Using Google Analytics' Top Content Report to Grow Your Blog

As a blogger, it's important to periodically review your greatest successes to understand what made them great. Insights from your top blog posts allow you to create even better content and grow your blog faster. This week's post reviews using the Google Analytics Top Content report to find and learn from your blogging victories.

At this point you are either in one of two groups. Some of you are thinking "Google Analytics? Awesome! I live for these types of posts!" To you folks I just ask for a moment of patience.

For those of you that have a website/blog and don't or rarely use Google Analytics (or an equivalent tool), I promise you that you'll be better off for reading this post. The best thing you can do to better understand Google Analytics is to dive right in. Ok I'm done preaching now. I promise.

The Google Analytics Top Content Report

The Google Analytics Top Content report is one of the best reports in GA. We often worry so much about our home page, but the Top Content report is famous for revealing the true main sources of traffic to your blog/website.

Navigating to the Top Content report is easy.Accessing the Top Content report is easy. Just log into Google Analytics and then select Content -> Top Content from the navigation menu on the left.

You don't want pages from your entire website to show in the Top Content report for this exercise. We only want your blog posts. Use the filter option at the bottom of the report to weed out the content we don't want. To determine what to filter, find the part of your blog posts' URL that is applicable to all blog posts. (e.g., www.YourBlog.com/Blog/June/28/Topic). Set the filter to include only pages with that value and you'll end up with a list of just your blog posts.

Use the filter to report only on your blog posts.

Viewing the Top Content Report

Now we're ready to start looking for insights in our fully-configured Top Content report. As someone who admires others for opening their kimono a bit for the sake of educating the community, I invite you visual learners to take a gander at Big Picture Web's Top Content report:

Big Picture Web's top blog posts.

Gaining Insights From Your Top 10 Blog Posts

The Top Content report revealed my blog's most popular posts. Spending just a few minutes on this activity can lend great insights on what makes posts popular in the first place. Let's look at Big Picture Web's top 10 blog posts for some ideas:

1. Could my review of the Squarespace blogging/web publishing platform be popular because Squarespace itself is growing like crazy? It  makes sense that people want to know what the buzz is about. Thought: Share your experiences in topics that are gaining in popularity to benefit from the conversations supporting trending topics.
2. Squarespace vs. Wordpress: Both Sides of the StoryThis article pits Wordpress vs. Squarespace in a comprehensive blog platform comparison (co-authored with Iowa Wordpress developer, Andy Brudtkuhl). Given that Wordpress is the biggest name in blogging, it makes sense that Squarespace prospects would want to know how the two blog platforms compare. Thought: It shouldn't always be about your personal opinion. It's good to promote an open dialog about a topic, too. Your visitors can read the facts, then decide what's best for themselves.
3. A guide to measuring blog comments with Google Analytics. The popularity of this blog post was due almost entirely in thanks to a solitary tweet from Avinash. Thought: Write posts that the big players in your industry would want to pass along. Get traffic.Avinash sent an army of over 300 people my way with 1 tweet.
4. A calculator I made on estimating the ROI of banner advertising is one of the only resources on the web for figuring our what to charge for banner advertising on your site. Thought: People love simple tools that solve their problems. End of story.
5. An opinion piece I did on Squarespace vs its competitors was popular because, again, people looking for information on blogging platforms like a lot of information that allows them to decide. Lesson: Again, try to be helpful and be honest.
6. Infographics and images generate page views.A post highlighting examples of great web design receives nearly all of its traffic from Google Images, showing the value optimizing your content for more than just the traditional search results. Lesson: Don't forget about vertical search engines. Make sure you use ALT tags on your images. Also, people LOVE infographics.
7. A guide to the best Internet marketing podcasts shows again how your own personal knowledge can go a long way for those that haven't been there nor done that. Lesson: Leverage the heck out of the things you learn. Share it like crazy.
8. This guide on web resources for Squarespace designers shows the value of curating content on the web. Lesson: Spreading the content of others can be just as important as creating it.
9. This post on advanced search tips for Twitter was tweeted by a Twitter tip aggregator with over 200,000 followers. Lesson: There are social influencers other than just experts within your niche. Help them create value for their followers by creating useful content for them to promote.Popular content hubs can spread your blog posts quickly.
10. A post covering the launch of Squarespace's social widgets shows the value of covering trending topics within your niche. Lesson: Sharing your unique insights with a brand's community can help you find like-minded people in your niche.

