Last month, I attended a free website analytics course titled “Getting the most from Google Analytics”.
I have reviewed various topics such as the value of learning and overall usefulness of the course.
Its purpose is to educate you on the inner workings of Google Analytics and Google Search Console.
“Getting the most from Google Analytics” is free course with a run time of roughly 7 hours. The course was held at the Grand Hotel in Leicester and is delivered by the Business Gateway Growth Hub.
Initial Expectations of the “Getting the most from Google Analytics” course
At first, I was extremely anxious about arriving to this session. However, the staff at the Grand Hotel were very accommodating and made me feel welcome.
In the meeting room, the tables were arranged into a circle, and we took it in turns to introduce ourselves. In total about 8 people attended, so it did not feel overcrowded by any means.
There were people from a broad range of business backgrounds, which made it interesting for me. We all had our own unique viewpoints to offer.
Value of Learning
Ian Lockwood is a business owner, who taught us the basics about Google Analytics.
A wide range of topics were covered; from setting up your analytics account to more specific subjects, such as conversion tracking.
I found the topic of Behaviour Reports to be very fascinating, as it tracks the pattern and behaviours that site visitors have.
This means that you can see which page of your site that they land on, where they click, and the final page they visit before exiting. From a marketing perspective, this data is crucial!
By assessing how other people react to your site, you are given insight into what isn’t working so effectively, and subsequently improve those areas.
Positives of this Google Analytics course
Right off the bat, Ian informed us of the upcoming update: GA4, which will take place July 1, 2023. He advised us to switch to this version of analytics, as without it, you risk losing a great amount of data.
For me this was the most valuable lesson to have learned, and I’m grateful for the information.
The course did not refrain from covering every possible aspect to do with Google Analytics and
Google Search console, which makes it a great value for learning.
Drawbacks/ Limitations
Although there was plenty of information given, I felt like it was crammed in and at a certain point my brain couldn’t take in any more.
I wish there were handouts where I could access information on hand. I find it keeps me focused and helps me to keep on track.
We were told that we would all receive an email copy of the presentation. To my dismay, this did not happen. Ideally, I would have liked the handouts to contain information that was on the powerpoint presentation.
Conclusion
Personally speaking, I found it easier to learn about Google Analytics from my own first hand experience. That is due to the fact that only some parts of analytics are relevant for my job.
My reluctance lies within the fact that I don’t own my own business, unlike everyone else attending.
Most of the information did not feel relevant to me, as I would never be the initial steps, like setting up the Google analytics account and paid search advertising.
Google Digital Garage’s “Fundamentals of Digital Marketing” course was informative in a more visually stimulating way.
That being said, perhaps the introduction to Google Analytics course is intended for a different age demographic than my own.
If you’re a person who is completely overwhelmed by Google Search Console and Google Analytics, this course will certainly be worthwhile for you!
Looking for more Google Analytics guidance?
Book yourself in for a free 30 minute consultation to discuss how you can make the most of your website data to improve your digital marketing efforts.
