Google Analytics is a web analytics tool.
Google Analytics is a service aimed at the statistical analysis of web traffic . It is a platform offered by Google since 2005 that allows you to carry out multiple actions related to digital marketing .
It can be indicated that Google Analytics is a tool that makes it possible to record data from applications and websites for the generation of reports. Based on this data, webmasters can make decisions for adequate management of their publications.
History of Google Analytics
The history of Google Analytics begins in 2005 , although it has a slightly more distant history. In that year, Google acquired Urchin , a company that had itself been founded in 1995 as Quantified Systems .
Quantified Systems began offering web development and hosting services, until 1997 when it presented the first version of Urchin , a data processing tool. Two years later, Quantified Systems was renamed Urchin Software Corporation .
Urchin grew to become one of the most important resources for analyzing web traffic. In 2005 , Google bought Urchin and Urchin from Google was born, soon renamed Google Analytics .
Google was linking Analytics with other of its services (such as Google AdWords - today Google Ads -, Google AdSense and Google Search Console ), making the features grow and complement each other. The platform had different versions and stages of development, such as Universal Analytics ( 2013 – 2023 ) and Analytics 4 (presented in 2020 and currently in force).
With Google Analytics it is possible to carry out an SEO audit.
Main features
Google Analytics works through a Google account . Once the conditions of use have been accepted, it is necessary to add a tracking code to the website that you intend to analyze. In some cases, it is possible to integrate Google Analytics code into pages through a plugin.
By appealing to different properties and labels, reports can be segmented and customized. Google Analytics not only provides data on the number of visitors, but also on what device and browser they use, how they arrived at the site, what pages they visited and how long they stayed, to mention some of the variables studied.
It is worth noting that custom reports can be generated automatically. You can request sending by email and even generate alerts that warn of significant variations in the records.
Google Analytics reports can be read on the platform itself or exported in different formats (such as a spreadsheet or PDF document). There is also the option to process them with external software.
The customer's journey through the website can be known in detail thanks to Google Analytics.
Google Analytics Utility
Google Analytics provides a complete picture of website users. The service indicates how these people use devices and programs to access the content and details the journey they take through the website.
By knowing and understanding user interactions with the site, very valuable information is obtained to make these visits profitable through advertising and electronic commerce. It also helps guide marketing campaigns .
Google Analytics automation and modeling are very important. Thanks to machine learning , the tool is able to predict user behavior. On the other hand, proactive statistics present valuable metrics automatically based on new trends or important changes in the data.
Types of reports
Google Analytics organizes data into four main types of reports: acquisition, monetization, interaction, and real-time.
Acquisition reports reveal where a website's visitors come from. These reports are further divided into traffic acquisition reports and user acquisition reports .
Monetization reports , meanwhile, reflect the revenue generated by the site, which can come from ads, subscriptions or e-commerce. Interaction reports , on the other hand, collect conversions, events, and the screens and pages where most interaction occurs.
Real-time reports finally show activity as it happens.
Most important concepts in Google Analytics
There are various concepts that are key in the framework of Google Analytics . In principle, it is essential to know that the reports provided are relevant to what is known as SEO (Search Engine Optimization) and SEM (Search Engine Marketing).
SEO encompasses the techniques and strategies that are applied to a website so that it appears well positioned on a SERP (Search Engine Results Page). The idea of SEM also adds the possibility of resorting to paid advertising to improve said positioning.
It can be noted that Google Analytics reports help improve SEO and define SEM . These reports include metrics such as page views, sessions, unique visitors, bounce rate, and conversion rate. We talk about KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) when defining which are the most important variables to take into account.
Google Analytics , in short, offers a wide variety of tools for webmasters that allow analyzing website performance . With the platform you can know user behavior, determine the most popular traffic sources, perform audience segmentation and enhance content marketing.
Official link to Google Analytics