Google Analytics can be daunting for beginners but there are plenty of resources out there to help you understand the basics.
Please note: Google Universal Analytics accounts were turned off in July 2024. Only follow online tutorials for the newer G4 Analytics Accounts.
Here are a few pointers to get you started…
Terminology
Users are people who have completed a session on your site
A session is a period of time during which a user interacts with your website
A Session is measured in time and is made up of Events
Events are actions users complete whilst visiting your website such as opening a page, downloading a file, watching a video or searching for something.
Engagement is the amount of time the user spends completing an Event
For Example
A User spend 7 mins in a session.
The session comprises of 4 Events each X minutes long i.e.
- Scrolling through and reading a page (Engagement of 1.5 Minutes)
- Downloading a document (Engagement of 0.5 Minutes)
- Watch a video (Engagement of 3 Minutes)
- Completing a form (Engagement of 2 Minutes)
Reports
Time Period
By default all reports cover the last 28 days, this can be changed by clicking the Time Period drop down.
Acquisition Overview Report
Users
The number of active ‘Users’ for the selected time period (i.e. last 28 Days)
New Users
Out of the ‘Users’ above this shows those who interacted with your website for the very first time for the selected time period (i.e. last 28 Days)
Engagement Overview Report
Average engagement time
The Average Engagement time per active ‘User’ for the selected time period (i.e. last 28 Days)
Engaged sessions per user
The average number of sessions per active user for the selected time period (i.e. last 28 Days)
Average engagement time per session
The average time the active user has engaged per session. You want this to be high i.e. minutes rather than seconds. If it’s coming out at only a few seconds it means on average your users are not engaging with your website for long.
Other Resources
Learning courses that Google provide for those wishing to understand Google Analytics from scratch.
