8 Common Mistakes to Avoid with Google Analytics for Greater Web Analytics Mastery
Google Analytics is a powerful tool that tells you how your customers behave on your site. Google Analytics can also help you make informed decisions about the design and layout of your website to improve conversions. But, if it’s not set up correctly, Google Analytics could be giving you inaccurate data! In this article, we will be talking about eight common mistakes in Google Analytics and how to avoid them for greater web analytics mastery. There is a longer list by Search Engine Journal you can check for more information!
Mistake #01 - Not using a different Google Analytics account for separate websites or properties.
You should not use the same Google Analytics ID for more than one website as you will have inaccurate data and incorrect attribution of traffic sources.
- To avoid this, create new accounts in Google analytics with unique IDs for each site that can be tracked separately from
Mistake #02 - Outdated Tracking Code Usage.
Google Analytics automatically updates the tracking code on your site as new features are released. Make sure you have a current version of this code installed to ensure that all data is being tracked properly and accurately.
To avoid outdated tracking code use, check with Google’s instructions for updating or installing their latest codes.
Mistake #03 - Using Two or More Tracking Codes at Once.
Google Analytics only allows one tracking code on a page. This means that you will need to remove all other codes, including the ones from AdWords or Facebook ads.
To avoid using two google analytics tracking codes at once, update your site’s tag with Google’s latest version of their script and make sure it is set as the default.
Mistake #04 - Not considering Company Traffic.
Inflated data from your IP address can lead to misinformation in your Google Analytics dashboard if you’re running a new website/company. Google Analytics can recognize your IP address and assign a new company to it. You need to wait at least 30 days for Google’s system to catch up with the changes before you look into how well your website/companies are doing.
- When importing data, make sure that ‘Don’t import traffic from my IP address is checked
Mistake #05 - Leaving Out External Sources of Traffic, not Using UTM Tags.
You’re not going to get a lot of new traffic or leads from Google, but if you are using AdWords for instance, then it’s important to identify this traffic as “Google” so that when you compare your channels in the future (Facebook vs. Google) and your website performance over time, they will be measured accurately
- Go to Google’s Campaign URL Builder and build your UTM tags for each sort of traffic you want to observe.
Mistake #06 - Leaving Your Site in HTTP:// in Google Analytics Admin Panel.
When you edit your Google Analytics Settings, the default is to leave it in “Auto” which means that API will automatically change from an unencrypted connection (which could be broken) and switch to a secure encrypted one.
- Change this setting by going into Admin > View settings and selecting ‘Yes’ for “Force SSL.”
Mistake #07 - Taking Spam Traffic for Granted.
Spam traffic isn’t real traffic and it can lead to overinflation and show inaccurate data in your GA reports. There are a few ways to combat spam traffic:
- Use Google’s filters that can automatically block low-quality or unwanted sites. This is only available for the Google Analytics 360 Suite and has to be enabled by Google Support before it becomes active in your account.
Mistake #08 - Not Tracking All The Subdomains.
Google Analytics is only effective if you’ve tagged all the subdomains and tracked them. Otherwise, it will lead to inaccurate data in your web analytics reports.
If you maintain subdomains but don’t use Google Analytics for them, you’re still on the dark side of web analytics. You’ll be surprised to see how much data you’re leaving behind when you’re not using GA for these subdomains. Make sure to track all your subdomains with GA for a better and thorough report.
