E193 – Don’t Make these Google Analytics Mistakes

Dave has participated in panels on this topic and the guys have hinted or talked about data, analytics and even Google Analytics but never done something like this. So join them as they walk through 7 of the more often mistakes they see when it comes to Analytics and Google Analytics.

Past Episodes About Analytics

All our shows that have touched on the topic of Analytics aka Analytics Podcast which goes well beyond just Google AnalyticsWeb Analytics Basics For Every BusinessThe Digital Marketing Checklist for 2019 & BeyondWhy your Analytics Conversion Data is TrashSigns That You Need to Audit Your Lead ProcessWhy Your Marketing Team Needs Documentation and Processes

#1 - Redundancy

We just talked about it the other day in our Redundant Redundancy episode. Does more than one person have access and skills to navigate and use your Analytics solution?

Do you have more than one person that knows how to use Google Analytics, Tag Manager and any and all of your important Analytics solutions.

#2 - Lack of Attention

We all get busy with work, life, kids, friends, broke down car, errands, etc. Do you ever look at your analytics? Does anyone? What insights are you missing out on? Could your content be better? Could you be getting more conversions?

If you are the owner/boss and simply do not have time to ever look at your web analytics you need to appoint or hire someone to do so!

Would you know if someone wiped your analytics tracking code from the site? How long could it be off the site before you would notice? What if your site is down for hours/days - how long would it take for you to notice?

#3 - Goals

Look at goals and event tracking but at the very least look at the Goals that are setup in your Google Analytics. Are they setup? Are they still relevant now from when you set them up years ago? If your site is focused on generating leads or calls, review what you are tracking with Goals and ask the questions about your website.

Do you watch your Google My Business account? Do you respond to reviews on Yelp and Google? Do you look at the data of visits and conversions from those and other places?

#4 - IP Filters

Do you have an office with lots of people often visiting your site? Do you have consultants/contractors or a number of people remote somewhere often hitting the site? Do you have their IP addresses filtered? DO IT!

If you don't have that traffic filtered out it could be making you think you have more traffic from certain cities, metros or states/countries that really you don't.

#5 - Proper Installation of Google Analytics

If you use Google Tag Manager, Tealium or some other tag manger to add Google Analytics to your site you DO NOT need to also add Google Analytics in your site's code. This most often happens when a site is on WordPress and someone installs the GA code into the WP theme but then someone else installs Google Tag Manager and adds the code there.

When you move a site from Dev -> Staging -> Production or Dev -> Production you can wipe out your GA or Google Tag Manager code. If you update the Theme or don't realize that the GA code was in a theme and you get a new one or update it - often the site's GA code gets wiped and no one notices. This often impacts Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster as well.

#6 - Most Often Missed Settings

Exclude Robots/Spam and Track Site Searches - these two settings in Google Analytics are the ones Dave most often sees missed by sites. Check your settings now if you aren't sure if they are both configured.

#7 - Set Time on Calendar

This is a bit of a solution to #2 but even if you hire someone or have someone that is looking at your Google Analytics, you should too. If you are listening to this episode or reading this write up you likely care enough about the business that you should dedicate 30 minutes a week to dig into your data and Google Analytics. At the start of each block of time ask yourself a