Google Analytics set-up and configuration with Analytics Accelerator

Analytics Accelerator for Google Analytics is a package of advisory, configuration and support services for the correct implementation of Google Analytics. It comprises installation, set-up, configuration and customisation tasks and is commonly provided as a (stand-alone) service for companies who are either new to Google Analytics or do not have the internal resources to take a standard (or troublesome) installation forward to the configuration that suits their business needs.

Purpose

The outcome of an Analytics Accelerator project is that Google Analytics has been correctly implemented and properly configured to report on visitor behaviour and all the relevant traffic metrics (including those of Google AdWords) needed to determine that a web site's business objectives are being achieved.

Deliverables

A solution strategy document which details the business goals of the site, Key Performance Indicators and detailed Google Analytics Tracking Code (GATC) tagging instructions. The latter instruct your internal and/or external team on the changes which must be made to the website’s GATC in order to deploy Google Analytics properly.

Communication with and support of your internal and/or external team about the solution strategy document’s recommendations and the Google Analytics Tracking Code (GATC) tagging instructions.

Set-up and configuration of your Google Analytics accounts including construction of filters, goals, profile settings, account settings and user access.

Testing, analysis and refinement of your Google Analytics implementation.

A working, accurate Google Analytics implementation.

Pricing

From £1,875 to approximately £5,000 depending on the extent of e-commerce, Event Tracking and Custom Variable configuration required.

For more complex and bespoke projects, the price is calculated from the number of consultancy days consumed.

Analytics Accelerator components

In the case of complex and bespoke projects, consultancy time is allocated to the six key components comprising our Web Analytics Implementation and Configuration Methodology (WAIC).

1) User requirements analysis

2) Technical analysis

3) Strategy formulation and implementation report delivery

4) Testing and refinement

5) User training

6) Technical training

7) Reporting and insight

User requirements analysis

This component is also known as “Business Analysis” and starts with the initial consultation about the website and the business metrics required to be measured. Items which require identification and definition include business objectives, goals, visitor tasks and the overall key performance indicators (KPIs).

It also includes the creation of the Report Definition including the preliminary design of how Google Analytics standard reports will represent your website data in areas such as Top Content, Content Drilldown, Content by Titles, Site Search, Event Tracking, E-Commerce and Goals. We construct the most suitable Profile and User Administration model for the environment.

Technical analysis

From the business analysis (including report definition tasks), we will have identified the features and customisations relevant for your Google Analytics installation and how your website data should be represented.

The Technical Analysis ensures that your website's architecture will accommodate all the Google Analytics coding and tagging requirements with the minimum of effort and disruption to your production environment. For particularly complicated installations we replicate the website environment and build a prototype of how the coding and tagging should be deployed.

Strategy formulation and implementation report

This phase takes the work from the previous two and translates it into a detailed design for the implementation. The implementation report is the document which presents the implementation steps in detail. It is ready to be handed over to the web site is development team for the on-page updates to be made.

When the developers have finished their part of this phase, the Google Analytics installation is ready to be further configured and customised to meet the requirements specified in the analysis phases.

Testing and refinement

In this phase, we take back the implementation. Now that the Google Analytics has been implemented according to our Technical Analysis and tagging instructions, we configure the package's accounts and profile structure, organize the user and administrator access and then complete the technical configuration of goals and profiles.

We then configure the basic and advanced Filters to create different views of the collected data as identified in our solutions strategy. Output from the reports in the User Interface will need testing, checking and verifying. This critical part of the process is essential to ensure the integrity of the information, and that it is accurate, robust and reliable.

User training and technical training

We would recommend that, after implementation, all staff requiring access to Google Analytics should participate in our Day 1 – Analytics: Introduction and User Training course on-site.

Staff with further hands-on web analytics responsibility should also attend Day 2 – Analytics: Advanced Analysis and Measurement and possibly, Day 3 – Analytics: Advanced Tracking and Technical Implementations, which is also very suitable for technical staff supporting the Google Analytics implementation.

Reporting and Insight

In this phase, we set-up reports, dashboards and custom reports for automated circulation to stakeholders. This is where the web analytics loop is completed, with regular, meaningful reports being delivered to key stakeholders for their action.

It is here that our Analytics Accelerator service stops and our optional ongoing Analytics Insight service takes over. It is our report analysis, interpretation and advisory service, delivering a monthly report detailing your website’s past performance against Key Performance Indicators, recommended future campaign strategies and actionable insights into how your website’s commercial performance could be improved. Analytics Insight also includes monthly on-line meetings to discuss the report’s key findings, recommendations and actions.