your landing page to draw attention to the specific product widget you want people to click on. ‍ By setting that widget click as a KPI you’re able to see your site’s immediate improvement. How many KPIs can I handle at this stage? There are over 100 metrics available in Google Analytics. That’s a lot going on. ‍ The sheer amount of data can overwhelm new and experienced users. So, be reasonable. ‍ Identify and track only as many metrics as you need. Prioritize In my earlier example, I spoke of how New Customers would be an essential e-commerce KPI for a start-up instead of Customer Loyalty. ‍ And there are various other examples that show that we need to prioritize the most important metrics and KPIs according to their relevancy. ‍ When you understand what you want to achieve with your e-commerce platform, you’ll be able to prioritize the KPIs to reflect those goals. Top 13 E-commerce Metrics to track There are a few metrics that are essential to not only growing but maintaining any eCommerce store. ‍ As a bonus, we’ve also included the formula used to calculate each metric. Average Profit Margin  This metric takes the number one spot on our list because how much profit you make on each item you sell will go a long way to determining the strength of your e-commerce business. ‍ It can also help you remain competitively priced in your niche. At times you might need to adjust your prices according to the going rate of products on the market. ‍ Your Analytics platform will display profit as a percentage taken over a set period. ‍ Conversion Rate CR A conversion rate refers to the percentage of users that have completed the desired action. Conversions could also include: Scroll activity on a site Viewing a product video Signing up for a newsletter Signing up for an account If you set a goal, such as adding a product to the checkout basket – or even better – a customer following through with a purchase, and that goal is met, then it counts as a conversion. ‍ Your conversion rate is a great way to measure the success of your customer engagement. ‍ If your website pages are engaging and well thought out, they should lead your customer all the way from the first landing page to purchasing a product. ‍ ‍ Average Order Value (AOV)  Your average order value is the average value of each e-commerce transaction in your online store. ‍ You need to know how much revenue each order brings you because it will help you formulate marketing and pricing strategies. ‍ For instance, let’s say that your total revenue for a month is $50,000. You had a total of 2000 purchases completed for the same month. ‍ This means that, on average, each customer spent $25 for the month. ‍ From this figure, you can determine whether the time and money spent acquiring each customer to your site are worth it and adjust your marketing campaign budget accordingly. ‍ In some cases, it’s also known as the Average Market Basket. ‍ ‍ Customer Lifetime Value (CLV) A customer lifetime value refers to the total worth that a specific customer brings to a business over a set period of time. ‍ This value begins when a customer makes

So you’ve finally nailed Universal Google Analytics and can impress friends and colleagues with fancy terms like hits, dimensions and conversion rates. And now you hear all this talk about Google Analytics 4. Maybe you’ve started to panic and envision hours searching unfamiliar terms again and reading countless how-to blogs. ‍ But just how different is GA4 from its predecessor? And what are the advantages of switching over? Could you stick your head in the virtual sand and just keep going with the version you know? Let’s dive in! ‍                                                                                                                                                                                   Photo by Ivan Samkov What is Google Analytics 4? Google Analytics 4 is the latest version of Google’s free analytics platform and they’ve announced that as of July 2023, GA4 is set to replace Universal Analytics (UA) entirely. ‍ According to Google, it’s the analytics tool for the future – It’s focused on privacy, has intelligent machine learning at its core and provides you with a clear overall view of your customers’ journey across all devices and platforms. ‍ In the words of Bob Dylan, “The times they are a-changin’” and with the increasing popularity of mobile apps, stricter data privacy laws and the shift to online shopping, it’s not hard to understand why an update was needed. Photo by Anna Tukhfatullina ‍ Russell Ketchum, Director of Product Management at Google Analytics put it this way: “Universal Analytics was built for a generation of online measurement that was anchored in the desktop web, independent sessions and more easily observable data from cookies. This measurement methodology is quickly becoming obsolete. Meanwhile, Google Analytics 4 operates across platforms, does not rely exclusively on cookies and uses an event-based data model to deliver user-centric measurement.” ‍ So now we know why the update was needed, let’s dive into some key differences. How does Google Analytics 4 differ from Universal GA? 1. Different data models Universal Analytics uses a session-based data model, while GA4 uses an event-based data model to record user interactions. ‍ Universal Analytics: A session is the period of time a user spends on your site. Any user interaction during that time is sent as “hits”  to Google for processing. Most Google Analytics data is sent in the form of pageview hits and event hits. ‍ In UA, you can tell Google to track additional activity by setting up what is called an event. Examples of an event would be form submissions, file downloads or videos played. ‍ Google Analytics 4: In Google Analytics 4 properties, every “hit” is now referred to as an event.  