Does Your Content Work? Advanced KPIs for Google Analytics

Check out even more about personalization and artificial intelligence with FUSE Enterprise. You spend tons of time making sure every word in your blog posts is perfect, but are you measuring the performance of these posts effectively? Whether you're a Google Analytics magician or a certified beginner, GA is integral when evaluating the performance of any website (including small blogs). For many just starting out in Google Analytics, digging through your plethora of data to unearth actionable insights is no small feat. To save your soul (and your time!) this post will walk you through how to create my go-to advanced segment: Engagement/Post. This GA segment is simple, quick and applicable to any type of blog or business with content-focused KPIs. Without further ado, here's how you can take advantage of the unique segment I created to measure user engagement on my blog. What Is Google Analytics Advanced Segmentation? Google Analytics Advanced Segments isolate specific types of traffic within your reporting views for deeper analysis. Segments essentially allow you to view GA data that follows your specified criteria. There are five ways to customize segments; by: Demographics Technology User Behavior Date of First Visit Traffic Source In addition to this list, GA provides the ability to program your parameters with conditions and/or sequences under the "Advanced" tab within the segment editor. This gives you the added flexibility of setting multiple conditions (which we'll explore later) for your segments. Using Advanced and Custom Segments in Google Analytics In any view, segments can be found at the top of the screen underneath the header that contains the report's name, your selected date range and the options for sharing. To remove/edit/share segments, toggle its settings by clicking the arrow next to each box. GA offers pre-set segments, such as: Converters Non-converters Direct Traffic Mobile Traffic Etc. Take a look at these later on, if you're interested in using Google's system segments. Creating the 'Engagement/Post' Segment My go-to segment, Engagement/Post, is unique because it gives you a refined look at the performance of specific content rather than an overall peek at website traffic. [caption id="attachment_64133" align="aligncenter" width="192"] Here’s how I define Engagement when creating the Engagement/Post segment[/caption] Next, you'll create a condition that excludes traffic from your categorical website pages (example: home page, about us, etc.). Because it's super-important to analyze these separately. This is because user intent and behavior varies, depending on where they are on your site. Bundling all activity without distinguishing between the pages that matter most is a sure-fire way to fudge up a good GA analysis. Of course, this can all be done in a variety of ways without using advanced segments (think: filters, views, content groupings, etc.). But segmentation in GA is a foolproof way of validating this type of traffic data without getting your hands too dirty. [caption id="attachment_64134" align="aligncenter" width="469"] Your GA segment should look something like this now[/caption] This advanced segment will allow you to better understand which content drives the most engaged users on your site. Compare it against other segments for best results. Explore the Solutions Gallery The GA Solutions Gallery is for those interested in importing dashboards, custom reports and segments into their own GA accounts. Essentially, this platform serves as a forum for sharing user-generated GA solutions. The Solutions Gallery is perfect for beginners, because there aren't any major commitments or heavy setup involved with importing. For pros, check out the GA Solutions Gallery if you're looking for specific, detailed segments that align with common KPIs. Feeling lucky? Upload or create your own solution to share publicly for reuse in the gallery. Recommended Dashboards for Content Marketers The Content Analysis Dashboard provides you with insights that help evaluate the efficiency of your content. The dashboard widgets show the pages that are underperforming or overperforming so you can adjust your strategy accordingly. The Engagement and Loyalty Dashboard helps you analyze traffic growth over time to improve loyalty and engagement with your content. You can also create your own dashboard in Google Analytics under the "Customization" tab. The tab is great for everyday GA users who wish to make shortcuts, craft custom reports and receive alerts. Marketers, what's your opinion on my Engagement/Post segment? Did you implement it, or did you find another segment that matched your needs in the Solutions Gallery? Learn even more about the convergence of technology and branded content at the FUSE Enterprise summit. Artificial intelligence and personalization will be featured among many other techniques and technologies.

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Does Your Content Work? Advanced KPIs for Google Analytics

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