Introduction to Google Analytics: A Guide to Tracking SEO Performance

One of the first questions we ask clients who come to us with an existing website is “how is it performing?”; and so often we hear “I don’t know!”. But tracking your website performance provides the raw data you need to know what’s working and what isn’t – and that’s where Google Analytics comes in.

Google Analytics is a powerful, free tool that allows you to monitor and analyse your website’s traffic – no matter what website platform you use. It can help you understanding which pages are most popular and see how visitors found your site, as well as offering data on the demographics of your audience to really help you hone your website content and reach.

If Google Analytics is completely new to you, or you’re just not sure where – or why – to start, this blog post is for you.

So, let’s go…

Setting Up Google Analytics

Before you can start tracking your SEO performance, you'll need to set up Google Analytics for your website. Here’s a simple four step process to get you started:

Step 1: Create a Google Analytics Account

If you don’t have a Google Analytics account, head over to Google Analytics and sign up with your Google account.

Step 2: Set Up a Property

Once logged in, you will need to create a property for your website. A property represents your website in Google Analytics.

To do this you need to click the Admin cog at the bottom left of the screen and then the Create button that appears near the top left and choose Property. Name your property, select your time zone, and click “Next.”

Each property you create holds all your measurement data for the website and any associated apps you choose.

Step 3: Install the Tracking Code

After setting up your property, Google Analytics will generate a tracking code. How you install this on your website will depend on where it is built.

If you’re using a CMS like WordPress, you can easily do this with a plugin like “Google Site Kit” or by manually adding the code to your site’s header.

For Wix websites you simply need to copy the Measurement ID and go to Settings > Marketing Integrations > Google Analytics from your site dashboard and paste the Measurement ID into the box.

Step 4: Verify and Configure

Once the tracking code is installed, Google Analytics will begin collecting data. It may take a few hours to see data populate in your account. You can verify the setup by checking the “Real-Time” reports to see if your visits are being tracked.

5 Key Metrics Google Analytics Tracks for SEO

With Google Analytics set up, you can access a vast amount of data. But which metrics should you focus on to track your SEO performance? Here are some of the most important ones:

1. Organic Traffic

Organic traffic refers to visitors who arrive at your site through search engines like Google, without clicking on paid ads. To track this, go to Reports > Acquisition > Traffic Acquisition. Here you will see how much traffic visits by organic search versus social media, direct and referral as well as paid search or ads if you use them.

2. Bounce Rate

Your bounce rate is the percentage of visitors who leave your site after viewing only one page or who do not interact with the site. A high bounce rate might indicate that visitors aren’t finding what they’re looking for or that your content isn’t engaging. Check your bounce rate under Insights.

3. Average Session Duration

This metric shows how long visitors spend on your site during a session. Longer session durations often indicate that your content is more engaging and relevant. You can find this data under Insights or use the search bar at the top of the screen to find it.

4. Top Landing Pages

Your top landing pages are the first pages visitors see when they arrive on your site – and this may not always be the homepage! By analysing which pages attract the most visitors, you can identify which content resonates best with your audience.

Navigate to Generate Leads > Landing page to see which pages are performing well. This will help you strategise for future content additions.

5. Demographic Details

Demographics refers to both where your users are coming from physically, i.e. which country, as well as the device or platform they are using to access your website.

You can find the physical demographic information within the User > User Attributes > Demographic Details section of Google Analytics reports and the technology info within User > Tech > Overview.

Interpreting Data to Improve Your SEO Strategy

Once you have collected this data through Google Analytics, the real value comes from its interpretation and making informed decisions to improve your SEO strategy.

Here’s how you can use these insights to enhance your SEO efforts:

1. Identify High-Performing Content

Use the data on top landing pages and session duration to identify which content resonates most with your audience. Once you know what works, you can create more of that type of content, optimise existing content, or improve underperforming pages on your website.

2. Optimise for Low Bounce Rate

If certain pages have a high bounce rate, consider revising the content to make it more engaging, improving the page load speed, or making the call-to-action clearer. You might also want to adjust the keywords you’re targeting to better match user intent.

3. IMPROVE Internal Linking

By analysing pages per session, you can identify opportunities to enhance internal linking. Guide visitors from one piece of content to another to increase session duration and reduce exit rates.

4. Focus on Keywords That Drive Traffic

Google Analytics can be linked with Google Search Console to provide keyword-level data. This integration allows you to see which search queries bring users to your site. Focus on optimising these keywords in your content to boost your rankings and attract more organic traffic.

5. Adjust Your SEO Strategy Based on User Behaviour

Regularly review your analytics data to spot trends. For example, if you notice that traffic from certain regions is increasing, you might consider creating content tailored to that audience. Similarly, if a particular blog post starts to gain traction, consider expanding on the topic with additional content or updating the post to keep it relevant.

In Summary

Google Analytics really is an invaluable tool if you are serious about improving your SEO performance. Remember, it’s not just about tracking the right metrics but interpreting it that will help you gain deeper insights into how your website is performing and where you can make improvements.

Whether you’re new to SEO or looking to refine your strategy, Google Analytics is a great step to providing the data-driven insights you need to succeed.

And if you're still unsure where to start, give Web Goddess a yell - we'd be happy to help!