Whilst using Google Analytics is crucial for measuring your success and formulating strategies for your dealership’s campaigns, it can be very easy for beginner users to get lost in the terminology.
Many of these terms are confusing or similar to each other, so our Google-certified experts have rounded up a list of the most common terms to help you start to bust the jargon.
Users and Sessions
If we were to visit your website, look around a bit and then leave, Analytics would count it as a session. If we then returned to look at another used car page the next day, that would count as a second session. However, both of those visits would only count as one “user” - because we are a unique user of the site, visiting multiple times. This is the key difference between sessions and users - one of the areas most likely to confuse users within Google Analytics!
Bounce Rate
The ‘bounce rate’ is a percentage that represents how many users are staying on your site to have a look around, or leaving immediately after landing there. A “bounce” is someone who lands on your website and leaves immediately without engaging or going to another page.
A good bounce rate relies on relevance to the user, so ensure that your pages are uncluttered and streamlined, have clear navigation and bold call-to-action buttons to discourage them from clicking away so quickly.
NOTE: Sometimes a high bounce rate shows that a page is being successful - if someone lands on your page, notes down your phone number and then leaves, for instance!
Events
An ‘event’ is a measurable behaviour made by a visitor which you may want to track - this could include clicking a call-to-action button, playing a demonstration video, or downloading a file.
In order to track these events, you will need to add some tags and code to your website.
Conversions
These are measurable goals which you want your visitors to complete: completing a booking form for an MOT service or test drive, completing a live chat or sending in an enquiry. Conversions can be made up of events (see above), or people visiting certain destinations such as thank you pages on your website. With certain call tracking suppliers we can even track phone calls in here!
Behaviour Flow
A report which maps the journey that your visitors have taken to navigate your website, including which content and pages that they’ve engaged with.
Assisted Conversions
Assisted conversions are the interactions that a customer has with a website leading up to a conversion, but not the final interaction. For instance, traditionally if we visited your website via a link in Autotrader, then left and returned via a link we’d bookmarked in browser, and then enquired, Analytics would say the enquiry was caused from the direct visit. In reality, that enquiry probably wouldn’t have happened without the autotrader referral. Assisted conversions allow us to track this interaction and measure marketing ROI more accurately.
Are there any other bits of jargon that you don’t understand? Why not speak to Bluesky Interactive who will be happy to help you?
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