Google Analytics - Understanding the Data

This is the second post in a series to explain Google Analytics and to help you understand how it can be used to understand traffic to your website, how visitors use your site and provide you some insight into improvements you may consider to increase the effectiveness of your digital activities.

In this post, we are going to talk about the basic data you are presented with throughout the Google Analytics tool and what it means. Understanding these terms will help you understand the reports that we will explore in future posts.

We will be referring to this image during the tutorial:

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Google Analytics - What it is and how to use it

You've probably heard of Google Analytics. But, what the heck is it?

I am a firm believer in making changes based on facts and data. While I sometimes let my "gut instinct" lead the way, I generally like to crunch the numbers. Google Analytics provides a great way to know what is happening with your digital footprint.

Google Analytics is a set of analytical tools for your website.  A small bit of code is inserted into your site and provides all kinds of reporting about how your website is performing. The information available includes:

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Your Little Bit of Online Gold

If you are lucky enough to have any gold, I'll bet you take pretty good care of it. If it's valuable enough, you may even keep it locked away for safekeeping, only bringing it out on special occasions. If you don't have any gold, you probably have some valuable possession that you take extra special care of.

Did you know that you have something just as valuable in your online world?

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My Brain

This isn't really about my brain—or maybe it is.

Back in the late 1990s (1998 maybe?), I attended an IBM conference where IBM was introducing a new technology gadget. They called it the IBM WorkPad and it was a neat little handheld device where you could keep notes, your contact lists, calendar, and tasks—all in the palm of your hand!  There was no keyboard, you used a plastic pencil-looking stick to navigate and "type." And, of course, you could use it to help manage your IBM enterprise systems, which is why it was branded as the WorkPad rather than the PalmPilot.  They had a fantastic offer—50% off. If I remember correctly, that was about $150, still a huge "investment" for me on my non-profit income.

This was in the days before we all had hundreds of passwords (well, those of us working in technology were starting to have them in volume!), before the Internet was common on our desktops, before you had to sign into everything and anything! But, I still had plenty of small details to keep track of, and I soon dubbed this little wonder machine My Brain.

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'Tis the Season of Stories

The importance of stories in your business

It's a few days after Thanksgiving, the Christmas holiday preparations have begun, and I just didn't think a techie post makes sense for this time of the year. Who wants to think about that stuff now!

So, I scratched my head and wondered, "What would be useful, yet appropriate, as a post for this time of year?"

And, then it came to me -- STORIES!

If there is ever a time of year that stories appear EVERYWHERE, it's during the month of December.

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Joomla! Wins Best Free CMS For Fourth Year In A Row

The Joomla! Content Management System was the winner of the 2017 Best Free CMS Award for the third year in a row!  WordPress was the runner up.  This is particularly impressive because the Joomla! project is a completely volunteer-run organization, unlike WordPress which has the for-profit company Automattic behind it.

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How to resize bulk images for your website

In an earlier post, we discussed why it's important to optimize your website images, what that means, and showed you how to use a free online tool.

The tool we described is great for working with one image at a time. But, what if you need to resize a bunch of images, maybe for a slideshow or to display in a grid? You could work for hours resizing one image at a time!

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How and why to optimize your web images

Optimizing images for your website is very important. We've all heard about the importance of fast-loading website pages. It is one of the ranking indicators for Google. But, even more important, a visitor to your website is not likely to sit around waiting for your pages to appear.

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Are You Benefiting From Your Branded Email?

Branded email. What is it?

It is an email address that is branded to your business, such as YourName@YourBusiness.com. It's not YourBusiness@gmail.com -- that is branded for Google!

Why is a branded email important for your business?

First, it indicates to your customers and prospects that you are serious about your business. It's not a hobby. You plan to be around and have invested in securing a legitimate business email address.

Second, it is an easy advertisement for your website. The address to your website is right there, contained in your email address! An interested person trying to find your website only has to look at your email address and know exactly how to find your business.

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Anne Notarthomas Appeared As Syracuse Woman Magazine WBOC Leading Woman

A big thank you to Syracuse Woman Magazine for including me and eKamria in their WBOC Leading Woman article in the August 2017 issue.  I appreciate the exposure it has given me, and I also appreciate the look it gave me into the jobs other women in our community perform.Online version

It was quite an experience!

First, I watched magazine editor, Lorna Oppedisano, pull together the pieces to get the ball rolling, knowing that this is just one small article of about fifteen that are included in the magazine every month. Just the thought of that gives me a headache!

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