The multifaceted world of web analytics houses a myriad of terminologies, metrics, and tools that form an indispensable part of the digital marketer’s toolkit. This article aims to elucidate two of these pivotal components: Google Analytics and the idea of ‘Session’.
Google Analytics, more commonly referred to as GA, is a free web analytics service provided by Google. GA serves as a treasure trove of comprehensive insights into website traffic, visitor behaviour, and the efficacy of marketing endeavours. This data-rich platform allows marketers to shape strategies designed to increase the influx of visitors to their website and enhance the conversion rate.
For instance, Google Analytics presents a vital metric known as the ‘Bounce Rate’. This metric quantifies the percentage of single-page sessions where no interaction occurred with the webpage. A significant bounce rate may indicate a deficiency in the webpage’s content or user interface, suggesting areas of improvement to engage visitors effectively.
A practical example of utilising Google Analytics can be seen in the strategies of popular clothing brand ASOS. They utilise GA to keep track of user engagement, bounce rates, and other metrics that can provide useful insights into user behaviour. If ASOS notices a high bounce rate on a specific product page, they might reconsider the product presentation, descriptions, or even the loading speed of that page.
The term ‘Session’ in web analytics refers to a series of interactions that a user carries out on a website within a specified timeframe. For example, a user visiting an e-commerce site like ASOS may engage in several actions such as browsing through product categories, adding items to the cart, and eventually completing a purchase. These actions, if undertaken within a defined time window, constitute a single session. Understanding the number and quality of sessions on a website can enable marketers to optimise user journeys and user experience.