If you maintain a Carleton website, you’re probably curious about how visitors to your site see and interact with your web content. Web Services recommends Google Analytics for this purpose, because it’s simply the best tool to measure and learn about your site’s traffic.
But Google Analytics can be daunting for those new to it. Many people find it hard to understand some of the basic concepts and terms used. For example, what is the difference between a session and a pageview? What is a metric, even? And how is it related to a dimension?
For many years, Web Services offered in-person workshops to help new Google Analytics users understand the platform. We loved delivering these workshops, but the COVID-19 pandemic temporarily put an end to them. We hope to one day start offering them again once we can all return to campus.
In the meantime, there are free digital options that can help you get started. Google Analytics Academy is a free platform, offered by Google, that can teach you about these great web measurement tools. There are four modules related to Google Analytics you can enroll in:
- Google Analytics for Beginners
- Advanced Google Analytics
- Google Analytics for Power Users
- Getting Started with Google Analytics 360
What if you fall somewhere between a Google Analytics beginner and power user? You’re able to tailor your learning to your skill level by starting with the module you’re most comfortable with. No need to start at the beginning – feel free to jump into whichever module makes the most sense to you.
There are also modules about two other important analytical tools from Google, Data Studio and Tag Manager.
These modules are free for anyone with access to Google Analytics. Don’t have access? Learn how to get added to Google Analytics with your Carleton email address.