Google Analytics: Everything you need to know

Google Analytics is by far the best-known and most powerful tool for web analysis. It helps you understand the behavior of your visitors on your website. Where do they come from? How long do they stay? What content are they watching? What makes them pop off and what works particularly well? The tool collects data in real time and presents it in clear reports that help you optimize your website in a targeted manner.

Google Analytics: Differences from other analysis tools

Compared to other tools such as Matomo, Adobe Analytics or Piwik Pro, Google Analytics offers a free, powerful solution with deep integration into the Google ecosystem, including Google Ads, Search Console, and Tag Manager. There are also countless tutorials, plugins and integrations, especially for CMS such as WordPress or shop systems. This makes it ideal for beginners as well as professionals in online marketing. Only when it comes to data protection requirements do you have to pay particular attention and use appropriate consent management solutions.

The most important features of Google Analytics: User behavior data

With Google Analytics, you can see how users move around your website. In particular, this includes the following data:

Traffic sources

Where do your visitors come from? From Google search? From social media? Or via newsletter campaigns? Google Analytics shows you in detail which channels and campaigns bring users to your website.

Goals and conversion tracking

You can set individual goals, such as filling out a contact form, making a purchase in an online shop, or clicking on a specific button. With conversion tracking, you can then not only see whether your website is being visited, but whether it is actually delivering results.

E-commerce tracking for online shops

For operators of online shops, Google Analytics offers a special e-commerce integration. This allows you to understand which products are purchased how often, which payment methods are used and how users move through the purchase process. Without major detours, you can immediately see where interested parties are jumping off and can take targeted countermeasures.

Collect more data through integration with Google Ads and Search Console

When you connect Google Analytics to Google Ads, you can see how your ads impact user behavior. The integration with Google Search Console also provides additional data on rankings, clicks and impressions from organic search. Combined, these tools give you a 360° view of the performance of your entire online presence.

Google Analytics: How to improve your website in a targeted manner

Especially in an environment where market trends, target groups and technologies are changing rapidly, you need reliable data instead of gut feeling. And that is exactly what GA4 offers you: a powerful, cross-platform solution for websites, apps, online shops and hybrid environments. We have described for you step by step how to make optimal use of the tool:

1. Analyze, improve, and properly scale content

Analytics data not only shows you what's happening, but also why. Which sites bring in the most traffic? Where do users click off? Which content is shared and which is ignored? You can therefore:

• Identify and optimize content with a high bounce rate
• Linking new blog posts specifically to successful pages
• Test call-to-actions (CTAs) and evaluate A/B variants
• Tailor content to target groups in multiple languages
• Understand the impact of individual pages on conversions

Our tip from everyday agency life: It's best to create a monthly page performance overview with metrics such as length of stay, interaction rate, events and click paths and link this to your content calendar. In this way, you can control your choice of topic based on data and in a targeted manner at any time.

2. Identify and fix technical problems at an early stage

Many technical errors remain undetected for a long time without analysis and cost valuable SEO rankings. However, with Google Analytics combined with tools such as Search Console and a browser add-on such as Tag Assistant, you can specifically:

• Identify pages with an unusually short stay
• Find out whether certain browser versions (e.g. Safari, Firefox) are causing errors
• Relate load times and server responses to user behavior
• Analyze conversion processes, e.g. in case of checkout cancellations

Especially in e-commerce, technical fine-tuning is often a factor that should not be underestimated, for example when it comes to mobile devices or complex filter functions.

3. Analyze user flows and understand customer journey

With GA4's new event-based data model, you can see exactly how visitors move through your site. You can track activities such as scrolls, clicks on buttons, or downloads in real time. This is how you find out:

• Where users opt out before they send a request
• Which paths lead to the most conversions
• How mobile users behave differently than desktop visitors

This data is the basis for smart UX optimizations, from menu structures to CTAs to the placement of important content “above the fold.”

4. Analyze target groups in a differentiated way and address them specifically

Every website has different people as visitors and with GA4, you can segment them by:

• Region (e.g. Germany vs. Switzerland)
• language (e.g. German vs. English)
• device type (e.g. mobile vs. desktop)
• Behavior (e.g. returning visitors vs. first-time visitors)

You can create your own target group properties for this purpose, e.g. for users interested in specific products or topics. This results in highly personalized marketing measures, for example in connection with Google Ads or email campaigns. The result: higher relevance, better performance, more targeted communication.

