I talk about Google Analytics quite a lot on Nellie and Co. I use it quite passionately in terms of tracking my blogs statistics, on checking out which posts get the most viewing, how well my social media marketing is working and so much more, but for beginners, it's much more difficult to traverse the program, especially when you have no idea where to start.
As a beginner, Google Analytics was, in one word, scary. So many options, so much information, what the heck is a bounce rate?! It's all a little overwhelming, and if you don't where to start, you can either end up with a program installed on your blog that you don't really know how to use, or really be missing out on some sweet information on your blog while you look sorrowfully at your pageviews. To make things that little bit easier for GA beginners, I've put together this super simple tutorial featuring the basic uses for the program so you can make the most of your blogs statistics and finally understand what all those numbers actually mean.
Hold on, why do I need Google Analytics? Aren't my blog stats enough?
Um, no, I'm afraid your blog stats aren't enough, at least, not you're serious about keeping a close eye on your blog and, you know, actually getting yourself some growth beans. Trust me, as a Blogspot user, I learnt the hard way when I cracked the reason you shouldn't rely on blogspot stats, and using Google Analytics was a HUGE game changer for me. Personally, I can't comment on Wordpress either, but from experience with other bloggers I know and trust, almost every single one of them has GA in their backpack. Google Analytics can give you some of the best, most in depth information about your blog, information you never in your wildest dreams expected to have. Yes, you need GA, and no, your blog stats are not enough. Sorry..
