Learn how to create a route in Google Analytics
To grow in the digital ecosystem, it is essential to track the key metrics of your website. This way, you can implement improvements that enhance the user experience and your search engine ranking.
One of the most widely used tools is Google Analytics and, now that you are familiar with its basic functions, we want to introduce you to a very useful option for analysing user behaviour on your website. Keep reading!
Google Analytics is one of the most widely used web analysis tools worldwide. It was developed in 2005 and has been growing ever since, becoming an essential ally for numerous companies of any size or sector. This is because it not only provides a comprehensive view of website traffic, generating significant analysis and tracking capabilities, but it is also free.
According to data from 'BusinessDIT', 71% of Google Analytics users are small businesses with fewer than 50 employees. Additionally, of those companies using web traffic analysis programs, 86% choose it.
Google Analytics can bring numerous advantages to your SME. Among them, it allows you to:
- Monitor web traffic: you will have the opportunity to see which pages are the most attractive and interesting to your users.
- Segment your visitors: this tool gives you the option to measure accesses from different geographic locations or various devices, for example.
- Analyse the main sources of traffic: you can identify where users come from, whether organically or through paid campaigns.
- Track generated events: thanks to Google Analytics, you can track key events on your website, such as downloading a file, playing a video, or purchasing an item.
All this data will help you understand user behaviour on your website. You can detect faults and trends to optimise development and adapt your strategy with a customer-focused approach.
In addition to the options mentioned above, Google Analytics has a powerful reporting function. In this section, you can configure custom patterns to measure data that can improve your strategy. Among these is the path exploration.
We’ll explain what it is and how you can implement it!
Path exploration in Google Analytics
This is a very useful tool that allows you to generate custom reports. Through these, you will have the opportunity to understand the steps followed by your users, from their first contact with your website to the moment they make a conversion, that it is as any action that is relevant to the SME and, therefore, needs to be measured. An example could be placing an order or subscribing to the newsletter.
Measuring and evaluating these paths is essential for SMEs to boost their competitiveness in the digital ecosystem. Thanks to them, you can:
- Detect drop-off points: these reports will provide data on steps that present the greatest difficulty for users and cause them to abandon the process.
- Optimise the user experience: by understanding the steps followed, you can focus on and improve the most important ones, making navigation easier for your audience.
- Improve decision-making: the information obtained will allow you to carry out specific actions related to your marketing strategies, website development, or new business opportunities, such as creating a mobile app.
How to create a path exploration report
Through path exploration, you can analyse the flow of users within your website.
- Log in to Google Analytics.
- In the top left menu, click on ‘Explore’.
You will reach the ‘Reports’ section, where you will find numerous analysis options. In this case, you need to click on ‘Path exploration’.
- Start creating your report:
The page will be laid out as follows:
- Variables
In this section, you will set the name of the report and the measurement period. You will also establish the different characteristics and metrics. In this section, you will find:
- Segments: includes the different data sets in which users visiting your website can be grouped. You can segment by location, traffic source, access device, and more. You can also create your own segments or use pre-set templates.
- Dimensions: these are the different characteristics that can be added to the analysis, such as demographic and geographic data, actions performed during the session, or platforms and devices used to access the website.
- Metrics: these are the specific data you want to measure. Some examples are items added to the cart, those purchased or abandoned, or revenue generated, among others.
- Settings
Once you have chosen the variables to measure, you need to drag them to this section as follows:
Segments > Segment
Dimensions > Breakdown
Metrics > Values
- Canvas
Finally, this section will display the data and visual representation of the report. To start measurements, select the ‘Start again’ option in the top right corner.
Next, you can choose the starting point for measurement:
- From the starting point: it provides data such as the main pages from which a user logs in and which pages are visited or events performed through this entry.
This section allows you to identify aspects that cause the user to leave the website or return to the home page.
- From ending point: it is useful for finding out how users reach a particular page or perform an action. For example, starting from the final event ‘Product Purchase’, you can determine the path users take before this conversion.
Isn't it useful? Path exploration is a feature that allows you to understand your audience’s journey from the moment they access your website and the decisions they make within it. Now that you have all this information, it’s time to start measuring! Set your goals and embark on the digital improvement process for your business.
If you want to know more about web analytics and how it can benefit your SME, we invite you to explore our content section.