Google Analytics: how to use it to do Growth Hacking

When it comes to Growth Hacking, it is not enough to know the best strategies in the industry or the ones most used by the competition. What matters is understanding what works for our own business. There’s only one way to find out: by measuring traffic and customer behavior. How? With analysis tools like Google Analytics. Let’s see why Growth Hacking and GA are so closely related.

Have you decided to tryGrowth Hackingtogrow your company or startup? Excellent idea. Many companies have broadened their horizons (and profits!) thanks to this methodology.

Facebook, Twitter, Uber, Airbnb and PayPalhave become the big companies we know today precisely thanks to Growth Hacking, but you should know that applying a new marketing strategy is not enough to be successful.

Measuring the results obtained consistently and constantlyis an integral part of the process and the litmus test of user satisfaction (and therefore, of a good strategy).

Growth Hacking: a creative but rigorous methodology

Growth hacking is aninnovative approach, but it’s not new: It’s been a decade since Silicon Valley’s most talented marketer,Sean Ellis, first spoke about using a groundbreaking growth-based marketing methodology. with traditional patterns.

Since then, marketers, or rathergrowth hackers, have been able to experiment with different techniques and channels and streamline their processes.

What emerged, and is still the basis of Growth Hacking today, is the need for acontinuous experimentation phase, followed by averification phase of the resultsto modify the strategies that do not convert as they should or could do better.

This procedure is essential toconsciously allocate marketing budgetsand ensure that a business grows quickly and at the lowest cost.

PirateMarketingdoesn’t give the idea of ​​a methodical and rigorous approach, does it? But it is quite the opposite.

The Growth Hacking method is creative anddisruptivecompared to more traditional marketing techniques, but it is developed within aprecise and scrupulous framework.

To grow you have toexperiment. But to know in which direction to go, it is necessary toverify the results obtained.

Analytics and Growth Hacking: two inseparable companions

Growth Hacking uses tests to interpret user behavior and adapt the product or service to what they want or need.

Datais essential to understand in which directionthe preferences or needs of potential customers are going and thus achieve sustainable growth.

This means that a growth hacker, in addition to knowing their target audience, channels, and growth strategies perfectly, must also be able touse analytics tools.

Google Analytics, Search Console, Tag Manager, Tableauare just some of the digital tools that allow a growth hacker to know if the strategies they have implemented are working or not.

Analysis and data management: the two great challenges of marketing

By collecting results onviews, subscriptions, purchases, bounce rates,and more, a marketer can make informed decisions and move in the right direction.

But data management is not always easy and, very often, marketing teams find themselves with two big problems:

1. Analysis tools management

Data is collected from various sources, and often when a new tool is introduced, data from previously used platforms is left out. This causes periods of “downtime” when a database needs to be reset.

2. Data analysis capacity

In many companies, the overall responsibility for the data rests with aspecific professional figure. All other team members are not responsible from this point of view.

This practice creates several problems because even the designer orcopywritermust be aware of their performance, in order to change their approach if the results are not satisfactory.

Google Analytics Reports Available to the Growth Hacker

When used well, Google Analytics can help your business grow.

It is not necessary to be an expert to benefit from the information provided by GA: the main data on users, traffic channels, devices used and most viewed content are available directly on theHome page of the tool.

More detailed and specific data can be accessed through the handy drop-down menu that opens on the left in the following sections:

• Personalization(connected to Google Data Studio, to create customdashboardsand reports).
• In real time(to study data in real time).
• Audience(to find detailed information about the users of the site, such as demographic data, location and the devices from which they connect).
• Acquisition(to delve into traffic acquisition channels and the main user behaviors in each of them).
• Behavior(here we find useful information on views, average time on page, bounce rate and most viewed pages).
• Conversions(if you have set strategic goals, such as sessions on a thank you page, downloads, or a specific purchase amount, you can check whether the goal has been met).

How to Leverage Google Analytics for Growth Hacking

Google Analytics is a powerful platform that can be used by businesses in all industries. If you know how to use it and interpret the data it provides, you can get all the information you need to drive your business growth.

These are someanalyzes that you can carry out with Google Analyticsto immediately improve your Growth Hacking strategies:

1. Mobile traffic analysis

In theAudiencereport you will find valuable information about the devices used by users who visit your website. How many connect from mobile or tablet? How many use Android instead of iOS? Which mobile devices are driving the most conversions?

Answering these questions allows you to adjust your strategies,adapting your content to the characteristics of the devices most used by your audience.

Not only that: you can check why conversions are not happening on certain devices or mobile operating systems (perhaps it is aresponsive designissue ?) and fix them.

2. Analysis of channels and traffic sources

Where does the best converting traffic to your site come from? In theAll Traffic section of the Acquisition report, you can find out which traffic acquisition strategies work best (SEO, email marketing, social media marketing, paid ads, partnerships with other brands or media, …) and push them further to increase your income.

3. Analysis of user behavior

From the Google AnalyticsBehavior reportyou can retrieve interesting information about user satisfaction with what you publish on your website.

For example, you can discover:

• how many people convert on the first visit;
• which formats and contenthave the best impact on engagement;
• in which positions within the page the forms and the calls to actionwork better.

Optimizing landing pages based on this data can significantly increase your conversions.

Not excited about the results of the latest content you’ve posted? No problem, this is also part of the Growth Hacking methodology.

As Arthur Bloch said“No experiment is a complete failure: it can always serve as a negative example”.

4. Funnel Analysis

If you have set goals in your Google Analytics account, in theGoals section of the Conversions reportyou will be able to see useful data to improve your Growth Hacking strategies.

Specifically, you can take a look atFunnel Visualizationand check the movement of traffic through the conversion funnel.

Funnel analysis helps you, for example, to identifyproblematic steps for the userthat make conversion difficult.

You may find that many users leave the site when asked to enter personal information, such as their date of birth or phone number.

By looking at the funnel holistically, you may also find that while the majority of traffic comes from mobile, conversions come primarily from desktop. Knowing this will help you improve your growth hacking efforts.

Are you ready to take advantage of Google Analytics for Growth Hacking?

Remember that to achieve any goal it is essential to know if the path you are taking is the right one.

You canstart with GA and then dig into the data with more specific tools,like the tool dashboards you use to manage your day-to-day marketing activities.

For example, with MailUp you can know the statistics of your email campaigns in real time, obtaining reports on the recipient or delivery.

Use the data in your favor and you will see that your Growth Hacking strategy converts even better!