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Bringing Structure to a Google Analytics Audit

Beginning a Google Analytics audit can feel like an impossibly long process. With numbers and charts that seem to go on forever, it can be a challenge to know where to even start. In order to survive the waves of data it’s important to stay focused on the task at hand so you can navigate your way through the most important areas. Regular health checks of Google Analytics account are necessary to ensure the accuracy and consistency of all analytic reports. Spending time finding potential problems now can save you from headaches and frustration in the future. So without further ado, let’s get this analytics party started.

Where to Start?

In order to stay on course, it is important to set up general goals for the audit. Four great questions that can help guide you through the process are:

With these questions you can quickly come across data and decide if the findings help answer anyone of the questions. If the data found correctly answers a question, then you know Google Analytics is correctly collecting data for that report and you can move on to the next.  For the most part this strategy allows demographic reports and other audience reports to be quickly sifted through, while Acquisition and Conversion reports may provide more relevant information for identifying issues in your Google Analytics account.

Quick Checks

Before diving in deep, it is important to make sure the basic settings for your Google Analytics account are correct. In short, be sure your account follows Google’s best practices. Checking admin setup and analytics implementation can be done quickly and painlessly.

Easy and a Breeze to do:

 

Might Take a Little Elbow Grease:

Common Issues

While searching for all the unique issues in one Analytics account will take some time, there are a number of problems that constantly turn up in Analytic reports. Here are some of the more common and frequently cited problems.

Customization

Ultimately there is no one checklist for every Google Analytics Account. Checklists and the Google Analytics Help Center can be a big help, but the biggest insights will come from spending time with the data and playing with the different reports. Each website will face it’s own unique challenges when it comes to the war on data inaccuracy. Ecommerce sites may have issues with third party payment data, while local businesses might have problematic campaign goals and events.  

The best strategy is to start at the top with general reports and work your way down into the more complicated data reports. By tackling bigger problems first you can solve high priority needs and eventually expand into the more detailed issues with a bit more understanding of what you are looking for. Now go out and explore the wonderful world that is your Google Analytics account.

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