Developed as an open source way to quickly measure various metrics of a website or business, Google Analytics has become quite the popular analytics system for web masters and marketers. While not the best analytics system available, its scope of coverage combined with the fact that it is free make it a near universal first stop for budding web masters and entrepreneurs seeking to understand more about how their site is working (and in many cases, where it is not). Below, we will be outlining some common themes you can inspect to determine if the overall health of your website is on par, excelling or could be better.

Examine Sources

Knowing where your traffic is originating is a key determiner in how well your marketing and SEO efforts are being received. When examining the Traffic Sources section of any campaign, you will be able to quickly evaluate what percentage of traffic is coming from each major category, such as search, referrals, direct access and advertising campaigns through partners like AdSense. The key to long-term health for any website is to be as diversified as possible in these areas; if any one category (and it will usually be search traffic) comprises a super-majority of your inbound traffic, then this means that your marketing and referral efforts need to be augmented.

Examine Mobile Devices

Many websites assume that the majority of their traffic comes via traditional desktops and laptops: they’d be right, but this will not always be the case. With more than 20% of all web traffic originating from mobile devices today, pinging sites in a mobile-friendly format is more important than ever for conversions and leads alike. Under the Audience section of Analytics, you can create graphs that will display exactly what types of mobile phones are being used to access your website. Whether your audience is pinging on iPhones or a Galaxy Nexus, you’ll be able to clearly identify them. Using this data, building versatile platforms that accommodate both desktop and mobile browsers will help you increase your overall conversion rates – and drastically increase mobile conversion rates.

Examine In-Page Analytics

This feature may very well be on the best tools available in Google Analytics. Perfect for learning what pages your visitors are attracted to, the In-Page Analytics tool (available under Traffic Sources) shows a box next to every link that displays the percentage of people who clicked on said link from the corresponding page. If you are operating an online store-front, for instance, you can quickly determine where the most interest exists and respond by offering promotions, sales and advertising campaigns via Google and other search engines.

Conclusion

Whether your visitors are pinging on iPhones or using a desktop from work, Google Analytics offers metrics and analysis for every category. By evaluating where your traffic is originating, accommodating all aspects of your audience and being aware of the more popular elements of your site, you will be able to develop SEO and digital marketing strategies that give you the added boost to propel your site to stardom.