Now it's your turn. Give it a shot and take a look at your top 10 blog posts. Why was your most popular post so popular? Was it picked up by social media? Are you seeing a lot of search traffic? Crack open your Google Analytics and let me know what you learn from your Top Content report in the comments below.

Speed Up Your Google Analytics Install on Squarespace

Google Analytics is the most widely used web analytics software today. It's free, it's easy to implement and it's a powerful way to measure your website's performance against its objectives. Recently, Google announced the new Google Analytics asynchronous tracking snippet, which helps solve two major issues its users have been facing: data accuracy and load time. Today, we'll explore the benefits of the new Google Analytics asynchronous tracking snippet. And as a bonus, I'll also show you how to add it to your Squarespace blog or website.

As I mentioned before, Google Analytics is one of the greatest things since sliced bread when it comes to measuring online objectives. But all this time you've been using the tool to drive awesome insights, there have been two minor issues under the surface:

• Data Accuracy - Experts will tell you that you'll never have 100% data accuracy with a web analytics tool. Sometimes visitors will have their Javascript disabled. Sometimes your visitors will move off of your web page before the Google Analytics tracking code actually has a chance to fire. Web analytics enthusiasts accept this fact and move on with what's available. 
• Load Time - It's important to have a website that loads in as little time as possible. Many visitors will leave after waiting only seconds if a site is unresponsive. And Google's Matt Cutts himself expanded upon the search engine's decision to incorporate site speed into their search algorithms. Extra pieces of code like the Google Analytics tracking code can start to affect the load time of your site.

Enter Google Analytics asynchronous tracking. The new tracking snippet is placed in a different spot on your website and now loads much faster, improving both your data accuracy and your website's load time.

Installing Asynchronous Google Analytics on Your Squarespace Site

It's easy to convert to the new tracking code if you're on the Squarespace web publishing platform. Follow these simple steps:

1. Locate and delete your traditional Google Analytics tracking code from your site. You may want to copy this to a text file for backup purposes.
2. Select the Code Injection tab within your Squarespace Website Settings in the Website Management interface
3. Enter the new Google Analytics asynchronous tracking snippet within the Extra Header Code editor. Be sure to enter your specific Google tracking ID (e.g., 'UA-XXXXX-X').
4. Click Update Information. You're done. Easy, huh?

(Note: Most custom tracking works the same. Check the new Usage Guide for more details.)

(Click to enlarge)

What do you think of the new Google Analytics tracking snippet? If you're using it already, are you seeing more traffic? Better load times? If you've grown skeptical of the free web analytics tool, does asynchronous tracking help improve your opinion of Google Analytics? Leave a comment below and share your thoughts.

How 4Q and Google Analytics Teamed Up to Show You "Why"

If you're here, you probably have your own web analytics package installed on your website. Maybe you even have goal funnels set up to know when people are buying your product, subscribing to your newsletter or performing some other task of interest. You know that, with just a little effort, you can find out who is coming to your site and what they're doing. But all web analytics enthusiasts have been plagued with one question. Why do visitors do the things they do? This week, Google Analytics and 4Q announced an integration that will add even more value and insights to your web analytics activities by answering a critical question. Why?

Web analytics thought leader Avinash Kaushik called it Trinity, a mindset and strategy for understanding web analytics. In order to improve your web performance, you need to know who visits your website, what they do and why they do it. Kaushik described how "clickstream" tools like Google Analytics could show you the who and the what, but they couldn't tell you the why. Enter 4Q.

Kaushik joined forces with iPerceptions in 2008 and released a free tool called 4Q, a product that allows you to get a sense for why your visitors do what they do by asking them four simple questions via a pop-up invitation :

• What are your visitors at your site to do?
• Are they completing what they set out to do?
• If not, why?
• How satisfied are your visitors?

