Sep 13 2011
Get Social Data Through Google Analytics
Google Analytics is a free service from Google that provides complete statistics about all website visitors. It is useful in monitoring the impact of new initiatives undertaken for website promotion in terms of returns on investments. Google Analytics has now added social data to its reports and provides all the social media related data people could want. For those wanting figures of the number of Facebook ‘like’ clicks and Twitter tweets, can get them by changing some of the settings and using an additional tracking code available. All buttons like Facebook ‘like’, Twitter ‘tweet’ and Google +1 are called social sharing buttons which can be used by simply clicking on the specific social sharing buttons.
Google uses terms like “social engagement”, ‘social pages” and “social actions”, and it is all these social statistics that are made available in the report through Google Analytics.
Google Analytics Social Engagement Report
This social engagement report provides a comparison of visitors’ behavior by analyzing the behavior of those who click on the social sharing buttons with those who do not. The comparison is highly beneficial for site owners since they are able to check whether the click actually helps or hastens the conversion and they also visit other similar pages, or does it actually hamper the conversion process. In the case of the latter, site owners have reason to worry and find ways to circumvent this eventuality.
The new version of Google Analytics includes figures for the Google +1 clicks, but other social network buttons would need some modifications of settings before they can be assessed.
Google Analytics Social Actions
Social actions are taken to include the number of clicks for sharing site information through social sharing buttons. The social Actions report provides details about the number of visitors who clicked on social sharing buttons within a specified date range. By default Google Analytics takes into account only the Google+1 clicks, but it offers valuable insights into site visitor behavior and the potential for conversions through the data received. This definitive measure helps site owners find ways to enhance these numbers and also look for ways to increase conversions.
Social actions reports can also be checked with other dimensions of Google Analytics to get an idea about the other factors responsible for visitor behavior. The dimensions that can be analyzed include the source of traffic, bounces, conversions and pay-per-click advertisements.
Google Analytics Social Pages
Social Pages is the last Google Analytics report that gives details about which pages of the site got the actual social sharing clicks for a specific duration of time. This is extremely helpful to site owners since they are then able to gauge which parts of the site is appealing to visitors, and which parts actually trigger the maximum social activity. Finding the most appealing aspects of those parts and modifying the rest of the site accordingly will help to improve social sharing from other site pages as well.
Changing Defaults to Include Facebook, Twitter and Others
By default it is only Google +1 that is included for Google Analytics reports. However, some site development will enable the integration of Facebook, Twitter and other social networking sites, and then reports will include figures which are a sum total of all the social sharing buttons. Detailed instructions for developing this site are provided by Google but it helps to have technical expertise and familiarity with JavaScript to be able to accomplish this flawlessly. The Google Analytics Software Development Kit (SDK) is needed along with the SDK of the networking sites in question.
Thus Google Analytics provides vital clues which can be used for the betterment of the business by ensuring higher visitor clicks and conversions as well.
This is a guest post by eMobileScan. Which is one of Europe’s leading suppliers of handheld computers like the Motorola MC9090 and the Symbol Mc70. With 18 sites around Europe they can offer their customers the best value
