Everything You Didn’t Know About Google Analytics

We place insane trust in Google

Prioritising marketing spend

Investing in regions, products or technologies

KPIs by which we’re promoted or fired

Valuing businesses for sale or investment

So: You need to understand this

HiddenQuirks

MisleadingMetrics

Tips &Tricks

HiddenQuirks

MisleadingMetrics

Tips &Tricks

Hidden Quirks:WTF is a Session?

EntranceAlcohol

AisleCheckoutMachine

Visit to Tesco(Source = Passing Trade)

PassingTrade

/category /product /checkoutGoogle

Session(Source = Google)

/category /product /checkoutGoogle

Session(Source = Google)

Session(Source = Self Referral)

/category /product /checkoutGoogle

Session(Source = Google)

Session(Source = Self Referral)

/category /product /checkoutGoogle

Session(Source = Google)

Session(Source = Self Referral)

/category /product /checkoutGoogle Google

Session(Source = Google)

Session(Source = Google)

/category /product /checkoutGoogle Paypal

Session(Source = Google)

Session(Source = Paypal)

Hidden Quirks:Attribution

/category /productGoogle

Session(Source = Google)

Session(Source = Google)

Direct2-week holiday

Direct Other Channels

Other Channels

Direct

Hidden Quirks:Data Integrity

A couple of years ago, I decided to make a website

Naturally, I started by making a measurement plan

...that’s as far as I got

Two easy ways to ruin Google Analytics data

● Measurement Protocol

● Using their tracking ID on some random pages on your

site

Two easy ways to ruin GA data

● Measurement Protocol

● Using their tracking ID on some random pages on your

site

Ways this can be used against you:

● Competitors sabotaging your data

● Falsified data in pitches etc.

GA data integrity is non-existent

If you need to be sure, cross check with logs

https://www.distilled.net/resources/guide-to-log-analysis-with-big-query/

HiddenQuirks

MisleadingMetrics

Tips &Tricks

Misleading Metrics:Time on Page

Define Average Time on Page

GA: “The average amount of time users spent viewing a

specified page or screen, or set of pages or screens.”

Define Average Time on Page

GA: “The average amount of time users spent viewing a

specified page or screen, or set of pages or screens.”

Define Average Time on Page

“Average Time on Page” =

(“Time on Page”) / (Pageviews - Exits)

Define Average Time on Page

Before we calculate an average, we need the individual times:

Scenario Intuitive Time on Page

Google Analytics Time on Page

0s: Pageview10s: Social plugin20s: Click through to next page

20s 20s

Before we calculate an average, we need the individual times:

Scenario Intuitive Time on Page

Google Analytics Time on Page

0s: Pageview10s: Social plugin20s: Click through to next page

20s 20s

0s: Pageview10s: Social plugin20s: Leave site

20s 10s

Before we calculate an average, we need the individual times:

Scenario Intuitive Time on Page

Google Analytics Time on Page

0s: Pageview10s: Social plugin20s: Click through to next page

20s 20s

0s: Pageview10s: Social plugin20s: Leave site

20s 10s

0s: Pageview20s: Leave site

20s 0s

Average Time on Page?

Scenario Intuitive Time on Page

Google Analytics Time on Page

0s: Pageview10s: Social plugin20s: Click through to next page

20s 20s

0s: Pageview10s: Social plugin20s: Leave site

20s 10s

0s: Pageview20s: Leave site

20s 0s

Scenario Intuitive Time on Page

Google Analytics Time on Page

0s: Pageview10s: Social plugin20s: Click through to next page

20s 20s

0s: Pageview10s: Social plugin20s: Leave site

20s 10s

0s: Pageview20s: Leave site

20s 0s

“Average Time on Page”= (“Time on Page”) / (Pageviews - Exits)“Average Time on Page”= (Total of 30s) / (3 Pageviews - 2 exits)

● Confusing prospective consultants in interviews

● Confusing conference attendees

● Seed for generating random numbers

Usefulness of Average Time on Page

Misleading Metrics:Bounce Rate & Exit Rate

Engagement Metrics

● Avg. Session Duration

● Avg. Time on Page

Engagement Metrics

● Avg. Session Duration

● Avg. Time on Page

● Bounce Rate

● Pages/Session

● Exit Rate

Engagement Metrics

● Avg. Session Duration

● Avg. Time on Page

● Bounce Rate

● Pages/Session

● Exit Rate

● Social Interactions

● Scroll Depth

● Micro-Conversions (e.g. signup)

HiddenQuirks

MisleadingMetrics

Tips &Tricks

Tips & Tricks:Checkout as Landing Page

/category /checkoutGoogle

Session(Source = Google)

/product

Session(Source = Google)

/category /checkoutGoogle

Session(Source = Google)

/product

Session(Source = Paypal)

Paypal

/category sub.domain.com/checkoutGoogle

Session(Source = Google)

/product

Session(Source = Self Referral)

https://moz.com/blog/cross-domain-subdomain-tracking-in-google-analytics

Tips & Tricks:Landing Page (not set)

/category EventGoogle

Session(Source = Google)

/product

Session(Source = Google)

/category

Event

Google

Session(Source = Google)

/product

Session(Source = Google)

Analytics.js

Ga.js

Tips & Tricks:Sequences

Tips & Tricks:User Flow Reports

THE MOST POWERFUL BUTTON IN GOOGLE

ANALYTICS

Takeaways

We place insane trust in Google Analytics

Some of its definitions are arbitrary

You can’t always trust it

Some metrics are basically useless

The user interface makes things unnecessarily difficult

But it helps us with big decisions

To trust something, you need to know it

Detailed Resources

● Sessions

● Self referrals

● Metrics

● Cross domain/subdomain tracking

● Log File Analysis

@THCapper

Thank You

@THCapper