How to use Google Analytics to improve your Online Customer Experience

If you’re not using your Google Analytics to improve your customer experience, you’re not doing it right.

Google Analytics has been all about using  data to improve your website for…….the website visitor. (Hopefully, along the way you will create benefits for yourself as well).

If you’re into selling something, then your website visitors will often be an existing customer or a potential customer, but no matter what kind of website you have and what you want to accomplish, you will likely have both returning visitors and those who come for the very first time, but let’s look at customers and potential customers primarily.

So with this in mind, you need to begin using your data to improve your customer experience immediately.

Why use data?

Because human kind is now storing more data than ever before.

According to Forbes, we have created more data in the past two years than the entire history of the human race before us.

Think about that for a second.

There was more Data from 2015-2016 than the whole existence of the human race prior to that.

Now, once you have wrapped your mind around that, start thinking how valuable that data can be to all businesses if you just know where to look.

From small businesses to large multinational corporations, having access to data can be extremely valuable.

Data can influence product development decisions, sales decisions, and, most importantly within this context: Marketing decisions.

Data has become the new 21st century Gold Rush.

Whoever has the most data and take advantage of it wins.

Think about what you click on everyday, what web pages you look at, what you purchase online.

This is all tracked and stored by Google, your web browsers as well as the website owners.

So if you haven’t been using the data that you have available to yourself to improve your customer experience it’s time to start.

OK,

I know what you’re thinking…..

How would you begin? That’s your question….right?

Or How can data make my customer experience better?

HOW?

Well, initially you need to have a deep and thorough understanding of the existing customer experience in your organisation.

Without having this foundation, you won’t be able to follow up on any improvements within your customer experience strategy.

Many customers and website visitors might only see you as some random potential supplier, and potential customers don’t accept excuses. There isn’t any room anymore to make mistakes, or the visitor will just leave for someone else.

You have one opportunity, and first impressions DO matter.

Potential customers have a world of other options available at their fingertips, so why would they need to stick with a firm that provides a poor customer experience?

This is why customer experience matters.

Therefore the importance of having a relevant and beneficial customer experience is important in generating more sales, driving customer retention and boosting brand loyalty.

The Tempkin Group (who had recently focused on improving their customer experience) said this in one of their annual reports:

“Customer experience leaders have a 16% advantage over companies that fall behind in consumers’ willingness to buy more, their reluctance to switch businesses & suppliers, and their likelihood to recommend you to another.”

So obviously focusing in on the customer experience doesn’t just matter, it is important.

But how would you improve your customer experience using data?

Well, we can begin with the platform that the majority of organisations are using ….. Google Analytics.

This is your first step into the world of data, and it’s even free.

The first place to begin your customer experience journey would be to check the people that are visiting your website.

(Hopefully, before checking the data you need to have an idea on what your target market is and who your typical buyer personas are)

Obviously, you want your website visitors to match up as closely as possible to your target market.

Let’s find this out!

The place to begin would be assessing your audience.

Have a look at the geographical information provided by Google Analytics & drill it down into the cities your website visitors are coming from.

Think about personalising your website towards the city/country that you receive the most website visitors from.

Framing your website towards the demographics of your audience is pivotal in taking the first step in developing a solid customer experience strategy.

Keep in mind all countries have different Internet practices.

This has been studied and referred to as “Cultures of the Internet” and obviously many aspects of your website will change how certain cultures view your webpage.

For example, if a certain nation has a speedy Internet connection and high Internet usage (countries such as USA, Finland, South Korea) they may have higher expectations of the design and functionality of your webpage.

So the next step is to check whether your website visitors’ interests match up to your buyer personas.

If you’re not sure what your target markets interests are and where to begin with this information, then Google Analytics provides “Affinity Categories” which outlines interests (pre-determined by Google) that your website visitors have.

This is based off the website visitors previous internet usage and their individual Google searches.

Taking it to the next level!

The next step would be adjusting your customer experience towards how you acquire your website visitors.

Website visitors from different acquisition channels may behave differently on your website.

As an intuitive example if you are offering a professional service aimed towards sales individuals, you may find more success with visitors via LinkedIn rather than Instagram.

LinkedIn users may have more of a use for professional sales services rather than the average Facebook users.

To be more precise, a website visitor acquired via LinkedIn will for them have a higher “Commercial Intent” when compared to a website visitor acquired via Facebook.

Work together

What was mentioned above is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to using Google Analytics data to improve your customer experience.

Use all of the information available together to improve what the website visitor experiences. Make improvements in your overall customer experience and boost customer satisfaction along the way.

These adjustments are something that cannot be ignored! Make sure you take action before your competitors focus in on their own customer satisfaction levels.

Join us for a 1-1 Meeting to help you with your Google Analytics Data.

Because you don’t want to have poor customer experiences.

www.sonician.com/survey/2mintest/

Categorised in: customer experience, Google Analytics

This post was written by Fleur