Google Analytics Intro — Review. The deeper I dive into the CXL…
By: Jenna Hamlet
Tags: Google Analytics Tips, Marketing, Conversion, Google Analytics, Cro

The deeper I dive into the CXL Institute digital courses on Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO), the more I realize just how intense marketing is. I always knew there were a million and one tactics to get people interested in your product, to get them to make a purchase… but the degree to which science and psychology is involved really surprised me. There’s a lot more developing than I ever imagined. I’m glad for this, because it means there is no end in sight for what marketers can do online. Just as our understanding of humans continues to grow, so does our knowledge of how we can best sell to them. If you’re curious about my previous blog (all about influence and interactive design, make sure to give it a read, as well!)

Speaking of not realizing the depths… 2 words: Google Analytics. If you’re anything like me, you know the basics of this phenomenon. If you’re also like, it can be a bit overwhelming to know where to begin. This is why I was pleasantly surprised to find out that this was included in the CRO course list. As usual, I’m ready to give you some of my most valued tips.

The essential factor of Google Analytics is that you can track successes and areas in need of improvement. Rather than having no clue where to begin, we can use practical ways to gather information. Analytics will help measure the behaviors of those who viewed your blog post, or who saw your advertisement, not just the number of eyes on it. It’s truly about more than just results, but how you achieved those results.

3 things that Analytics focuses on is:

Collecting information — because details are important. After that, it stores those details in a behavioral database. Tracking codes that are placed on pages are definitely considered to be an important detail and a behavioral tracker. This data is put into a report that you can view at any time (built-in) so that you can see what’s going on, good or bad.

Tag Manager is a really great information manager. It collects and sends info to G.A. so it can store what it has gathered.

Google Data Studio connects the stored information to G.A. and pulls that data out and then “visualizes it” — which is how those pretty dashboards and reports come about. They’re designed to answer your questions, rather than just giving you the facts.

Now there was a LOT to cover in this lesson. Hours of videos that we chalk full of instructions and solid teaching. I can honestly say I wouldn’t be able to do this instructor justice by giving you some quick notes. With that being said, I highly recommend you look into taking this course for yourself. If you’re interested in more about Google Analytics to really hone in on your company’s results, you can view your options at the CXL website.

Landing Pages. Familiar with them? What about understanding the landing page experience? Whether you’re a newbie to this, or a complete pro, I think you’ll enjoy this next lesson… I know I did!

A landing page is the first thing your viewers see when they click on any sort of link. An effective landing page:

Shortens the journey from click to conversion

Follows up on “promises” made in ad source

Speaks to user motivation & addresses barriers

Answers important questions & creates charity

Creates a clear path to the conversion goal

We want to build momentum. If they’ve clicked the ad, they’re motivated, so we’re trying to build that up with the concepts listed above.

2 Fundamentally Different Modes of Thinking are:

FAST, which is Intuitive Thinking.

Nearly involuntary, like 2 + 2 = 4. You can get a snap conclusion right away.

Automatic, emotional, subconscious, lives only in the moment

SLOW, which is Analytical Thinking

Taking a bit longer to think about the answer. Going into a different mode of processing.

Effortful, logical, conscious, ability to project to itself into the future

Things get difficult for humans pretty quickly. We can get overwhelmed easily. Due to this, we want to stay away from our landing pages being “too much” to look at, to think about, etc. The last thing we want is for potential conversions to ask themselves if the brain power is worth their energy.

Priming is the idea that exposure to one stimulus influences response to a subsequent stimulus. Get them warmed up and make sure in each stage, they know what’s going on because it’s all related. Even in regards to colors or patterns, stick to your theme so everything is consistent.

Framing is the idea that the way you deliver a message has a direct impact on how it is perceived. So something that can be present be presented in 2 drastically different ways, changing the power of how we view it.

The concept WYSIATI stands for: “What You See Is All There Is.” Essentially, we have our reality in front of us. We can’t help but fill in the gaps to make a full story.

Wireframes…

They are a huge part of a properly functioning site. This should be started early on to map out your website.

When it comes to building information hierarchy, we want to start by defining who, what, and where. After that, we can start the question section, the motivations, break down barriers… Once that is established, we can begin the wireframes.

Some key take-aways from this particular section:

Never let design constrict your copy.

Information Hierarchy is important, because it insists it asks what information is important and how much of it is necessary.

It’s okay to have a lot of copy on your landing page, as long as it is crucial to understanding the product/service, logical, and to the point

Can your page be clearly understood immediately? Does it take more than 5 seconds for a viewer to process what they’re looking at?

Is the info prioritized from most to least important?

Is the individual’s motivation increased via momentum and building their trust?

Deep breath. We aren’t through with these lessons just yet, but it might be all we can handle for this blog ;) I’ll catch you next week to continue!