You\'ve probably heard the phrase: The best time to plant a tree was twenty years ago, and the second best time is right now. If you don\'t already have Google Analytics tracking code on your website, you\'re missing out on an opportunity to collect valuable information about how people are interacting with your website. It\'s always a good idea to start collecting data now, even if you don\'t need it today - because you might (should) want it later. The best part is, Google doesn’t charge a dime for it. How can analytics help? Here are a few examples.

devices

Google analytics can show you what kind of devices your site visitors are using - desktop, tablet, or smartphone. It\'s tempting to think that the general public interacts with your website in the same way that you do: on a desktop computer, during the week, for example. Imagine if you found out that 78% of your traffic was actually from mobile devices - but your website was built a while back, and it\'s not mobile-friendly (because you didn\'t think it was necessary, way back when your site was built). Consider it an opportunity for improvement!

referrals

You can also get information about how people are finding your website. Are most people finding you on social media, then clicking through to the site? Is there more traffic coming from Facebook, or Twitter? Maybe there\'s an article out there that has been sending people your way, that you didn\'t even know about (this happens more often than you might think). Whatever the case may be, it\'s better to be informed so you can make educated decisions about your marketing strategy and what to do next.

traffic flows & funnels

What pages do people go to when they visit your site? What pathways or funnels do they follow before reaching your contact or purchase pages? You might assume they start at the homepage, then click through all the links at the top - About, Services, Testimonials, then Contact, for example. The reality might be completely different, however. It\'s possible that the first page people see when they visit your site is an old blog post, because they\'re searching for an obscure phrase and that post is ranking well for it. Google Analytics provides this information and can also tell you that 80% of people go from there, straight to the contact or purchasing page, bypassing your homepage completely. How would information like that change the way you think about your website? That\'s just the tip of the iceberg. Not sure if Google Analytics has been installed on your site? We can check for you. Need help adding it, or feeling overwhelmed trying to figure out what it all means? We\'re here to help. Avenue 25 is a top ranked marketing and advertising agency in Phoenix, providing award-winning graphic design, branding, web design (we\'ve been named Top Phoenix Web Design Companies), search engine optimization (SEO) and digital marketing services to Arizona, national and international organizations.   About the author: We at Avenue 25 believe great ideas come from incredibly talented individuals, not an over-staffed office full of clock-punchers. We’re a boutique creative studio. That means we’re purposely small, highly creative and extremely versatile. Unlike other advertising agencies, graphic design and web design companies, every member of our team is required to be an “expert” in at least one field and highly skilled and knowledgeable in numerous others. We’re those people who feel the need to constantly be learning something and are always coming up with inventive ideas and unique solutions. Boutique also means that unlike others we don’t have a gatekeeper between you and our creative professionals.