In UA, you would have to use Google Tag Manager to create events such as scrolling, clicks and downloads. But GA4 automatically records these events without additional setup. ‍ ‍Photo by Mikael Blomkvist: ‍ There are 4 categories of events in Google Analytics 4: ‍ Automatically collected events –  Default events that do not need to be added or modified but are automatically tracked by Google. Examples of these include when a video is played to the end, the first time a visitor scrolls to the bottom of the page or when an in-app purchase is completed. ‍ See Google’s support site for a full list of automatically collected events. ‍ Enhanced measurement events – Google provides a list of additional events which can also be selected for tracking. These events can easily be added without using Google Tag Manager or changing the website code. ‍ Enhanced measurement events can be accessed by clicking on Admin at the bottom left-hand corner of the screen, selecting Data streams, choosing a property from the list and toggling the tab to on. ‍ Recommended events – These events are recommended by Google based on the industry you work in and require custom changes using Google Tag Manager. There is a list of recommended events for all business types, for e-commerce stores and games. ‍ Click here for a full list of recommended events. ‍ Custom event – Existing events can be customized to suit your individual needs using Google Tag Manager. These events can be given unique names as long as you follow Google’s naming guidelines. ‍ 2. Intelligent Machine learning ‍Photo by Alex Knight Unlike Universal Analytics, GA4 has introduced a new feature called Predictive Audience and Predictive Metrics. ‍ When a user’s data is not available, the Predictive Audience feature fills in the gaps so you still have a clear overall picture of who your online customers are and how they engage with your site or app. ‍ Predictive metrics are divided into 3 categories. ‍ Purchase Probability: How likely a user who was active in the last 28 days will perform a specific conversion event within the next 7 days. ‍ Churn Probability: How likely a user who was active on your app or site within the last 7 days will not return within the next 7 days. ‍ Predicted Revenue: Predicted revenue from all purchase conversions within the next 28 days from a user who was active in the last 28 days. ‍ ‍Photo by Ivan Samkov: At this point, you’re probably scratching your head and are confused about what to do with all this extra info. Let me give you an example. ‍ If you have a blog and have just written what you believe to be the best article the world will ever see, if the percentage of visitors who are not likely to return to your site in the next 7 days

Video is fast-progressing as one of the most versatile and potent marketing tools out there. ‍ Did you know that video constitutes a whopping 82% of all internet traffic? In fact, YouTube experiences a footfall of roughly 1.7 billion unique users every month! ‍ People don’t simply watch videos—they also actively search for them. ‍ 88% of internet users say they would like brands to publish more video content in 2022. ‍ Given the popularity and lasting influence of video, companies are clamoring to create video content to educate audiences, increase engagement, and boost ROI. ‍ Nearly 86% of businesses have already embraced video in their online marketing strategy. An impressive 94% or marketers believe that video has helped their business boost user understanding of their services or products. ‍ But how do you determine what kind of videos you should put out? How do you reel in massive crowds and boost your revenue with video? ‍ If you work with video or are planning to create video content, you’ve probably asked yourself this question. ‍ How do you determine if a video content strategy is helping you reach business goals? ‍ The answer is simple: by tracking video insights. ‍ For every goal you set, there needs to be a related metric that will help you ensure if your content strategy is hitting the mark or not. ‍ This is arguably the most crucial aspect of the entire video process. ‍ In this article, we’ll find out why video engagement metrics matter and how you can leverage them to skyrocket business revenue. Using Video to Foolproof Brand Experience While videos are rather complex to produce and smoothly integrate with a user interface, they help capture your target audience better and faster as compared to other types of content. ‍ From bolstering the efficacy of information exchange to constructively pitching ideas and products, video content plays an indispensable role in achieving business goals and objectives. ‍ Let’s quickly look at how videos boost UX experience: ‍ Information Exchange The primary reason why video content is regarded as a game-changing aspect of the user interface is because of how clearly and efficiently it facilitates the flow of information. ‍ A compelling 30-seconds video is capable of communicating more knowledge than a large paragraph of text coupled with images and mockups. ‍ As it happens, text-based content struggles to create an impact as potent as video content. As per a Neilson research, your audience reads only about 20% of an web page containing an average of 593 words. ‍ Training guides, tutorials, and explainers when repurposed in a video format have the power to make your audience stop and reflect. It catches their audience’s eye in the first few seconds—ensuring they stick around until the end. ‍ A web page with a video playing in the background does not just enhance visual appeal but also sets the tone for your website. It captures the audience’s attention and establishes an emotional connection with them—thereby helping you avoid bounce rates. ‍ Presenting and pitching Ideas Possibly the greatest advantage video content offers businesses is that they can demonstrate their products and services in a way that invites engagement and conversions. Site visitors needn’t scroll or connect images with pieces of