Morgan Jones - Practical Ecommerce https://www.practicalecommerce.com/author/morgan-jones Independent analysis and strategy for online merchants Sat, 19 Oct 2024 00:26:51 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.7.4 Google Analytics 4 Transition Update https://www.practicalecommerce.com/google-analytics-4-transition-update Tue, 05 Sep 2023 09:00:09 +0000 https://www.practicalecommerce.com/?p=1526149 Universal Analytics has stopped collecting data for most users. Here's what to do next.

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]]> Google Analytics 4 Transition Checklist https://www.practicalecommerce.com/google-analytics-4-transition-checklist Tue, 25 Jan 2022 14:28:57 +0000 https://www.practicalecommerce.com/?p=1498665 Google Analytics 4 is live and ready to use. Here's our quick transition checklist to successfully migrate from Google's Universal Analytics, the current version for most users.

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]]> Ramping Up Google Analytics 4 https://www.practicalecommerce.com/ramping-up-google-analytics-4 Thu, 02 Sep 2021 15:33:36 +0000 https://www.practicalecommerce.com/?p=1046215 I first addressed Google Analytics 4 last fall. It is becoming the go-to platform in Google's analytics ecosystem. The older version, Universal Analytics, will eventually sunset. For now, continue using Universal Analytics while ramping up GA4.

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]]> Combining Google Analytics Data with Other Sources https://www.practicalecommerce.com/combining-data-from-google-analytics-and-other-sources Tue, 20 Jul 2021 14:16:43 +0000 https://www.practicalecommerce.com/?p=828731 Google Analytics provides data from a website or app on engagement, conversions, and transactions. However, many online merchants need data from other sources, such as search engines, social media, affiliates, and more. Some of these sources can be connected or imported into Google Analytics. Others cannot.

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]]> Using Google Analytics for Continuous Improvement https://www.practicalecommerce.com/using-google-analytics-for-continuous-improvement Wed, 28 Apr 2021 18:08:06 +0000 https://www.practicalecommerce.com/?p=407347 There is no shortage of articles on tips and tricks for improving Google Analytics. This article, however, will focus on using Google Analytics for its main purpose: driving continuous improvement in your business. To help, I've assembled a Data Studio template tailored to ecommerce. 

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]]> A Data Studio Template to Automate Ecommerce KPIs https://www.practicalecommerce.com/a-data-studio-template-to-automate-ecommerce-kpis Tue, 05 Jan 2021 16:09:45 +0000 https://www.practicalecommerce.com/?p=365679 Automating key performance indicators streamlines data collection and enables real-time reporting. Collecting and reporting from multiple data sources is possible in Google Data Studio, an excellent platform. To help, I've created a free Data Studio template that you can use for your business. I'll explain the template in this post.

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]]> Introduction to Google Analytics 4 https://www.practicalecommerce.com/introduction-to-google-analytics-4 Wed, 21 Oct 2020 14:33:17 +0000 https://www.practicalecommerce.com/?p=362072 Google Analytics has come a long way since it launched in 2005. Version 4 is the latest iteration. It enables the blending of online and offline user activity into one reporting stream.

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]]> Using Google Analytics to Optimize Google Ads https://www.practicalecommerce.com/using-google-analytics-to-optimize-google-ads Sun, 13 Sep 2020 13:27:19 +0000 https://www.practicalecommerce.com/?p=357906 The Google Ads reporting suite in Google Analytics is essential for advertisers looking to drive profitable sales. I'll explain the setup and analysis process in this post. Before you can view Google Ads reports in Google Analytics, complete a couple of steps.

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]]> Using Google Tag Manager to Track Visitor Interactions https://www.practicalecommerce.com/using-google-tag-manager-to-track-visitor-interactions Mon, 03 Aug 2020 15:51:07 +0000 https://www.practicalecommerce.com/?p=355530 Online merchants need data to drive decisions. An example is tracking visitor activity. In this post, I'll review how to set up the reporting of common site interactions using Google Tag Manager.

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]]> Using Google Analytics to Track Site Changes https://www.practicalecommerce.com/using-google-analytics-to-track-site-changes Tue, 07 Jul 2020 14:31:15 +0000 https://www.practicalecommerce.com/?p=353758 The ability to measure changes to pricing, shipping, and other items is essential to successful ecommerce merchants. Google Analytics has features to document and track changes to provide critical feedback. Annotations in Google Analytics allow you to document change history.

