By 
Google Analytics is a free service offered by Google that allows website owners to track traffic data for their websites.
In addition to tracking data such as pageviews, unique visitors, and average visit duration, Google Analytics also provides information on where your traffic is coming from (ie. organic search, paid search, social media, etc.), and what pages on your site are the most popular.
This information can be used to help you optimize your website for increased traffic and engagement. For example, if you notice that a particular blog post or landing page is receiving a lot of visits from social media channels, you may want to consider creating more content like that.
Or if you see that a majority of your website traffic is coming from organic search engines, you may want to focus on optimizing your site for better rankings in SERPS.
Google Analytics can also be used to track conversions (such as sales or leads generated through your website), which can help you measure the effectiveness of your marketing efforts.
To get started with Google Analytics, you will need to create a free account and add the tracking code to your website. Once the tracking code is installed, you will be able to see detailed traffic data for your site in the Google Analytics interface.
There are a number of ways to use Google Analytics to track your website traffic. In this article, we will cover some of the most common and important ways to use Google Analytics.
1) Tracking Pageviews
One of the most basic things you can track with Google Analytics is pageviews. Pageviews refer to the number of times a particular page on your website has been viewed by visitors.
This metric can be useful for understanding which pages on your site are the most popular, and how much traffic each page is receiving. To track pageviews in Google Analytics, simply go to the “Audience” section and click on “Overview”.
This will show you a graph of your website’s pageviews over time. You can also click on the “pages” tab to see a more detailed breakdown of pageviews by individual pages on your site.
2) Tracking Unique Visitors
Another important metric to track is unique visitors. This refers to the number of people who have visited your website, regardless of how many times they have viewed it.
This metric can be useful for understanding the reach of your website, and how many people are actually seeing it. To track unique visitors in Google Analytics, go to the “Audience” section and click on “Overview”.
This will show you a graph of your website’s unique visitors over time. You can also click on the “audience” tab to see a more detailed breakdown of unique visitors by age, gender, and location.
3) Tracking Traffic Sources
In addition to tracking pageviews and unique visitors, it’s also important to track where your traffic is coming from. This is known as “traffic source”.
There are a number of different traffic sources, including organic search, paid search, social media, and Referral.
To track traffic sources in Google Analytics, go to the “Acquisition” section and click on “All Traffic”. This will show you a breakdown of your website’s traffic by source.
4) Tracking Conversions
Conversions refer to any action that you want your visitors to take on your website. This could be anything from signing up for a newsletter, to buying a product, to filling out a form.
To track conversions in Google Analytics, go to the “Conversions” section and click on “Goals”. Here you can set up specific goals for your website, and track how well your website is performing in terms of conversion rate.
5) Tracking Bounce Rate
Bounce rate refers to the percentage of visitors who leave your website after only viewing one page. A high bounce rate can be an indication that your website is not relevant to what visitors are looking for, or that it is not user-friendly.
To track bounce rate in Google Analytics, go to the “Audience” section and click on “Overview”. This will show you a graph of your website’s bounce rate over time. You can also click on the “pages” tab to see a more detailed breakdown of bounce rate by individual pages on your site.
6) Tracking Exit Rate
Exit rate is similar to bounce rate, but it refers specifically to the percentage of visitors who leave your website after viewing a specific page.
To track exit rate in Google Analytics, go to the “Behavior” section and click on “Site Content”. Then click on “All Pages”. This will show you a list of all the pages on your site, as well as the exit rate for each page.
7) Tracking Average Time on Page
Average time on page refers to the amount of time that visitors spend on your website, on average. This metric can be useful for understanding how engaged visitors are with your site.
To track average time on page in Google Analytics, go to the “Behavior” section and click on “Site Content”. Then click on “All Pages”. This will show you a list of all the pages on your site, as well as the average time spent on each page.
8) Tracking Average Session Duration
Average session duration refers to the amount of time that visitors spend on your website, on average, during a single session. This metric can be useful for understanding how engaged visitors are with your site.
To track average session duration in Google Analytics, go to the “Audience” section and click on “Overview”. This will show you a graph of your website’s average session duration over time.
9) Tracking Pageviews per Session
Pageviews per session is the average number of pages that visitors view during a single session on your website. This metric can be useful for understanding how much content visitors are consuming on your site.
To track pageviews per session in Google Analytics, go to the “Audience” section and click on “Overview”. This will show you a graph of your website’s pageviews per session over time.
10) Tracking Device Type
Device type refers to the type of device that visitors use to access your website. This could be a desktop computer, a laptop, a tablet, or a smartphone.
To track device type in Google Analytics, go to the “Audience” section and click on “Device Type”. This will show you a breakdown of your website’s traffic by device type.
11) Tracking Demographics
Demographics refer to the characteristics of your website’s visitors, such as their age, gender, and location.
To track demographics in Google Analytics, go to the “Audience” section and click on “Demographics”. This will show you a breakdown of your website’s traffic by age, gender, and location.
12) Tracking Social Traffic
Social traffic refers to the traffic that comes to your website from social media sites, such as Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.
To track social traffic in Google Analytics, go to the “Acquisition” section and click on “Social”. This will show you a list of all the social media sites that are sending traffic to your site, as well as the number of visitors coming from each site.
Conclusion
Google Analytics is a powerful tool that can be used to track a wide range of website metrics. These 12 metrics are just a few of the many that you can track. Experiment with Google Analytics and see what other useful insights you can glean about your website and its visitors.
It’s important to note that you should only track the metrics that are relevant to your business goals. There’s no need to track every single metric if you’re only interested in a few specific things.
If you’re not sure which metrics you should be tracking, start with the basics and then experiment from there. You can always add more metrics later on as you become more familiar with Google Analytics and what it can do.