text to understand your vision. Videos successfully communicate your ideas and vision to your audience—and even create lasting impressions—by stimulating the human senses. ‍ According to Hubspot, embedding videos on your landing page can boost conversions by 80%! Another study by Precision Marketing Group demonstrates that videos in emails increase click-through rate by 200 to 300%! ‍ If you are looking to promote your products or services and encourage quality click-throughs, it’s only fitting that you leverage video content for maximum benefits. ‍ Storytelling Medium Video content presents before you the unique opportunity to connect with your site visitors by telling them a compelling, relatable story. It is one of the more effective ways of sparking emotion and making a brand align with human experience. ‍ Stories help gain better clarity of things; they take viewers through the 3 basic phases of a buyer’s journey —from identifying pain points, resolving to eliminate them, and eventually finding a solution. ‍ Did you know 95% of site visitors are more likely to pay attention to a CTA in a video as opposed to the 10% in a text format? ‍ The human connection in videos also instills trust among customers, which helps build credibility around your brand. A survey conducted by WYZOWL showed that 79% of buyers are compelled to purchase a product after watching a video. 3 Reasons to track video engagement metrics With videos helping you effectively communicate your message to your audience, build trust, and rank better in search results, it is imperative for brands to optimize their video content for maximum results. ‍ This is possible with tracking engagement metrics to measure the overall success of your videos. Here are 3 reasons why video engagement metrics are worth paying attention to: ‍ Understanding target audience and subscriber base The foremost reason for tracking engagement metrics is to gain a better understanding of your customer base. ‍ With insight into your customers’ browsing habits, you can optimize your video content to deliver top-notch user experience. ‍ For instance, tracking your watch time is highly advantageous. You can determine at which point in the video your audience tends to bounce off, how long they stay engaged with your video, and what the optimum duration of your video should be. ‍ This way, you can include your brand message and CTA appropriately in your video to ensure maximum ROI. ‍ Another metric—called max concurrent users—shows you when your target audience tends be most active. This allows you to time your content publishing to grab maximum eyeballs. ‍ Gaining advantage over competitors Video provides much-needed competitive edge to companies to thrive in a high-stakes market and take their business to the next level. ‍ By

Do you want to increase conversions and ROI? Understanding user behavior and analyzing site traffic via Google Analytics will help! ‍ The catch is, you have to understand and be familiarized with certain terms before you can make use of the data and drive real change in your business. One of those is “Active Users.” Not all GA users fully understand this core metric. ‍ That’s why we’ll focus on it today and find out how to apply it in order to optimize your site.  So, What Are Active Users in Google Analytics?       The term “Active Users” can be a little misleading. Some people think it’s the same thing as a real-time user – someone who is on your site at this moment. ‍ But actually, your active users are different from your real-time users. Active users are those who have engaged in your website over a certain time period. Google Analytics looks at active users in terms of one day, seven days, 14 days, or 30 days. ‍ So, depending on your campaign needs, you can set the time period as daily (default setting), weekly, biweekly, or monthly to use the Active Users report. The default setting simply measures how many users are active on your site every day. ‍ Through the Active Users report, you will see the number of users who visited your site at least once in the last 1, 7, 14, or 28 days in a selected time period. This same report gives you a clear idea of the retention rate of your site, especially if you compare active user counts over time. Definition of a “User” In broad terms, “Users” mean the total number of new as well as returning visitors that get to your website. The numbers in the report are related to the timeframe you specify in Google Analytics. How to Access the Active Users Report To access the Active Users report, simply click on the “Audience” menu in your Google Analytics reporting view. How to Read the Active Users Report In the Active Users report, you’ll see the “Active Users” metric. Basically, there are four different types of Active Users: 1. 1 Day Active Users (Daily Active Users) These are unique users who visited your site at least once on the last day for a selected period of time. 2. 7-Day Active Users (Weekly Active Users) These are unique users who visited your site at least once in the last 7 days for a selected period of time. 3. 14-Day Active Users; and These are unique users who visited your site at least once in the last 14 days for a selected period of time. 4.  28-Day or 30-Day Active Users (Monthly Active Users) These are unique users who visited your site at least once in the last 28 or 30 days for a selected period of time. ‍ Note: 7-day active users may also include 1-day active users. In the same way, 28-day active users may also include 14-day active users.  ‍ Google breaks your website’s active users into four different time frames so it’ll be easier for you to see the number of users visiting your site in a certain period or date range. How to Use the Google Analytics Active Users Report The Google Analytics Active Users report is useful in understanding or analyzing how often users are coming back to your website. The report will also be beneficial in measuring the success of your promotional campaign while it’s still running.  ‍ For instance, you have just started running a promotion a few weeks ago. You hope for new traffic and hope to retain them. This Google Analytics Active Users report will be a great place to get a quick look at how successful your campaign has been. ‍ Hover over the chart and see the different metrics. You’ll also find their ratios to make comparisons. These ratios include: ‍ Daily active users / monthly active users Daily active users / monthly active users Weekly active users / monthly active users ‍ Looking at the active user count data by cohort could also provide you insight on certain points in a client or customer’s life cycle where they stop being active. That way, you can create intentions to retain those uses. ‍ [Recommended Article For You: Google Analytics – Paid vs Free] When to Use Active User Report and When to Use Real-Time Reports Didn’t we say earlier that the “Active Users” metric can be a bit misleading? To remove the confusion, we suggest you use real-time reports if you want to know the number of users that are currently on your site or if you want to validate your tracking. ‍ For instance, you have implemented a tracking event on your site and wanted to check if it is working well. In that case, navigate the Events section and check the real-time reports. ‍ On the other hand, use the Active User report, if you have just recently launched a campaign and wanted to understand its performance. ‍ Pro-Tip: use advanced segments along with Google Analytics Active Users report to see the effect of the active users on the data you are collecting on Google’s web analytics service. Using both would enable you to answer questions, such as are engaged users more active compared to the non-engaged ones? or are users from paid traffic less active than users from email traffic? How Are Google Analytics Users Tracked?     Once you install Google Analytics on your site, it tracks users automatically. The data about each user is stored in your browser as a cookie. That cookie includes the client ID and this is how the platform recognizes your visitors. ‍ If you want to find the unique client ID for a website, simply go to the developer tools > Application> Cookies> and click your domain. Find _ga in the list of your cookies and there you’ll see the Client ID after the second

Aah, yes – the mysterious “Other” found under Google Analytics Traffic Channels. ‍ It has left many analytics newbies scratching their heads in confusion. ‍ Should you ignore it? ‍ Is there any way to see what “other” includes?  ‍ Is there a way to solve the “other” dilemma? ‍ Grab a cup of coffee and let the Abralytics team provide you with all the answers. ‍ ‍ Let’s begin by explaining what the various traffic channels are. What is a Traffic Channel in Google Analytics? A traffic channel or source tells you how a visitor landed on your website. Pretty simple, right? ‍ Why does this matter? ‍ Because knowing where your visitors came from can help you channel your money and efforts in the right place. ‍ For example, if the Acquisition report shows that most users came from Direct Search, you know your offline advertising campaigns are a tremendous success. But, you may need to allocate additional resources to Search Engine Optimization (SEO), so more customers can see you in search. ‍ Acquisition → Overview Page → Top Channels ‍ In the Acquisition Overview report, you’ll find a pie chart and table showing your Traffic Channels. ‍ These can include ‍ Direct: ‍ Direct traffic means the user has typed your URL directly into their browser. It also includes people who have clicked a link to your site on a pdf, Whatsapp message, Facebook Messenger or email. ‍ Paid Search ‍ Traffic that comes from any paid ad that appears in search results. ‍ Display ‍ Traffic that lands on your site after clicking an ad you placed on another website. For example, a banner ad on a blog. ‍ Affiliates ‍ Traffic as a result of affiliate marketing. Your product or service appears on another website with a link to your site. This is done in exchange for a small commission on every item bought. ‍ Organic Search ‍ Visitors who found your site after typing a word or phrase into a search bar. Your page appeared in search results as a relevant match, and the user clicked through to your site. ‍ Source: Pexels ‍ ‍ Social ‍ Users who click through to your site from a social network page or app. This could include LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter or Pinterest, among others. ‍ Referral ‍ Referral traffic comes from backlinks –  when a user lands on your site by clicking a link on another website. ‍ Email ‍ Visitors who land on your site as a result of your email marketing campaigns. ‍ Other ‍ Last but not least, “other” makes a sneaky appearance. So let’s dive in. What is “Other” in Google Analytics? A source is categorized as “other” if Google doesn’t recognize it as belonging to a specific channel. ‍ The source doesn’t play by the (predefined) rules and GA can’t say how these users came to your site. ‍ This can happen when a UTM tag has been placed in an URL incorrectly. ‍ Let’s see how this happens: Incorrect UTM tags ‍ A UTM tag can be created using a UTM Tag Builder. It is a small string of text placed at the end of a URL to help you see exactly which pieces of content are performing well and driving the most traffic to your site. ‍ So while an analytics tool can tell you where your web traffic comes from, a UTM tag tells you which specific posts, pages or ads they clicked on. ‍ So without one, you’ll be able to see that 1000 visitors came from a Social Channel, but you won’t know from which Social Channel. ‍ But when a UTM tag is created incorrectly, it could cause GA to categorize it incorrectly. Instead of ending up under Social, it could be categorized as Other. Here are some common errors when