5. Measure and optimize marketing campaigns better

One of the biggest benefits of Google Analytics is also the exact measurement of the success of your advertising campaigns. By linking to Google Ads, Facebook Ads, or even offline campaigns via UTM parameters, you'll learn:

• How many conversions are due to a specific campaign
• Which target group converts best
• Which channels can you use to save money

For companies with larger amounts of data, it is also often worth taking a look at Analytics 360, the premium version, with extended limits, BigQuery connection, SLAs and dedicated support.

6. Structure collaboration and teamwork

Professional companies don't use Google Analytics as a one-man tool, but as a common data source for multiple departments, including content, SEO, performance, and product development. That's because the tool allows you to:

• create different Google Analytics accounts for different areas of the company,
• permissions for stages (viewer, editor, admin),
• to individually configure reports for specific properties, and
• Provide custom dashboards for teams.

In this way, you create teamwork based on uniform key figures and avoid misunderstandings or data silos.

7. Actively implement data protection

Especially in Europe, data protection is not optional. However, GA4 offers you options to implement data protection-compliant use. This includes things like automatically anonymizing IP addresses, limiting the storage of analytics data, and offering to deactivate user tracking in the absence of consent, for example via an opt-out link or browser add-on (e.g. deactivation via a cookie banner).

Step by step: How to sign up and get started

Signing up is extremely easy and takes just a few minutes:

1. Go to analytics.google.com.
2. Sign in with your Google email address.
3. Click on “Create an account” and give your account a meaningful name.
4. Then create your first Google Analytics 4 property.
5. Select website, app, or both as a data stream source.
6. Copy your measurement ID, because that is your individual tracking code.

Your analytics property is already active. Google is now starting to collect your analytics data, including users, origins, devices, interactions, and conversions. You can also find detailed instructions in our “Set up Google Analytics” guide.

Conclusion: Google Analytics is a must for more targeted optimizations & better rankings

Whether you run a small business site, manage a complex online shop, or manage multiple websites under one roof: Google Analytics is the tool that gives you real control over your online presence. With a well-structured analytics account, clearly defined properties and regular analyses, you can decide based on data how you can improve your content, eradicate technical weaknesses and target your marketing. GA's strength lies primarily in its functionality and flexibility: It works for all types of websites, scales with your business and can be linked to other Google services such as Google Ads, Search Console or Google Tag Manager. Thanks to these options, you can not only see how many hits your websites have, but also how customers are behaving, what content they are interested in and where you can achieve even more through targeted adjustments.

Take the next step now: Using Google Analytics correctly

Are you looking for expert SEO support? We are happy to help you turn figures into real insights. Together, we analyze what works on your website, where users are jumping off and how you can optimize your rankings, conversions and content with targeted measures. Get non-binding advice now!

FAQ: The most common questions about Google Analytics

Below you'll find answers to the most common questions about Google Analytics.

What is Google Analytics and why do I need it?

Google Analytics is a free service from Google that helps you understand the behavior of visitors on your website. You'll learn how users get to your site, how long they stay, what content they consume, and whether they achieve specific goals, such as purchases or contact requests. The functionality ranges from simple visitor statistics to complex conversion analyses.

What is the difference between Universal Analytics and GA4?

Universal Analytics was the previous version that was based on sessions and page views. Since July 2023, Google Analytics 4 (GA4) has been the new standard. GA4 is based on an event-driven data model that is more flexible and better suited for cross-platform applications, such as websites and apps. The change therefore means a new analytics platform, new properties, a new interface, but also more potential for future-oriented analyses.

What specific information does GA provide me with?

You will receive detailed analyses of:

• Access numbers, length of stay, bounce rate
• Your customer behavior (e.g. navigation paths, conversions)
• Source of users (traffic sources, countries, devices)
• Technical details (e.g. browser, operating system, loading times)
• The success of your marketing campaigns (Google Ads, social media)

You can then use this information to specifically adapt content, fix technical problems, and develop new strategies.

How can I optimally set up my Google Analytics account?

Your analytics account should be strategically structured, preferably per project or division. In it, you create properties for your individual websites, apps or shops. It is best to use clear naming conventions right from the start, assign roles in the team and ensure that you collect all information in accordance with data protection regulations. Optionally, you can also upgrade to Analytics 360 if you need many users, large amounts of data, or specific enterprise features.

‍