How to read your website statistics without getting lost

Opening the Google Analytics panel for the first time can be overwhelming: hundreds of numbers, charts and menus with odd names. The good news is that to make good decisions you do not need to understand everything. You need to read your website statistics with four or five simple questions and a short monthly review.

In this guide we explain which numbers are worth looking at, what they mean and how to go from "I can see data" to "I know what to change". If your website uses Google Analytics 4, everything below applies; the exact names of the menus may vary a little as the tool gets updated.

Before looking at numbers: define what you want to achieve

Data is only useful if you know what to compare it with. Write down in one sentence what your website is supposed to do. Some examples:

• "That I receive inquiries through the form or on WhatsApp."
• "That people book an appointment."
• "That products get sold."

We call that action a goal. All your website statistics are read in relation to that goal: a visit that does not move closer to it adds little, even if it looks like a good number.

The website statistics worth looking at

Google Analytics has many reports; here are the ones that add the most. Google describes them in its overview of Analytics reports.

• Users: how many different people visited your website. It is your "reach".
• Sessions: how many visits there were in total (one person can come back several times).
• Where they come from: whether they arrive from Google, from social networks, from a direct link or from a campaign. It tells you which channel brings people.
• Most viewed pages: which content interests people. It helps you decide what to improve or expand.
• Devices: how many people visit from a phone. It is almost always the majority, which is why the mobile version matters so much.
• Important events: the actions you marked as valuable, such as sending the form or tapping the WhatsApp button. Google calls them "key events" (formerly "conversions").

That last point is the most important one: if your website does not measure the actions that matter to you, the other numbers cannot tell you whether it works. If you do not have them set up, ask whoever manages your site to add them.

A monthly review in five steps

Set aside ten minutes once a month and answer:

1. Did more or fewer people come than last month? Compare the same period, not a long month against a short one.
2. Where did they come from? If a channel grew, what did you do on that channel?
3. Which pages were viewed the most? What people look for is what your website needs to show better.
4. How many inquiries or sales were generated? It is the number that answers your goal.
5. What are you going to change this month? Pick just one thing: a title, a button, a new page.

Write down the answers in a spreadsheet. In a few months you will see trends that a single month does not show.

How it complements Search Console

Analytics counts what happens inside your website. To learn which searches bring people from Google and whether the search engine can read your site you need another tool: follow our guide to connect your website to Google Search Console. Used together, they answer two different questions: "how do people find me?" and "what do they do when they arrive?".

Common mistakes when reading data

• Looking only at visits. Many visits without inquiries are not a success. Prioritize actions.
• Drawing conclusions from little data. With few visits, one bad week says nothing. Look at longer periods.
• Comparing yourself with other businesses. Every industry has its own numbers. Compare yourself with yourself over time.
• Changing ten things at once. That way you do not know what worked. One change per month.
• Confusing your own traffic with real traffic. If you and your team visit often, your visits can inflate the numbers; there are filters to exclude them.

What to do with what you see

Some examples of concrete decisions:

• Many mobile visits and few inquiries: check how your website looks and works on the phone, especially the form and the contact button.
• A page that is viewed a lot but generates no actions: add a clear call to action (a button, a form, a link to WhatsApp).
• A channel that brings people who get in touch: invest more there.
• A page that nobody visits: improve it, merge it with another one or remove it.

If the website is slow or awkward, the statistics will show it. When that happens, a tune-up is usually the first step. And once you decide what to change, see how to ask for website changes so they get done quickly.

Frequently asked questions

Is Google Analytics free?

It has a free version that is enough for most businesses.

Do I need to accept cookies in order to measure?

It depends on how the measurement is configured and on the rules that apply to your business and your visitors. It is worth checking with whoever manages your website and with your advisor.

How often should I look at them?

Once a month is enough for most sites. If you launch a campaign, look more often during those days.

What to do next

If you would like us to help you measure what matters and interpret it, get in touch. To get the full picture of what it costs to keep a website alive, read how much a website costs in Argentina.