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]]> Using Filters in Google Analytics https://www.practicalecommerce.com/using-filters-in-google-analytics Sun, 24 May 2020 14:49:23 +0000 https://www.practicalecommerce.com/?p=218540 Accurate data is essential for decision-making. Google Analytics can provide that data, but it may need a bit of sanitizing. Filters in Google Analytics can remove data impurities. In this post, I'll introduce Google Analytics filters.

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]]> Using Google Analytics to Respond to Covid-19 https://www.practicalecommerce.com/using-google-analytics-to-respond-to-covid-19 Tue, 28 Apr 2020 13:55:41 +0000 https://www.practicalecommerce.com/?p=195547 Google Analytics can identify pandemic-related problems and opportunities for your ecommerce business. I'll explain in this post.

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]]> Workarounds for Errors in Google Analytics https://www.practicalecommerce.com/workarounds-for-errors-in-google-analytics Thu, 26 Mar 2020 14:59:53 +0000 https://www.practicalecommerce.com/?p=193167 One-hundred percent of all Google Analytics implementations have broken at some point. The impact can range from minimal to extreme. An ecommerce example is when sales as reported by Google Analytics does not align with actual results from a shopping cart.

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]]> Using Data Studio to Convert Multi-currency Reports https://www.practicalecommerce.com/using-data-studio-to-convert-multi-currency-reports Tue, 28 Jan 2020 15:48:53 +0000 https://www.practicalecommerce.com/?p=190252 Google's Analytics’ conversion of currencies is straightforward. However, setting the conversion date to equal the date of the transaction may not be an option, forcing merchants to convert currencies manually. Google Data Studio can solve this manual conversion hurdle.

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]]> Removing Personal Data from Google Analytics https://www.practicalecommerce.com/removing-personal-data-from-google-analytics Fri, 10 Jan 2020 14:34:36 +0000 https://www.practicalecommerce.com/?p=189295 Google Analytics prohibits the collection of personally identifiable information. Users of Google Analytics should detect and then delete the PII if necessary. I'll explain how to do that in this post.

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]]> Google Analytics: Introduction to Cross-device Reporting https://www.practicalecommerce.com/google-analytics-introduction-to-cross-device-reporting Tue, 15 Oct 2019 23:00:38 +0000 https://www.practicalecommerce.com/?p=184830 There has been a seismic shift in website traffic in the past several years, from desktop to mobile. Google Analytics has rolled out the beta version of cross-device reporting to inform merchants of how their shoppers are interacting via multiple devices.

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]]> How to Audit Integration of Google Analytics, Ads https://www.practicalecommerce.com/how-to-audit-google-analytics-and-google-ads-integration Wed, 04 Sep 2019 15:20:20 +0000 https://www.practicalecommerce.com/?p=182720 Google Ads is an important platform for online merchants. Google Analytics is another. Combining the two provides rich, actionable data to grow traffic and sales — assuming that tracking is set up correctly. In this post, I'll provide an audit process to confirm proper integration.

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]]> Using Google Analytics’ Learning Resources https://www.practicalecommerce.com/using-google-analytics-learning-resources Mon, 12 Aug 2019 16:48:22 +0000 https://www.practicalecommerce.com/?p=181028 Google Analytics is sophisticated and comprehensive. Getting started — logging in, using the menu, viewing the reports — is straightforward. But interpreting the data can be difficult. Fortunately, Google Analytics offers many learning resources to help.

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]]> Google Analytics: Common Mistakes from Ecommerce Merchants https://www.practicalecommerce.com/google-analytics-common-mistakes-from-ecommerce-merchants Fri, 05 Jul 2019 12:47:50 +0000 https://www.practicalecommerce.com/?p=178394 Google Analytics provides impactful data that can help ecommerce merchants. But installed incorrectly, Google Analytics can produce inaccurate reporting. In this post, I'll address common mistakes from merchants in installing Google Analytics and analyzing its data.

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]]> 7 Gaps in Google Analytics That Require Additional Tools https://www.practicalecommerce.com/6-gaps-in-google-analytics-that-require-additional-tools Sun, 23 Jun 2019 13:47:06 +0000 https://www.practicalecommerce.com/?p=178113 Google Analytics is a powerful, free web analytics platform. However, it has gaps that are better served by other tools. I'll address those gaps and tools in this post.

