How to Use Google Analytics to Give Your Readers What They Want

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OK, I am not going to get into the “Google is angel/devil” discussion here, because I am sure you have very strong feelings about it, as most blog owners do.

What I want to talk about it using Google’s free tools to learn about what your readers like and how to give them more of it, with a goal of bringing them back, signing up for your email list or what ever goal you have.

The tool you will need is – Google Analytics. If you haven’t installed it on your blog yet, do it now. (http://www.google.com/analytics/) To implement the tip I will be laying out below, you will need at least a few weeks of data to be able to dig into it deep enough.

Why use Google Analytics?

Regardless of whether Google is good or evil, Google Analytics is a great free tool and it is important that you take advantage of this valuable information.

Using Google Analytics to Give Readers What They Want

So if you have the Analytics installed for some time, you will have the data you need and we can dig in. Go to your account and open the data for the site you are checking (if you have more than one).

1. Go to Content –  Site Content – All pages: See the screenshot below.

2. This will open a list with pages on your site that get the most visits along with some other info:

 

3. Now that you have the list in front of you, you can see which pages are attracting the most visitors to your blog. You can also check for the keywords that are attracting visitors but since Analytics stopped reporting most of them, you won’t really have a lot of useful data. 

Sometimes, seeing what are your top pages may surprise you. Often, they aren’t the ones you put the most time and effort in, they are the ones solving a specific problem, while targeting a nice long tail keyword.

4. The next thing to do is see which page has longer time on page. That means people are staying on it longer. If it is a tutorial, they may have it open in front of them while doing what you wrote about. What ever the reason, people seem to like the page if they are staying on it longer. Pair that with low exit and bounce rate and you have a winner.

Does the Topic Fit?

Now that you found which pages are attracting and keeping the visitors, time to figure out if the topic is right for this tip and get to work.

What you want to do before implementing the tip is make sure the topic is actually fitting for your blog. Yes, I know it is a post on your blog but it doesn’t always fit perfectly.

For example, one of the most visited posts on my blog talks abut fixing a .htaccess file hack, since I had it happen and had to learn how to fix it. Since all my readers are bloggers themselves, I wanted to share the experience with them, in case they have the same thing happen, so they can use the quick  fix I applied.

So you see, I have a popular post, it is attracting and keeping visitors, but you will see it does not fit into this blog growth strategy.

The pages  you picked from the line up are going to serve as the starting point for your blog growth and more content. I hear often how people run out of ideas for blog posts so this should solve your problem.

The Procedure – How to Use Google Analytics Data

Pick one post to start with. Write down the keywords it is being found for, if you have them. Write down the reasons you believe the page gets people to stick around. Make a list of details you missed when you wrote the post (there is always something you could have added to a post that you realized later). Make a list of issues and different angles that are related to the post. Write down all the additional questions you had people ask in the comment section.

These are all going to be new post ideas that will let you expand on the topic and create more content. 

Since it will all be related and connected, interlink all the posts so you can have a flow on your blog. That way, people who land on this starting post will have additional information in other posts and they will keep hopping from one post to the other.

You see now why I could not use this strategy on my .htaccess hack post? Expanding on that and writing more content on related topics is absolutely unrelated to the topic of my blog and is more suitable for a tech blog.

Digging through posts like this and expanding on the topic you already wrote about is a great way to never be out of blog post ideas and create more and more targeted content for your readers. Google Analytics is hiding a traffic goldmine in your stats and the information is there for you to use.

32 Comments

1. 

   Riki

   February 22, 2013 at 9:54 am

   Google analytics is the best place to see the quality of our blog. However, a webmaster or blogger will not be successful without google analytics.
   Thanks for the post.
   Riki recently posted..Double Jogging Strollers

   Reply
2. 

   nessa

   January 15, 2013 at 5:08 am

   They’ve changed and updated it to really keep up with the other third party reporting systems.
   nessa recently posted..Welcome to our new website!

   Reply
3. 

   soniya sharma

   October 27, 2012 at 7:00 am

   Hi,Awesome Post!
   This is very informative and interesting post. I like to use Google Analytic because it Shows the visitors that where the visitor coming from, which OS your visitor using, how much time they stay on your site,Most important of your keywords from which keyword they coming from. I am always use it..Well thanks for sharing with us.