Traditionally, your Google Analytics data and 4Q data stayed within each tool. On Friday, May 14, 4Q rolled out it's new integration with Google Analytics - along with custom purpose of visit choices - allowing users to create custom reports filled with awesome "why" data of 4Q.

The setup video on the 4Q website was enough information to get started. The integration process itself takes about a minute. Once your 4Q and Google Analytics accounts are connected, all 4Q responses are collected in the form of custom variables, which can be added to custom reports in Google Analytics.

On a side note, I couldn't find any information on how custom variables map to the 4Q questions. After a little trial-and-error, I've determined the following mapping:

• Custom Variable 5 (Value) = 4Q Task Completion
• Custom Variable 4 (Value) = 4Q Purpose of Visit
• Custom Variable 3 (Value) = 4Q Satisfaction

Presently, I'm excited about the integration. But I have started to have second thoughts about 4Q. The only problem with 4Q is that many people find the pop-up invitation form itself to be annoying. And as more mobile users begin to see the form, it's apparently beginning to pose usability problems as well. Imagine, the very tool I installed to improve customer experience ends up taking away from it. You can bet I'll be keeping an eye on my visitors' reactions to 4Q to see whether the tool is doing more harm or good.

Kaushik's mental framework for web analytics has expanded well beyond Trinity, but the who, what and why remain a vital part of the equation. What are your thoughts about the 4Q/Google Analytics integration? Is there a custom report you're just dying to create? Is there a "Why?" you've been wanting to answer for a long time? Or is 4Q's pop-up survey more trouble than it's worth. Leave a comment below and share your opinion.

The Best Way to Block/Ignore Your Own Google Analytics Traffic

It's a problem avid internet marketers, Google Analytics enthusiasts and bloggers face all the time when viewing reports. Which visits to your website are from your visitors and which visits are from you yourself?  And despite excellent guides on identifying your own traffic by using techniques like blocking your IP address, filtering out your service provider or even trying to ignore your browser cookies, there remains no bullet-proof process to block or ignore your own visits within Google Analytics. Until now.

Ok, technically we're not going to filter out your traffic completely. We're going to go a step further and create segments, letting you measure all of your activity separate from your visitors' traffic. Doing so will not only prevent your traffic from muddying your web analytics waters, but it will also enable you to develop insights into your own traffic (and work) patterns.

The process will require you to dabble in Google Analytics' advanced segments and one of my favorite tools for tracking campaigns, Google's URL builder. Finally, it's going to take a minor commitment on your part. Here's the basic plan:

1. Create a special bookmark using the Google Analytics URL Builder tool that only you will use to access your website - your "Google Analytics Traffic Bookmark"
2. Set your Traffic Boomark in every browser and every PC from which you normally access your website
3. Start your browser session for your website by using your Work Bookmark any time you visit site,.
4. Create two new Google Analytics Advanced Segments to separate your traffic from your visitors' traffic

Creating the Google Analytics Traffic Bookmark

The first step to measure, not blog/ignore your traffic is to create the Google Analytics Traffic Bookmark. Visit the Google Analytics campaign url builder and follow these steps:

1. Enter your Website URL in Step 1
2. For Step 2, enter your company name as your Campaign Source
3. Enter your name as the Campaign Medium
4. Enter "Work" as the Campaign Name
5. In Step 3, generate your URL and copy the resulting link to your clipboard
6. Add your new Traffic Bookmark to every browser from which you access your website

Google Analytics URL Builder is great for creating custom campaigns like the Traffic Bookmark.

Making Your Google Analytics Traffic Bookmark a Habit

Every successful solution is the perfect mix of people, process and tools. This one will require some diligence on your part. Once you've set your Google Analytics Traffic Bookmark, make sure you use it consistently. Every time you access your website, use your Traffic Bookmark. Make sure you use it after each break too as Google Analytics' default session length is 30 minutes. After you've built up some of your own traffic to the site, crack open Google Analytics to perform the final task, creating Google Analytics Advanced Segments.

