If you’re new to Google Analytics, you should start by familiarizing yourself with the basics. Here are some of the most important reports and features you can look at: Acquisition report, Segments, Custom campaigns, and more. Customizing a report will allow you to select the metrics and dimensions you want to see and share with others. You can also create custom dashboards and collect widgets to give you an overview of your website’s condition.
Segments
To get the most out of your Google Analytics data, you can use segments to compare different groups of users. In particular, you can compare the performance of four subsets of users, depending on their geo location, date of first visit, and other factors. Segments can also be helpful for analyzing seasonality and differences among users based on their device. For example, you can examine session drop-off rates by device. If you notice that mobile users are more likely to abandon the page, you can use this data to determine why.
Custom campaigns
In order to create custom campaigns with Google Analytics, you will need to add a new metric, and the corresponding campaign URL. Google provides a tool to create these URLs, and it’s very easy to use. Simply input the website URL, source, and medium, and click the “Create a custom campaign” button. Google will then generate a unique campaign URL for you. Then, you can use this metric to track how your campaign is performing.
Acquisition reports
When you want to understand your audience’s path to your site, use the Acquisition report in Google Analytics. This report lists how visitors arrived at your website, including where they came from, which channels they visited and how much they spent on your site. The Acquisition report can also help you analyse your marketing strategy. For example, you can see how many users found your website through Google searches, whereas only a small proportion found it through social media.
Custom date ranges
To create a custom date range in Google Analytics, use the date-range-selecting function. This function will enable you to filter your reports by a certain date. The system will default to the previous month of the selected date range, but you can change it to another month. Click on the calendar to open the settings, type a specific start and end date, and then click “Apply”. The custom date range will be applied to your reports.
Real-time report
If you’re using Google Analytics for a business website, you can take advantage of the Real-time report. Unlike the traditional, daily reports, this report is constantly updated and includes information about all visitors to your site, from both direct referrals and campaigns. However, you should be aware that this data can be inaccurate and sometimes show a lower number than reality. The only way to ensure that the data is correct and up to date is to migrate to Google Analytics 4 (GA4).