   Reply
4. 

   shane knight

   October 7, 2012 at 9:41 am

   is google analytics slow down the site loading time as i have copied the code before body…Please let me know thanks
   shane knight recently posted..Breaking the Rules of Web Design

   Reply
5. 

   hira

   October 4, 2012 at 9:58 am

   Great post Brankica – I have found site speed and site search very handy tools for improving the user experience on sites, so it is great that you have brought these to everyones attention. As you suggested with site search I use it to make sure the most relevant products are displayed when the users are entering different terms which site search shows me. I also use it to monitor what products are in demand and pass this knowledge on to colleagues when there are products that aren’t in our range. As some of the others have commented flow visualization looks a very handy insight, but I too hadn’t used it yet oh dear! However thanks to you I will be now – well done!
   hira recently posted..What is male breast cancer (dofollow)

   Reply
6. 

   Steve

   October 3, 2012 at 10:45 am

   Hats off to Google. It provides each and everything to grow our knowledge and make anything simple. Google analytics also great tool to keep trackback of your website data. Thank you Brankica for your first amazing post here.

   Reply
7. 

   Henry

   October 1, 2012 at 9:50 am

   Pretty useful information. I also used keywords that triggered my website on searches, I’ve optimized them and create useful content that would bring another traffic to my blog.

   Reply
8. 

   JS

   September 30, 2012 at 4:30 pm

   Even after a few years of using analytics I still don’t think I am using it correctly. I know what it can do and if nothing else it gives me the number of visitors I am getting. I recently figured out how to check the visitor flow which is really cool and has allowed me to adust certain pages and have found that I am able to control the flow and direction of my visitors. Thanks for the awesome information.
   JS recently posted..SoCal Mobile Auto Detail Terms and Conditions

   Reply
   • 

     Brankica

     October 4, 2012 at 11:10 pm

     Oh I am the same way, I don’t think I use more than 20% of its capabilities, but I am always trying to learn more! And to think that they keep adding features all the time
     Brankica recently posted..SEO PowerSuite review – Replicate successful SEO campaigns

     Reply
9. 

   Cristian Stan

   September 30, 2012 at 9:36 am

   Using Google analytics to improve the number of your blog readers can be very tedious job, but definitely will be worth of your time once you started to rip off all the results of all your hardwork. However, before getting deep into the benefits, you must first learn the ins and outs of the entire process on how to maximize your google analytics.
   Cristian Stan recently posted..Best Dishwasher Reviews 2012

   Reply
   • 

     Alicia

     September 30, 2012 at 5:10 pm

     I agree with you Cristian. I admit that I am still a beginner when we talk about Google Analytics. I have just started using it not too long ago… there are just so many things to learn in the software. But I am getting the hang of it now. Haha…
     Alicia recently posted..Jigoshop eCommerce Plugin Review

     Reply
10. 

    Suzanne

    September 29, 2012 at 1:14 am

    This is a very useful post. I followed along with it very slowly (you’ll have a long on page time for this one). Tomorrow I am going to figure out what theme or content to focus on. Thanks!

    Reply
11. 

    Ivy

    September 28, 2012 at 9:14 pm

    Hi, Great post!
    I love to use Google Analytic because it gives me report about everything< imean you can check where the visitor come from, which OS your visitor using, how much time they stay on your site, from which keyword they come form..
    Google Analytic is very user friendly and pretty cool.
    Thanks!
    Ivy
    Ivy recently posted..Buy and get more twitter followers

    Reply
12. 

    Carl

    September 28, 2012 at 2:51 pm

    Thank you Brankica I’m grateful for any information which allows to get more out of Google analytics which as a website owner & maintainer is becoming a dorky form of entertainment for me sad although it sounds it is extremely interesting information

    Reply
13. 

    Maggie

    September 28, 2012 at 12:40 pm

    Google Analytics is a part and parcel of blogging. It plays an essential role in watching over traffic, demographics. Great post mentioning all the facts of GA and tips for improving content
    Maggie recently posted..Bad Piggies For PC Download

    Reply
14. 

    Soniya

    September 28, 2012 at 11:57 am

    Hello Dear

    i am using google analytics its very helpful tools because its given more information for your website, according to me this is a angel for me thanks for the sharing me

    Thanks & regards
    Soniya

    Reply
15. 

    Linda

    September 28, 2012 at 8:19 am

    Google Analytics must be used and known among all bloggers and internet marketers, It is the important tool to be used by us, one must know this own report clearly and this can be done using Google Analytics. Great share , really an awesome write up too.
    Thanks for sharing

    Reply
16. 