creating UTM tags that are easy to fix: ‍ Mixing lowercase and uppercase letters. Channel definitions are case-sensitive. Inconsistent tagging. For example, using the term “paid” on one tag, but “ad” on another Campaign names that are too long Spelling mistakes Not using Source/Medium consistently Using UTMs for internal links Can you just ignore it? ‍Source: Pexels ‍ You probably shouldn’t. If you chose to ignore the “other” sources, you could miss out on valuable pieces of data. ‍ And like when building a jigsaw puzzle, the larger the number of missing pieces, the less clear the picture becomes. In the same way, the more traffic bucketed under “Other”, the less accurate your data collection is. ‍ If you have a personal site or small business, you may get away with just checking what’s under “Other” on a regular basis. ‍ But the bigger your website is, you’ll want to find a way to sort the problem out. Is there any way to see what “other” includes? Absolutely – Just follow the steps outlined below: ‍ Step 1: Sign into your Google Analytics account ‍ Step 2: Open your Google Analytics Dashboard → ‍ Acquisition → All Traffic → Channels→ Default Channel Grouping column ‍ Step 3: Click on “Other” ‍ ‍Source: Getelevar ‍ Step 4: Change your Secondary Dimension to Medium (Acquisition – Source/medium) ‍ Source: Getelevar‍ ‍ And now you can see where the “Other” traffic originated from. Is there a way to solve the “other” dilemma for good? Yes, depending on your skill level, you could either: ‍ Move them to an existing Google Analytics channel Create a new custom channel grouping ‍ Move them to an existing Google Analytics channel Let’s use #8 on the image above as an example. Follow steps 1- 4 above. Step 5: Identify which channel group each row could belong to. Social Instagram should go under the Social Traffic Channel Step 6: Click on Admin → Channel Settings → Channel Grouping → Default channel grouping settings Step 7: Open the desired channel, which is Social in our example Step 8: Select “Medium” from the

A Dimension in Google Analytics is an attribute or description of data. ‍ Every report in google analytics is made up of Metrics and Dimensions. The dimensions of a report give you different attributes of the data you’ve collected. ‍ For example, a dimension could be the City from which a set of metrics is taken in a report, like Istanbul, New York, or Paris. ‍ A Dimension is different from a metric in that it doesn’t have any numerical value. It simply describes the data set, organizing numerical data into categories. ‍ Studying the dimensions in your reports will help you better understand critical factors like where your website visitors are from, the language they speak, and the platforms or gadgets they use to navigate your website. Primary Dimensions When viewing only one of the default dimensions in Google Analytics, it is considered viewing a primary dimension. ‍ Google Analytics Demo‍ ‍ In the example above, the primary dimension is the country from which a user started a session. ‍ Although this data is valuable, it doesn’t tell you how the users found the website, or how long they viewed individual pages. But by layering different dimensions, you will get a more comprehensive picture. ‍ Examples of default Google Analytics Dimensions include Gender, Age, City, Source / Medium, Keyword, Browser, Device Category, and Operating System. Secondary Dimensions A secondary dimension gives you a more in-depth understanding of the primary dimension. ‍ In the example used above, the primary dimension showed you where your audience originates from. ‍ Google Analytics Demo‍ ‍ The secondary dimension highlighted above tells you what the most popular landing page is (the page on which traffic enters your site). In this example, it is the homepage. How to Create and View Secondary Dimensions As secondary dimensions are already pre-defined by Google, you simply have to add them to your custom report to benefit from the metrics that go along with them. Step 1 In your Google Analytics report, you can view various dimensions on the left-hand drop-down bar. ‍ In our example below the primary dimension is set to Language as part of the GEO funnel. ‍ With this dimension, you’ll be able to see what language users prefer to view content in, as part of our Audience Overview Report. This is because Google Analytics records the Langauge settings in your users’ browser settings. ‍Google Analytics Demo ‍ The dimensions in the example are the languages spoken by your audience: US English, British English, and Chinese. ‍ The Metrics are grouped on the right under Users, New Users and Sessions Tabs. Note that metrics have a numerical value added to them. Step 2 Once you’ve chosen the Primary dimension, you’ll be able to view possible secondary dimensions by selecting one from the drop-down list. ‍ Predefined dimension funnels in Google Analytics include Acquisition, Advertising, Behaviour, and Users. ‍ In the example shown we’ll use the Age dimension which is selected under the Users funnel ‍ ‍‍Google Analytics Demo Now we’ll be able to view the age bracket of our users in the different language groups. ‍ ‍Google Analytics Demo ‍ With a side-by-side view of two different dimensions, we get a better understanding of our audience. ‍ But what if I need a secondary dimension, not available in standard Google Analytics reports? ‍ That’s where Custom dimensions come in. How to create and view Custom Dimensions Custom dimensions, much like default dimensions, help you to layer information in a more in-depth way. ‍ These custom reports go a long way in helping you understand your users better as you’re able to hone in on niche-specific data. ‍ But there’s a catch to creating custom dimensions. The device category has to be enabled or alternatively, contain at least one app reporting view. ‍ Custom dimensions also require additional setup in your Google Analytics Account and tracking