Segment, Segment, Segment

Seeing how certain types of visitors behaved on your site relative to others - like you and your co-workers' traffic vs. your customers' traffic - is a critical part of success with Google Analytics. If you've never used their Advanced Segments, today's the day learn. 

Access the Dashboard for any Google Analytics profile. Click on All Visits on the right side of the dashboard, just above the date range selector. Then Create a new advanced segment.

Create new segments from the drop-down near the date range selector of your reports.

Next, follow these steps to create an advanced segment to filter our your Google Analytics Traffic Bookmark:

1. From the menu on the left, click on Dimensions, then Traffic Sources
2. Click and drag the Source dimension into the "dimension or metric" area in the main report section on the right
3. In the Value field, be sure to enter your company name exactly as you typed it in your Campaign Source field from the Google Analytics Traffic Bookmark creation process above
4. Click on Test Segment to ensure everything went OK. Your new segment should filter out a handful visits from the total.
5. Once you're happy with your new segment, enter a name and click on Create Segment
6. Optional: You can repeat this process with one exception to create a segment for every visit that wasn't a result of your Google Analytics Traffic Bookmark. Just make sure you change the Condition to "Does not match exactly"

Always be sure to test your segments. :)

Measure to Succeed

Now that you've created your Google Analytics Traffic Bookmark, adopted your new process of using it religiously and created advanced segments to filter your Traffic Bookmark, it's time to enjoy the fruits of your efforts. Data. Simply apply your new advanced segment to any report in your Google Analytics profile to distill the insights you seek. You'd be surprised what you can learn by measuring, not blocking or ignoring your own traffic in your Google Analytics reports. 

Use the process outlined here today to clearly measure your own traffic to your website.What else could you learn by measuring your own traffic? Are there productivity or community engagement patterns to be analyzed? Something else? What will you look at in Google Analytics or your web analytics tool when you stop blocking or ignoring your own traffic? Leave a comment below and share your thoughts.

The Complete Google Analytics iPhone App Guide

Whether you frequently need website data on demand or are just a Google Analytics addict, having quick access to Google Analytics is important to many bloggers and business folks alike. Your smart phone can be an excellent way to access this information on the go, but there are so many apps on the market already. You don't want to buy just any app. As a blogger, Google Analytics enthusiast and iPhone owner myself, it's no wonder that I'm also interested in finding the very best Google Analytics iPhone app out there.

After reading about the Top iPhone Apps for Social Media Marketing nearly month ago, I've been slowly making it through every Google Analytics iPhone app on the iTunes store. I tested each one for a few basic, yet critical personal iPhone app user criteria:

• iPhone App Usability - iPhone app users expect excellent usability. Simple tasks like selecting websites or reports have to be easy. Selecting date ranges must be swift and intuitive. Bonus points are applied heavily for Google Analytics app that minimize excessive screens and scrolling without cluttering the iPhone screen.
• (iPhone app shown here: Visits. Click to enlarge.)Google Analytics Insights, Not Just Data - As web analytics evangelist Avinash Kaushik always suggests, web analytics is about the maximizing your insights, not necessarily reports. Great Google Analytics iPhone apps provide the best traffic and outcomes insights in as few reports as possible.
• iPhone App Price - Google Analytics iPhone apps already vary widely in price. Some are well worth it. Some aren't. I'm willing to pay for services but expect value.

After scouring the market and without further ado, I bring you the Complete Google Analytics iPhone App Guide.

Full Service Google Analytics iPhone Apps

Our guide is split into two basic categories, full service and specialty. Full Service Google Analytics iPhone apps should provide access to all major visitor, traffic, content, goals e-commerce and event information for a Google Analytics profile.

Quality Full Service Google Analytics iPhone Apps:

• Update 6/23/10: Analytics App recently came out with an updated version of their app that includes beautiful graphs as well as much better goal information. At this point, Analytics App (see below) is the winner
• Bam Analytics - Current Google Analytics iPhone App Champ. Bam Analytics knows how important it is to show not only stats on your website visitors (i.e., traffic sources, browsers, content), but what they did as well (i.e., conversions, ecommerce, goals). Bam Analytics provides great conversion rate information on search and e-commerce. While I'd personally like to see some additional conversion rate metrics surrounding traffic sources and campaigns, as well as event summaries, Bam Analytics is already the leading Google Analytics iPhone app for outcomes. Did I mention they also allow for advanced segments and reports?