    Jordan

    September 28, 2012 at 4:28 am

    These are some good basic tips for someone unfamiliar to Google analytics. I have read also that bounce rate of certain pages can effect how well you rank. So it might be a good idea to tag pages with very high bounce rate as no-follow.

    Reply
    • 

      Brankica

      September 30, 2012 at 3:56 pm

      Tagging them nofollow won’t help the bounce rate, it will just nofollow all the outgoing links. You can tag it no index but then they won’t be found in Google anymore, so I don’t think that would be beneficial.
      Instead of hiding the page, it would be better to improve to it lower its bounce rate, imho
      Brankica recently posted..SEO PowerSuite review – Replicate successful SEO campaigns

      Reply
17. 

    Steve

    September 27, 2012 at 5:43 pm

    I think statcounter can do this equally well to. By the way, great insight on how to use google analytics in a very creative way
    Steve recently posted..The Three Basic Keys of Search Engine Optimisation + Kirstie Alley Shares Her Mantra For Weight Loss Success

    Reply
18. 

    Sameer

    September 27, 2012 at 4:50 pm

    I have been using several tool apart from Google analytics like statcounter but so far I have been very impressed with it. The kinda detailed stats that are shown by Google Analytics can not be found in any other tool.
    Sameer recently posted..How To Increase Google Crawl Rate

    Reply
19. 

    Elizabeth

    September 27, 2012 at 4:31 pm

    I have Google Analytics on all of my websites. But since all the Google privacy issues I’ve found that I have way too many keywords that are listed as “not provided”. Google estimates that as a low percentage but I’m seeing it as more like 20 to 25 percent. That being said I still love Google Analytics and check my results daily.
    Elizabeth recently posted..Website Design and Firebug a Match made in Heaven

    Reply
    • 

      Brankica

      September 30, 2012 at 3:57 pm

      Yeah, it will be much bigger percentage at the end of the day, which is pretty terrible, it was great to have that little piece of info, but then again, guess we will just have to lean to use other features, lol. I wish they didn’t do that though
      Brankica recently posted..SEO PowerSuite review – Replicate successful SEO campaigns

      Reply
20. 

    Terence

    September 27, 2012 at 1:43 pm

    Google analytics give webmasters or owners of the websites a clue of what keywords the visitors use on the internet. Your insights and invaluable informations is much appreciated.

    Reply
21. 

    Mahesh Verma

    September 27, 2012 at 10:14 am

    You Are Right google analytics very important for our blog and business. thanks for sharing this valuable information
    Mahesh Verma recently posted..National Geographic Roman Murder Mystery [2002]

    Reply
22. 

    sudha

    September 27, 2012 at 10:13 am

    Using Google Analytics is definitely a good approach to build up your website and know the weaknesses and strengths of your website.

    Reply
23. 

    vicky

    September 27, 2012 at 10:09 am

    This is kinda new thing that you have explained here for me. I hope to use Google Analytics to create more better posts.
    vicky recently posted..HTC Windows Phone 8X Features Price

    Reply
    • 

      Brankica

      September 27, 2012 at 4:38 pm

      Glad you liked it, you can really dig through your analytics to find some interesting stuff!
      Brankica recently posted..SEO PowerSuite review – Replicate successful SEO compaigns

      Reply
24. 

    Maja

    September 27, 2012 at 7:21 am

    SEO and Internet Marketing is impossible without Google Analytic Tool as it dishes up the anatomy of the results.This tools guides us about each and every tip of traffic

    Reply
25. 

    Aditya

    September 27, 2012 at 7:12 am

    Google Analytics is much more than a tool.Its like a GPS which tracks down all the information at just one place.One can check from where the traffic is coming and hitting your site so that you can work on the pages you are having less amount of traffic as well as the one getting huge traffic.
    Aditya recently posted..MLM Software Delhi Noida (dofollow)

    Reply
26. 

    Nawaz

    September 27, 2012 at 3:32 am

    I am using Google Analytics since last four years. My aim is to check the bounce rate of my site and how much site is enlisted in organic searches. Now we can also integrate our Adsense Account with Google Analytics.

    Reply
27. 

    Alicia

    September 27, 2012 at 12:33 am

    Google Analytics is definitely a must-have tool on any website and blog. It’s very useful to find out more details about your traffic, your visitors, demographics, and etc, which we can then use to build a better website!
    Alicia recently posted..5 Best Red WordPress Themes

    Reply

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