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]]> Analyze Click Paths in Google Analytics to Improve Conversions https://www.practicalecommerce.com/analyze-click-paths-in-google-analytics-to-improve-conversions Wed, 08 May 2019 18:55:46 +0000 https://www.practicalecommerce.com/?p=175127 Monitoring the navigation of visitors can help ecommerce merchants identify bottlenecks to the checkout page. There are two ways to analyze paths in Google Analytics: Behavior Flow and Navigation analysis.

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]]> Using Alerts in Google Analytics for Slow Site Speeds https://www.practicalecommerce.com/using-alerts-in-google-analytics-for-slow-site-speeds Thu, 04 Apr 2019 19:08:40 +0000 https://www.practicalecommerce.com/?p=172737 I’ve addressed site speed reports in Google Analytics. Site speed is critical for conversions and, increasingly, for search engine rankings.
In this post, I’ll explain how to set up Custom Alerts in ...

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]]> Using Google Data Studio to Report Gross Profit by SKU https://www.practicalecommerce.com/using-google-data-studio-to-report-gross-profit-by-sku Mon, 18 Mar 2019 16:37:43 +0000 https://www.practicalecommerce.com/?p=171845 In "Using Google Analytics to Track Profitability by Product," I explained how to import product cost into Google Analytics to calculate gross profit for each item sold. It was a tricky exercise. I received feedback and questions. In this post. I'll break the process down by using Google Data Studio and data blending.

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]]> Google Analytics: Tracking Sales When Multiple Sites Use a Single Checkout https://www.practicalecommerce.com/google-analytics-tracking-sales-for-multiple-sites-using-a-single-checkout Tue, 26 Feb 2019 21:13:52 +0000 https://www.practicalecommerce.com/?p=170926 Larger ecommerce companies sometimes create multiple branded websites that feed into a single checkout. For those companies, tracking which site generated the business — revenue — can be tricky. In this post, I will provide a method for reporting the “source of business” metrics in Google Analytics.

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]]> Google Analytics: How to Track PayPal Transactions https://www.practicalecommerce.com/Google-Analytics-How-to-Track-PayPal-Transactions Fri, 11 Jan 2019 15:26:38 +0000 https://www.practicalecommerce.com/?p=168073 “PayPal Payments Standard” is popular, but it can be challenging for Google Analytics to report the sale. Using PayPal Payments Standard, customers leave the merchant's website for their account at PayPal. After they complete payment, PayPal redirects them back to the return URL provided by the merchant.

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]]> Google Analytics: Use Up-to-date Tags for Optimal Reporting https://www.practicalecommerce.com/google-analytics-use-up-to-date-tags-for-optimal-reporting Tue, 20 Nov 2018 14:32:37 +0000 https://www.practicalecommerce.com/?p=165120 Google Analytics periodically rolls out new tracking code. The updates present a challenge to ensure the latest tags are installed. They also present an opportunity: getting robust data and reports that help drive your business.

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]]> How to Audit Google Analytics Data, for Ecommerce https://www.practicalecommerce.com/how-to-audit-google-analytics-data-for-ecommerce Tue, 06 Nov 2018 14:32:23 +0000 https://www.practicalecommerce.com/?p=164207 Data from Google Analytics helps ecommerce merchants make key decisions. But that assumes the data is accurate. In this post, I'll provide instructions for conducting a Google Analytics audit to confirm the accuracy of the data or identify potential errors.

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]]> Using Google Analytics to Track On-site Promotions https://www.practicalecommerce.com/using-google-analytics-to-track-on-site-promotions Thu, 11 Oct 2018 13:28:25 +0000 https://www.practicalecommerce.com/?p=162230 Measuring the impact of banners and promotional links on the home page and other key pages can be challenging. In this post, I will provide instructions for identifying on-site banners and other key links that drive clicks and conversions.

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]]> Use Google Analytics to Fine-tune Your Value Proposition https://www.practicalecommerce.com/use-google-analytics-to-fine-tune-your-value-proposition Mon, 03 Sep 2018 14:47:55 +0000 https://www.practicalecommerce.com/?p=160195 A value proposition should address a sustainable competitive advantage that a company will have over competitors. Once the company defines it, the value proposition should be measured. Data from Google Analytics can be enlightening.

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]]> Google Analytics: Dissecting Bounce Rates for Ecommerce https://www.practicalecommerce.com/google-analytics-dissecting-bounce-rates-ecommerce Mon, 30 Jul 2018 14:15:11 +0000 https://www.practicalecommerce.com/?p=157942 There are many metrics in Google Analytics. The bounce rate is among the most prominent, but it’s also among the most misunderstood. In this post, I will address the bounce ...

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