Here’s your summary of what happened over at Google Analytics in March, and how you can take advantage of these developments.
Tuesday, March 4, 2014
The Gist: Google was proud to announce another Analytics Academy course called “Google Analytics Platform Principles”. This free program was part of an ever-growing offering of analytics education tools that are designed to be self-paced and easy to understand.
This course covered how data is collected in GA, and how GA turns this information into the reports you use every day.
Your Action Items: Level up your team by signing up for these classes - even if you missed the deadline, you can view them since they’re recorded. Registration closed March 27, but you can still view the course at the Analytics Academy Courses page.
Leverage Improved AdWords and GA Integration for Better Remarketing
Wednesday, March 12, 2014
The Gist: Google Analytics announced that remarketing integration between AdWords and GA has become even more robust. Users of Remarketing with Google Analytics - which was launched in August 2012 - can now obtain product-level reporting from the Google Merchant Center. A few changes to your tags and settings in your Google Store account will give you access to this data.
Your Action Items: Implement this code to reduce spending and generate additional revenue by targeting your advertising right down to product, cart value, and page level of your customers.
Grow Your Mobile App Business with Better Data
Tuesday, March 18, 2014
The Gist: These Google Analytics announcements are targeted specifically to mobile app developers, and both promise more data and greater control over your tags.
Mobile Opportunity #1: AdMob users, Google Analytics is now available to you, and can be found in the interface of the tool. Gone are the days of having to open two tools (GA and AdMob) and measure success. GA features in AdMob now include: a drop down menu so you can quickly switch between different apps’ reports; a new home page that combines GA and AdMob reporting; and finally, a brand new Analyze tab with all of your relevant GA reports shown in one place.
(Not sure what AdMob is? It’s a Google product that helps “mobile app developers monetize and promote their apps”. Read more here: Welcome to the New AdMob!)
Mobile Opportunity #2: How do you test and measure how your app is resonating with your users? Are your tests worth running? Google Tag Manager for Apps now offers Content Experiments for evaluating in-app promos and even menu layouts. Now your experiments can be backed by data!
Your Action Items: Finally launch your own mobile app, since your developers now have no-holds-barred access to tools that will help your mobile business grow in a streamlined and data-driven way.
Measure the Success of Your TrueView Ads
Tuesday, March 25, 2014
The Gist: The Google Analytics team is sharing yet another way for marketers to measure the success of their ads, and ensure that their ads are reaching the right audience. Now, users of YouTube TrueView ads have a new GA report to help them evaluate their performance. This new Video Campaigns report focuses solely on your TrueView ads, and displays information related to Paid Views, Cost Per View, and even Website Clicks. Metric groups like Engagement will even show you how users are interacting with your video and your site.
Not using TrueView ads yet? Not sure what they are? Read more about them here and see if they’re right for you and your business.
Note: This report has been rolling out over the past week or so, so if you don’t see it in your GA reports just yet (and you feel you should), give it another few days.
Your Action Items: Evaluate your TrueView ad spend to see if you’re allocating your marketing dollars to the right audience.