• Analytics App - Very good but in need of a few tweaks. Analytics App has one of the easiest date range interfaces of all the Google Analytics iPhone apps. The robust report list is anchored by the Dashboard, Today and Yesterday Overview Reports, which is helpful overall but sorely lacks info on goals, conversions, events, campaigns, etc. Analytics App is overall a solid iPhone app with great design and utility. A few optimizations here and there could make it the champ.

• AnalyticsPro - Another great iPhone app just shy of perfection. AnalyticsPro has a lot of things going for it as well. It provides for different visualization options of detailed traffic reports, which help to coax insights out of Google Analytics. Again, this iPhone app is overall very good but lacks summary reports with outcomes. 

(Bam Analytics provides access to goals. Click to enlarge)(Analytics App has a great interface. Click to enlarge)(AnalyticsPro has great graphs. Click to enlarge)

Google Analytics iPhone Apps Requiring Improvement:

• (Click to enlarge.)Pocket GA - Personally, I like the date range user interface of Pocket GA above nearly every other Google Analytics iPhone app. Unfortunately, they're missing quite a few key core reports -- outcomes, keywords, conversion, campaigns, events - the usual.
• Analytics Agent - Analytics Agent has a clunky date interface and minimal access to outcomes from the summary reports. There are much better Google Analytics iPhone app options available. Moving on...
• Buzz InSites - This Google Analytics did not live up to my expectations in the least. When I first saw Buzz InSites, they claimed to provide access to your web analytics and social profile metrics from one convenient interface. For the $5 price tag, I thought, it had better do that and more. Buzz InSites flops out out of the gate with clunky login and date selection interfaces. The scant Google Analytics and Twitter summary information at the end of the usability maze leaves much to be desired with this iPhone app. 

Specialty Google Analytics iPhone Apps

Specialty Google Analytics iPhone apps are apps that are designed to show one feature or particular aspect of your website's performance. Their purposes vary widely, as does there quality.

Specialty Google Analytics iPhone Apps Worth a Look:

• (Click to enlarge.)Ego - Even though high-level stats like website visitors, Twitter followers and Feedburner subscribers don't necessarily translate to outcomes for business or personal goals, they can be of great appeal to our vanity. That's why Ego is the perfect app to check summary metrics across multiple platforms quickly.
• Visits - Visits shows one thing and one thing only - visits. See summary stats, traffic sources and keywords. The app doesn't say it can do anything it can't. See the image above.

Specialty Google Analytics iPhone Apps Needing Improvement:

• Analyze This! - This fun app shows great executive level summary info for goals, e-commerce and campaigns. While this free iPhone app shows a lot of potential, it's seemed a bit buggy to me -- I encountered a time-out on several occasions. But hey, it's free and I certainly look forward to any improvements this app developer chooses to pursue and thank them for sharing their tool with us! As social media and Web 2.0 continues to prove again and again, the best tools can also be free.
• (Analyze This! has promise but needs a little work. Click to enlarge.)Analytics, Touchlytics, Cracklytics - These apps are great examples of someone playing around with a Google Analytics API. Without some major improvement, it would be hard for the beginner, intermediate or advanced Google Analytics user to derive much value from these iPhone apps in their current state.  The best part about iPhone apps is that they're updated frequently. I have faith that these apps can utilize their customer feedback and improve their product accordingly.

Having a web analytics platform like Google Analytics installed on your website is important to advancing your site closer towards your personal and/or professional goals. iPhone users -- well, at smartphone users, really -- have the ability to access this information from anywhere at any time via the apps listed here today.

Does your review of these apps differ from mine? How do you measure a good Google Analytics iPhone app? WWhich one do you use? I foresee a lot more movement from developers on these types of iPhone apps in the coming months and years. Leave a comment below to add to the conversation here at Big Picture Web.

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