Open Google Analytics for the first time and it’s easy to feel lost. There are dozens of reports, charts, and terms nobody explained. The good news: most small businesses only need a few of them. Here’s what I look at and what it tells you.
First, what Analytics does
Google Analytics shows what people do once they’re on your website: how they found you, which pages they visited, and whether they took an action like submitting a form. It complements Google Search Console, which shows how you appear in Google’s search results.
Report 1: Where visitors come from
Look for the traffic acquisition report. It groups visitors by source: search engines, social media, other websites that link to you, or people typing your address directly. It tells you which efforts are actually bringing people in.
Report 2: Which pages get visited
The pages report shows your most visited pages. Are your service pages getting traffic? Is a blog post pulling in more people than you expected? This shows what’s working and where to focus.
Report 3: What visitors do
This is the one that matters most. Set up key events for the actions that matter to your business:
- Contact form submitted
- Phone number tapped
- Booking or quote request completed
- Purchase made
Knowing that 500 people visited is nice. Knowing that 12 of them called you is useful.
A simple monthly habit
- Compare visitors this month to last month
- Check your top sources
- Look at your top pages
- Count form submissions and calls from the site
Write the numbers down each month. Trends over time tell you much more than any single month.
Don’t chase vanity numbers
Big traffic numbers feel good, but they don’t pay bills. A small, local site with modest traffic that brings in steady calls is doing its job. Focus on the actions that lead to customers.
Easy setup on WordPress
Plugins like Google’s own Site Kit connect Analytics and Search Console to WordPress and show the basics right in your dashboard.
Questions I hear a lot
Why do Analytics and Search Console show different numbers?
They measure different things. Search Console counts clicks from Google search; Analytics counts visits from all sources, and some visitors block tracking.
Is Google Analytics free?
Yes, the standard version is free.
If you want a second set of eyes
If you’d like help setting up tracking for calls and forms, or just want someone to walk you through your numbers, that’s a great training session. It’s also part of how I report on SEO work.