code. You’ll only be able to view these dimensions after completing the setup process of both these steps. How to create a  Custom Dimension: ‍ Step 1 – Sign in to Google Analytics. ‍ Step 2 – Click Admin, and navigate to the property to which you want to add custom dimensions. ‍ Step 3 – In the Property column, click Custom Definitions > Custom Dimensions. ‍ Step 4 – Click New Custom Dimension. ‍ Step 5 – Add a Name. This can be any string, but use something unique so it’s not confused with any other dimension or metric in your reports. ‍ Step 6 – Select the Scope. Choose to track at the Hit, Session, User, or Product level. ‍ Step 7 – Check the Active box to start collecting data and see the dimension in your reports right away. To create the dimension but have it remain inactive, uncheck the box. ‍ Step 8 – Click Create. How to View Custom Dimensions in Google Analytics ‍ Step 1 After signing in to your Google Analytics account, you’ll be able to view different dimensions on the left-hand drop-down menu. ‍ Let’s use the same example with the primary dimension set to Language as part of the GEO funnel. Step 2 Rather than select one of the predefined dimensions, scroll down to Custom Dimensions. The dimensions that you’ve set up in the 8-step process to create custom dimensions will appear here. ‍ In the example, we chose the Sales region as the Custom Dimension. ‍ ‍Google Analytics Demo Now you’ll be able to view this custom dimension (in blue) alongside one of the standard dimensions (in red) that you already have selected, as depicted below. ‍ Google Analytics Demo‍ ‍ This custom dimension helps you understand in which sales region a particular product is most popular. What is the difference between Dimensions and metrics? In all Google Analytics Reports, Metrics are quantitative measurements and Dimensions are the labels used to describe them. ‍ ‍Google Analytics Demo To put it simply, Metrics are always expressed by numbers (number values,

Both Matomo and Open Web Analytics are web analytics tools and rival Google Analytics in one way or another. And while there are several similarities between these platforms, most importantly, both are Open Source Software. (1) This article will give you an honest evaluation of these two platforms and highlight 7 key features that you should be interested in when choosing your Web Analytics tool, namely: Integration Data Privacy Lightweight Script Ease of use Capability Price Free Trial Period A brief overview of Open web Analytics (OWA) Open Web Analytics (OWA) is a popular open-source Web Analytics Framework (2) that can enable a person to track user interactions with your website or applications. ‍ It uses simple Javascript and PHP APIs to add web analytics to sites. A relatively small company that supports tracking with WordPress (3) and MediaWiki (4), both very popular website frameworks. A brief overview of Matomo Matomo was started in 2007 and was originally named PIWIK. The company was launched and based on the concept of providing free software to users. ‍ Matomo means honesty in Japanese and is an all-in-one open-source analytics platform. ‍ Used by over 1.4 million Websites in more than 190 countries and accessible in more than 50 different languages. Matomo vs. Web Analytics – 7 Key Features Integration. How well do these analytics tools work with the mainstream platforms out there, such as Wix, WordPress, and Shopify? Ask yourself:  Will my chosen Analytics platform play well with others? Will it be difficult to get it to talk to my website framework? ‍ If your web analytics tool doesn’t ‘speak’ to your website or applications, you’ll never be able to measure the success of your site accurately, which could be costly for your business. Matomo Integration ‍ Matamo easily integrates with over 100 different technologies, including Content Managing Systems, Online Shops, Forums, and Frameworks. ‍ This means that if you choose to use Matomo Analytics, the chances are excellent that you’ll be able to analyze website traffic, regardless of the operating system you use. ‍ OWA Integration ‍ Although Open Web Analytics can track and analyze site visitor interaction on any website framework, its support is focused mainly on WordPress and MediaWiki content managing systems. Data sharing Source: Pexels.com‍ ‍ An appropriate alternative heading could easily have been “The cookie issue.” No jokes. ‍ Cookies are files that are created by sites and apps you visit. These files contain bits of personal information such as a Username and Password. ‍ When a user allows cookies, they permit the website owners to streamline their browsing experience by using the stored information to tailor it to your preferences. ‍ But this presents a lucrative financial opportunity to retailers, as they will pay good money to know what people are most interested in. ‍ Google Analytics, for example, tracks the following information as default: -Browser and device information – Mobile vs. Desktop -Referring Website Details – The link or keyword that brought you to a site -Session statistics – Pages view and duration -Approximate geolocation – Town, City, and Country Why cookies can be dangerous First-party cookies are created by the website you’re visiting, while Third-party cookies are created by websites you aren’t necessarily browsing. They are usually associated with the adverts that are displayed on web pages. ‍ This means that your personal data, such as Usernames and Passwords, are recorded and stored in different files, vulnerable to leaks and cyber attacks. ‍ Because of these concerns, there are privacy regulations in place that govern how websites and apps use your data. ‍ So, how do these analytics tools view data ownership? Matomo on Data Privacy Matomo promises 100% data ownership, meaning that your data won’t be shared by any other party for their own advertising purposes. OWA on Data Privacy While not able to directly