Google Analytics Report for Mapping Content Performance

The internet is flooded with content that can be accessed by users in a button’s click. While some pieces are of scholarly proficiency which offers high – value to the readers some of them just fail to leave the mark. Consequently, these poorly created pieces of content lag in generating quality traffic for digital marketers.  

The above – mentioned scenario can lead to quite a stir when it comes to mapping content performance. However, Google Analytics is literally a boon in the world of Digital Marketing. Through this service, it becomes easier for marketers to generate custom reports related to content that they host on distinctive platforms. u

Through this article, we are going to discuss a few tips for using Google Analytics Report for mapping content performance. These tips besides offering a boost to your content marketing efforts can also realize other objectives such as increasing the organic search rate, reducing the bounce rates, improving the search engine rankings, and so much more. They can also result in better goal conversion rates and increased ROI.  

However, before we jump onto the tips, let us strengthen our foundation by learning about Google Analytics, how it works, and its various advantages. 

What is Google Analytics? 

While buyers set to purchase any goods, they usually go through distinctive stages. Concisely, these stages in the world of digital marketing are known as:

1. Awareness: In this stage of the buyer’s cycle, marketers focus on creating awareness and attracting consumers towards a brand, product, or services through their marketing initiatives.
2. Consideration: This stage of the buyer’s cycle is targeted at influencing customers to choose a brand’s product over its competitors.  
3. Conversion: The conversion stage of the buyer’s cycle indicates the transformation of a prospect to a consumer i.e. when the purchase finally happens. 

Digital Analytics helps marketers in the mapping of distinctive components of the buyer’s cycle. It enables them to study consumer behavior and consequently make informed decisions about expanding into new horizons. 

Google Analytics is a Digital Analytics platform offered by Google for Digital Marketers launched in the year 2005. 

Let us assume that a particular brand is attempting to sell Bluetooth earphones. And, it has launched certain advertising campaigns for the same. The response to these online advertisements was superb and led to a lot of orders from customers. This is where Google Analytics fits into the picture. Through Google Analytics, marketers can gather as well as gauge the campaigns for effectiveness. Utilizing the reports generated through Google Analytics, marketers can expand their marketing initiatives accordingly. While analyzing the advertisements, the analytics service can consider factors such as demography, geography, purchasing habits, etc.  The services can also report potential glitches, faulty links, page speed, and so much more. The marketers can work on all these components and likely enhance the user experience.  

Businesses of all sizes and from all domains can leverage the Google Analytics services to map their marketing and content strategy. Marketers can additionally align their initiatives with organizational goals and work on achieving them. 

The Google Analytics Service compliments the wide range of tools offered by Google. All the Google products and services that have anything to do with tractions, visits, etc. can be combined with Google Analytics. 

The Google Analytics service makes use of JavaScript code, cookies, and browser code to gather data from websites. Whenever a user visits a webpage, the service stores all the information that the user accesses on the same. This data is collected in a typically raw form which is then processed by the service to be audited by the marketers.  The processing of the data is made possible by the usage of simple settings available in the services in the form of filters and attribution. Eventually, the report is generated which can be accessed directly from the web application as well as other sources. The report is generated in a comparative format and stored in the service’s database.    

Now that we have learned about the fundamentals of Google Analytics, let us proceed to analyze its importance in mapping the performance of your content. 

Measure Your Content Performance with the help of Google Analytics

While there are several forms of analytics reports that can be generated through the service, it is pragmatic to gauge the once which can offer the best conversion rates. 

1. Cohort Analysis Report 

With every piece of content whether a blog or an article the objective of a marketer is either to generate new traffic or transform the old visitors into customers. Despite the fact that it is easier as well as wise to accomplish the latter, marketers tediously focus on attracting new visitors to their websites. 

The Google Analytics service makes it possible for marketers to view the number of users that come to review your content. Users can generate this report in the “Audience” menu by clicking on the “Cohort Analysis” option. Under the drop – down menu of “Cohort Size” users can arrange the date “by week”. 

The service will generate a flat table report which will reflect the percentage of users revisiting your site content on a weekly basis.

Research suggests that for a reader to progress into the conversion stage, it is necessary that they review your content 3.15 times. This is the reason why marketers should pay attention to the “Cohort Size” report in Google Analytics. 

Focusing on the “Cohort Size” report helps marketers to ensure better conversion rates for their clients. 

The way to make readers come back to assess any content is simple. This can be done either by getting readers to subscribe to your email or using methods like push notifications. In both cases, the readers are prompted with notifications whenever a new blog or piece of content is posted on sites. And, these two for the matter of fact are the easiest ways of making users revisit your site and consume your content.  

2. Benchmarking Report  

The second most important objective for markets is to assess their content performance with respect to their competitors. Despite the fact that there are a plethora of tools available that can help with the comparative analysis, nothing beats Google Analytics when one intends to a detailed study. 

With the Benchmarking Report in Google Analytics services, marketers can asses the rate of visitors that their competitors are generating through distinctive forms of content, the bounce rate, number of pages viewed, and so much more. 

Google Analytics users can generate the benchmarking report by selecting the “Audience” menu, followed by clicking the “Benchmarking” option and then “Channels”. The “Benchmarking Report” is in a flat-table format. It generates a channel-wise report for users and enables them to invest their time on the most rewarding alternative. For instance, if a piece of content is attracting more traffic through paid search rather than organic means, then the marketer should strategize his initiatives accordingly. 

If the content is already meeting the desired objectives and generating more than sufficient traffic, the benchmarking report helps the marketers to also shift the focus on to the channels that are lagging behind and moderate the content accordingly. 

3. Location Report

The next aspect that can prove to be particularly useful for marketers while mapping the effectiveness of their marketing strategy is Geographic Segmentation. There is a reason many brands prefer hosting their content in different languages on their websites. 

A piece of content is most likely to perform in the geographies which have its native language the same as is used primarily in it. However, the location report helps marketers in targeting consumers with healthy purchasing capacities in the countries that speak a foreign language. 

The location report can be accessed by under the “Audience” menu by clicking on the “Geo” option followed by “Location”. This Google Analytics report can help marketers to target the new geographies from where they can generate traffic. 

4. Device Overlap Report

It is said that attention to little details often makes the biggest impacts. Hence, last but not least is the Device Overlap Report. This report can be in the “Audience Menu” by clicking on the “Cross Device” option followed by “Device Overlap”. 

This report is essential for mapping the usability of content across different devices.  It also helps in ensuring the retention of readers and ensure that they keep coming back to review webpages. The availability of content on different platforms ensures a better rate of conversion for brands. 

Marketers can study that hosting content on which device will give them the advantage with respect to conversion. They can also map the map if any device is lagging behind and generating traction and tweak the content marketing strategy accordingly. 

Taking all the above-mentioned reports into account along with the visitor count on website can certainly help marketers enhance their digital marketing strategies to meet the organizational objectives. 

Digital Analytics has empowered marketers for more than a decade now. The key is to focus on lesser but the most important reports which can be generated through the service. Marketers can work on gradually improving the stats in the reports mentioned above and progress to other reports down the line resulting in greater ROI.