The best tools for a successful start in web analytics

Currently, more and more companies are recognizing the importance of web analytics for their website. From small businesses with just one employee to large medium-sized companies, the realization is growing that it is very important to understand the users who are browsing your website. Because only with this knowledge can you make your content more engaging for website visitors.

The Importance of Web Analytics

Especially in SMEs, the free web analytics solution Google Analytics is often used. The tool is so comprehensive that problems can arise even during the installation. The classics are missing or incorrect tracking code on individual subpages or collecting duplicate numbers. It is important to avoid this, of course. For productive use of Google Analytics, it must be ensured that the data basis used is collected error-free. Only then is the knowledge gained from it truly helpful in steering further online marketing measures.

In this area, we can recommend tools from our own experience that make flawless integration of Google Analytics easier. Additionally, the list includes a tool that enables easy data visualization within Google Analytics. We see the Google Tag Manager as a prerequisite. It allows for easy management of all tags later on and supports users in management. A major advantage of Google Tag Manager is that the source code of your own site generally only needs to be edited once. We have a detailed explanation of Google Tag Manager in our article "Manage your online marketing tags centrally with Google Tag Manager."

The Google Tag Assistant

Regardless of using Google Tag Manager, every user of Google Analytics should utilize the Google Tag Assistant. This Google Chrome plugin makes it easy even for inexperienced users to check the implementation of Google Analytics. The plugin displays all the Google tags contained on a page and provides suggestions in case of any errors. Moreover, the tool supports the suggestions with color markings and offers the option to record processes to check entire sequences, for example, when using iFrames.

Fig. 1 - The Google Tag Assistant Interface

Google Analytics Debugger

Another very practical plugin is the Google Analytics Debugger. This seemingly very technical tool allows you to check the data actually transmitted to Google Analytics. To do this, you just need to activate the plugin with a click and then open the developer tool of the respective browser. For example, in Google Chrome under the menu "More Tools" and then "Developer Tools." In Firefox, Internet Explorer, Microsoft EDGE, and Safari there are corresponding alternatives. Once the appropriate developer window is open, you just need to open the console and reload the page. Afterwards, it will display exactly what data was sent, for example, a page view, an event, etc. Even beginners should not be intimidated by this plugin, as it clearly shows what data was actually sent to Google Analytics. The following screenshot shows a snippet of the Google Analytics Debugger.

 Fig. 2 - Snippet of the Google Analytics Debugger

User-Agent Switcher

An inconspicuous plugin is the User-Agent Switcher. With this, you can change the user agents of the browser so that your own browser, for example, is no longer identified as Google Chrome by a web server, but optionally as Apple's Safari browser. In this way, specific test scenarios are usually checked during website development. The plugin can also be very practical to check the tracking being used. An example could be event tracking of a phone number on the website. This should only trigger when a user clicks on the number on their smartphone, but not when a user uses a tablet or a desktop PC. In this case, the User-Agent Switcher can easily check if the tracking meets the requirements.

WASP.inspector

The WASP.inspector is a plugin for professionals that deals permanently with the tags used on a website. The plugin displays all tags and the associated scripts. It can also easily point out which scripts are related. However, we can only recommend this very practical tool to users with sufficient technical background knowledge.

  Fig. 3 - WASP.inspector

Table Booster for Google Analytics

The Table Booster by e-dialog is a very practical extension for Google Analytics. If you want to create reports or just conduct analyses in Google Analytics, this plugin can help you easily display the best and worst values graphically using heatmaps. It will certainly make evaluating Google Analytics reports significantly easier for you.

Tag Manager Injector

Finally, an additional tip from us. If you want to use Google Analytics via the Google Tag Manager, but your IT has not yet installed the code in the site, you can use the Tag Manager Injector. This small plugin allows you to make all the settings in the Google Tag Manager and test them on your own site without having to have the appropriate code installed. You just need to insert your container ID from the Tag Manager into the plugin and you can start working with it right away. Please note that you are only working in a kind of simulated preview here; no real data is collected. Once your IT has installed the code on the website, you can directly activate the pre-created tags live. You save valuable time.

What can we do for you?

Do you feel unsure about the setup or use of Google Analytics? Are you uncertain whether the data collected by Google Analytics is really valid? Contact us and we will gladly review your Google Analytics installation.