verify Open Web Analytics views on data sharing, one report (5) suggests that they use cookies on websites where their program has been installed. The Need for Speed Source: Pexels.com‍ ‍ The time a page takes to load directly impacts whether or not visitors will be returning to that site. Everything in the world is so fast-paced and that split-second delay could cause people to click away. ‍ Needless to say then, your Web Analytics tool needs to perform at least as fast as the industry-leading Google Analytics, or simply leave it in the dust. ‍ The faster the loading time, the better for your business. Have a look at this article for an in-depth discussion on How Website Performance Affects Conversions. ‍ As a reference, here are the tracking file sizes of two other Web Analytics tools on the market, Google Analytics, and Abralytics: ‍ Google Analytics uses the Google Tag Manager as a way of integrating their Analytics platform into a site and adds 28KB to your site. This script then downloads another JavaScript file called the Google Analytics Tag with an additional 17.7KB. ‍ That’s a total script size of 45.7kb! ‍ Abralytics boasts a lightweight script and uses a Javascript file that is only 3KB in size. This makes it a Google Analytics alternative that guarantees faster page load speeds. ‍ So, how does the code affect the load speed of the two Web Analytics platforms in question? Matomo Load Speed Matomo.js adds 22.8 KB to the page size of your website. Smaller than Google Analytics, but still large enough to possibly slow your site down. ‍ Matomo has, however, tried to address earlier issues regarding load speed. They offer plug-ins and on-site support to help with faster loading times, but reports (6) suggest that it is still an issue for some clients. ‍ Source: Pexels.com‍ ‍ OWA Load Speed OWA uses simple JavaScript, PHP, or REST-based APIs to add tracking code to your site. ‍ The impact on load speed depends on the type of tracking required and which plug-in is used when installing the tracking code to your website. Usability Who

Is it time to declutter your Google Analytics dashboard? Perhaps you’re still seeing data from your college buddy’s blog about homemade sports shakes or the website you created thinking you’ll make millions from a grooming service for Chihuahuas. You may even be a marketing guru handling reports for multiple companies and it’s time to delete property from old clients. ‍ In this article, we will tell you step-by-step how to delete a property in Google Analytics. Fear not! I’m pleased to report the process is quite simple. But first things first… What is a property in Google Analytics? ‍ Graphic created in Canva ‍ A Google Analytics property is a website, blog or mobile application that has a unique Tracking ID in Google Analytics. Google uses this code to track user activity on that particular property to compile useful reports. ‍ How many properties can I add to a Google Analytics account? Each Google Analytics account can have up to 100 properties and each property can have up to 25 views ‍ How to delete a Google Analytics property: Step 1: You must be assigned the role as an Editor to move property to the Trash Can. To check your permissions: Click Admin In the Account column, click Account Access Settings Step 2: Select the property you want to delete from the drop down menu (see screenshot below) Step 3: Click Admin (located at the bottom left hand side of the screen and represented by a cog symbol) Step 3: The second column on the page is the Property Column. Click on Property Settings Step 4: Click Move to Trash Can Step 5: A confirmation screen will appear. Click to confirm and you’ll receive an email from Google informing you that the property was successfully moved into the Trash Can. I made a mistake! Can I restore property once deleted? You can breathe a sigh of relief! Property moved to the Trash Can will stay there for 35 days. After 35 days, however, it will be impossible to undo or retrieve any data attached to the property. While in the Trash Can, no data processing will take place until about 1 hour after the property has been restored. ‍ How to restore a Google Analytics property: ‍ Sign in to Google Analytics Click Admin. In the ACCOUNT column, click Trash Can. Locate the property you wish to restore Click Restore. Photo by Lay Low ‍ How to delete a property from Google Analytics 4: Sign into your Google Analytics account Click Admin In the Property column, select the property you want to delete. In the Property column, click Property Settings. Click Move to Trash Can (next to “Move property”, at upper right of Account Settings screen). How to restore a property on Google Analytics 4: Sign in to your Google Analytics account Click Admin. In the Account column, click Trash Can. Locate the item you want to restore by looking through the table Select the item, and click Restore. ‍ Wait! I heard that you cannot restore property deleted in GA4? Photo by Andrea Piacquadio ‍ Google Analytics 4 (GA4) differs from the standard Universal Google Analytics because it allows you to create so-called Data Streams. When you delete a data stream in GA4, that data is deleted permanently. However, when you move a property to the Trash Can, all the data streams go with it and can be restored if you wish to do so. So what is a data stream? Google defines it as: “A data stream is a flow of data from a customer touchpoint (e.g., app, website) to Analytics. When you create a data stream, Analytics generates a snippet of code that you add to your app or site to collect that data. Data is collected from the time you add the code, and that data forms the basis of your reports.” Final Thoughts Deleting a property in Google Analytics is a simple process. But not everything is quite as straightforward. If you need an easy to use analytics tool which gives you the most relevant data without the jargon, why not give Abralytics a try?

