A complete, start-to-finish guide to Google Analytics instrumentation and reporting Google Analytics Breakthrough is a much-needed comprehensive resource for the world's most widely adopted analytics tool. Designed to provide a complete, best-practices foundation in measurement strategy, implementation, reporting, and optimization, this book systematically demystifies the broad range of Google Analytics features and configurations. Throughout the end-to-end learning experience, you'll sharpen your core competencies, discover hidden functionality, learn to avoid common pitfalls, and develop next-generation tracking and analysis strategies so you can understand what is helping or hindering your digital performance and begin driving more success. Google Analytics Breakthrough offers practical instruction and expert perspectives on the full range of implementation and reporting skills: * Learn how to campaign-tag inbound links to uncover the email, social, PPC, and banner/remarketing traffic hiding as other traffic sources and to confidently measure the ROI of each marketing channel * Add event tracking to capture the many important user interactions that Google Analytics does not record by default, such as video plays, PDF downloads, scrolling, and AJAX updates * Master Google Tag Manager for greater flexibility and process control in implementation * Set up goals and Enhanced Ecommerce tracking to measure performance against organizational KPIs and configure conversion funnels to isolate drop-off * Create audience segments that map to your audience constituencies, amplify trends, and help identify optimization opportunities * Populate custom dimensions that reflect your organization, your content, and your visitors so Google Analytics can speak your language * Gain a more complete view of customer behavior with mobile app and cross-device tracking * Incorporate related tools and techniques: third-party data visualization, CRM integration for long-term value and lead qualification, marketing automation, phone conversion tracking, usability, and A/B testing * Improve data storytelling and foster analytics adoption in the enterprise As many as 10-25 million organizations have installed Google Analytics, including an estimated 67 percent of Fortune 500 companies, but deficiencies plague most implementations, and inadequate reporting practices continue to hinder meaningful analysis. By following the strategies and techniques in Google Analytics Breakthrough, you can address the gaps in your own still set, transcend the common limitations, and begin using Google Analytics for real competitive advantage. Critical contributions from industry luminaries such as Brian Clifton, Tim Ash, Bryan and Jeffrey Eisenberg, and Jim Sterne and a foreword by Avinash Kaushik enhance the learning experience and empower you to drive consistent, real-world improvement through analytics.
Foreword xi Acknowledgments xiii About the Author(s) xv About the Contributors xvii Chapter 1 Introduction 1 Why This Book? 1 Who Should Read This Book? 4 Chapter Summary 4 Get Started 7 Chapter 2 Google Analytics Reporting Overview: User Characteristics and Behavior 9 Google Analytics Reporting: User Characteristics and Behavior 10 Dimensions and Metrics 30 Real-Time Reports 43 Key Takeaways 45 Actions and Exercises 46 Chapter 3 Measurement Strategy 47 Objective: Business Impact 47 Measurement Plan 51 Six Steps for Analytics Effectiveness 53 Key Takeaways 58 Actions and Exercises 58 Chapter 4 Account Creation and Tracking Code Installation 59 Creating a Google Analytics Account 59 Google Analytics Account Structure 64 Installing the Tracking Code 66 Key Takeaways 88 Actions and Exercises 89 Chapter 5 Google Tag Manager Concepts 91 Google Tag Manager Concepts 92 Benefits of Google Tag Manager 95 Creating a Google Tag Manager Account and Container 98 Deploying Google Analytics through Google Tag Manager 100 Access Rights 105 Migrating to Google Tag Manager from Native Tracking 108 GTM Environments 109 Key Takeaways 122 Actions and Exercises 122 Chapter 6 Events, Virtual Pageviews, Social Actions, and Errors 125 The Need for Event Tracking 126 Event Tracking in GTM 134 Virtual Pageviews 147 Tracking Google Analytics Events through the Google Tag Manager Data Layer and Custom Event Trigger 155 Tracking Social Interactions 164 Error Tracking 173 Key Takeaways 180 Actions and Exercises 182 Chapter 7 Acquisition Reports 183 Acquisition Terminology and Concepts 183 Campaign Tracking: Google Analytics Needs Your Help for Attribution 188 Channel Customizations 202 Tracking Organic Traffic 208 Key Takeaways 219 Actions and Exercises 220 Chapter 8 Goal and Ecommerce Tracking 221 Goal Tracking 221 Ecommerce Tracking 243 Multi-Channel Funnel Reports 270 Integrating with Third-Party Shopping Carts 279 Key Takeaways 281 Actions and Exercises 283 Chapter 9 View Settings, View Filters, and Access Rights 285 Why Do We Need Multiple Views? 285 Best Practice: Working, Test, and Unfiltered Views 287 View Settings 287 View Filters 294 Access Rights 305 Change History 309 Trash Can 310 Key Takeaways 310 Actions and Exercises 311 Chapter 10 Segments 313 Segment to Focus and Amplify 313 Mapping Customer Constituencies as Custom Segments 325 Sampling 332 Segments versus Filtered Views 334 Key Takeaways 335 Actions and Exercises 336 Chapter 11 Dashboards, Custom Reports, and Intelligence Alerts 339 Dashboards 339 Custom Reports 342 Shortcuts 347 Intelligence Alerts 348 Annotations 352 Key Takeaways 353 Actions and Exercises 354 Chapter 12 Implementation Customizations 355 Custom Dimensions 355 Content Grouping 366 Custom Metrics 369 Calculated Metrics 371 Demographics and Interests 373 Enhanced Link Attribution 374 Tracking Info Customizations 375 Cross-Domain and Roll-Up Reporting 378 Cross-Device Tracking with User ID 386 Key Takeaways 397 Actions and Exercises 397 Chapter 13 Mobile App Measurement 399 Tracking Mobile Apps 399 Why Is Mobile Important 399 Mobile Strategies 400 What to Measure 401 Mobile Configuration in Google Analytics 403 Setting Up Google Analytics in Your App 404 Account Structure Best Practices in Mobile Properties 407 Real-time App Reporting 408 Integrations 410 Mobile Campaign Tracking 415 Mobile Privacy 421 Key Takeaways 427 Actions and Exercises 428 Chapter 14 Google Analytics Integrations The Power of Together 429 AdWords 430 AdSense 444 YouTube in GA 447 Analytics 360 Integrations 448 Additional Integrations 448 Key Takeaways 451 Actions and Exercises 451 Chapter 15 Integrating Google Analytics with CRM Data 453 Long-Term Perspective 453 Calculating Cost per Qualified Lead 454 Joining Google Analytics and CRM Data with Visitor ID 463 Key Takeaways 475 Actions and Exercises 476 Chapter 16 Advanced Reporting and Visualization with Third-Party Tools 477 Framing the Issue: How to Get Data Out of GA 478 ETLV The Full Reporting Automation Cycle 485 Advanced Use Cases for BigQuery/Tableau 488 Key Takeaways 501 Actions and Exercises 501 Chapter 17 Data Import and Measurement Protocol 503 Data Import 503 Measurement Protocol 520 Key Takeaways 528 Actions and Exercises 529 Chapter 18 Analytics 360 531 Why Analytics 360? 531 Increased Capacity 532 Service-Level Agreements (SLAs) 535 Analytics 360 Resources 547 Where to Buy Resellers or Google Direct? 548 Key Takeaways 550 Actions and Exercises 550 Appendices Appendix A: Broadening Your Optimization Program 551 Qualitative Inputs 551 Overlay Reporting 558 Testing 559 Marketing Automation and Personalization 575 Appendix B: Resources 581 Index 585