The simple answer to how Matomo compares to Plausible is this: ‍ Matomo is a web analytics tool with a full range of features, similar to Google Analytics. While Plausible is compact and offers the most essential metrics and reports. ‍ However, if you’re here for the meat and potatoes of this comparison, read on! ‍ Something special about both tools is that they’ve embraced open web analytics.  The source code is there for all to see and they encourage their community to get involved,  make improvements and share these with others. ‍ ‍ This article will discuss: ‍ Ease of use Script size Features Cookie Banners & Privacy Price Hosting Customer support ‍ Ease of use Matomo ‍ Source: Matomo‍ ‍ Most of Matomo’s clients report that it is easy to set up and use. Although, this is subjective. ‍ If you’ve been using Google Analytics for a few years and have experience with analytics tools in general, Matomo will be easy to use. ‍ If, on the other hand, you’re a newbie, you will soon find yourself overwhelmed by a large number of reports and mountains of data. ‍ But learning how to use Matomo skillfully just requires a bit of time and effort. If you’re willing to take on the learning curve, you’ll soon be navigating around Matomo like a pro. ‍ Plausible ‍ ‍Source: Plausible ‍ Plausible is a web analytics platform with a  much gentler learning curve. ‍ Their dashboard is simple with all the essential information presented to you on a single page.  With no additional menus or custom reports, you’ll be given all the data you need at a glance. ‍ Plausible analytics is also easy to set up and install. All you need to do is insert their javascript snippet on your site’s pages and it will start collecting info. ‍ Script size & how it affects your site Matomo ‍ The script size of the standard Matomo tracker is 22.8 KB. ‍ There are, however, a few ways you can load the website tracker quicker. (1) ‍ Configure your server so the matomo.js JavaScript tracker file will be cached once it has been loaded Enable GZIP Preload DNS and resource ‍ Plausible ‍ The script size of Plausible is less than 1 KB. ‍ Because it’s a far simpler platform, they can keep the size down and your website loading quicker. ‍ Why does script size matter? ‍ Well, how long are you willing to wait for a page to load while browsing? ‍ According to the stats, a 3-second delay is enough to make visitors press the dreaded back button. ‍ And page load speed is also a significant ranking factor for Google. Site speed could be the difference between you appearing on the first page of search, or not. ‍ Features Matomo ‍ Matomo analytics is not short on features. It is similar to Google Analytics and offers a huge amount of metrics, dimensions and reports. ‍ Here are some of the more unique features offered by Matomo: ‍ Heatmaps ‍ Source: Matomo‍ ‍ Many website owners find it hard to make sense of numbers and percentages. But Heatmaps give you a visual representation of where your visitor’s clicked, spent time and scrolled. ‍ They let you know how engaging your content is, where website visitors experience frustration and what content is grabbing their attention. ‍ SEO keywords ‍ With Matomo, you’ll get a complete list of keywords and phrases that users search for and that bought them to your site. ‍ The Combined Keywords report will give you: ‍ the number of clicks the number of impressions the ClickThrough rate the search result position ‍ Media Analytics ‍ Source: Pexels‍ ‍ In the words of Matomo, “If your business relies on potential customers to watch video or listen to audio content on your website, then you need to know your time and investment spent on creating your media content is paying off.” ‍ Media Analytics tell you how users are engaging with the video and audio files on your site. It tells you what content is being watched, how long it is played for and if it is converting into sales. A/B Testing ‍ A/B testing allows you to test different versions of your site’s pages to see which one leads to the most conversions. For each test, you define what your goals are. For example, to lower bounce rates or to increase the number of page views. ‍ No more guessing which font or CTA is better – You can now make design decisions based on facts. ‍ Plausible ‍ In the words of Plausible themselves, “We built a simple web analytics tool that is focused on the essential website stats and metrics only.” ‍ With Plausible you might not get all the bells and whistles, but you’ll get focused data that can easily be turned into actionable insights. ‍ Their data and reports include: ‍ Unique visitors Page views Bounce rate Most popular pages on your site Most popular sources of traffic Which country your visitors are coming from The devices, operating systems and browsers of website visitors ‍ But don’t underestimate this powerful platform just because it has fewer features. ‍ If you’re new to the world of analytics or simply don’t have the time to learn how to use advanced tools – then Plausible will be the better choice for you. ‍ No frills. No fuss. Cookie Banners & Privacy ‍Source: Pexels ‍ Matomo ‍ Before you go cookieless with Matomo, it will take some work to set it up. You’ll need to anonymize IP addresses, tracking data, location data and disable cookies. ‍ Matomo can be configured by site owners to comply with data protection laws, including GDPR, HIPAA, CCPA, LGPD and PECR. ‍ It also comes with a range of advanced privacy features, namely: ‍ Users are not tracked across websites unless this feature is enabled You have 100% ownership of