Dashboard vs Report – What’s the Difference?
March 16, 2023 No Comments
Find out the key differences between dashboards & reports, and when to use them.
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As a digital marketing freelancer or agency, one of the most important deliverables you can provide your clients is a web analytics report.
This report showcases the progress of their digital marketing campaigns and, more importantly, how well those campaigns are performing in relation to key metrics and goals.
However, it’s not as simple as pulling together a few charts and graphs and calling it a day. In order to create an effective web analytics report, you need to understand which data points to include, how to present that data in a way that is easy to understand, and what actionable insights they can glean from the data.
This guide will walk you through the entire process. We’ll talk about what web analytics is, what metrics to track and collect, and the tools you need to get the job done.
By the end of this post, you’ll be ready to create a web analytics report that will impress your clients and help them make better decisions about their digital marketing campaigns.
Let’s get started.
Web analytics is the process of collecting, measuring, and analyzing data about website traffic and activity.
It contains a wealth of information, such as how well your PPC ads are performing, what keywords bring the most traffic, which pages people don’t like, and most importantly, the ROI of your marketing campaigns.
There are a number of different tools you can use to collect website data, the most popular being Google Analytics (GA).
Manually harvesting and analyzing website data can be time-consuming and tedious work. As an example, creating a Google Analytics report for a website requires you to:
This entire process can take hours to complete and is prone to human error. In addition, multiple clients with different reporting needs can quickly overwhelm even the most experienced analytics professional.
With Reporting Ninja’s Google Analytics Reporting Software, you can create beautiful and accurate web analytics reports in minutes.
Our beginner-friendly software is packed with tools and features that make reporting a breeze, such as:
In short, Reporting Ninja’s Google Analytics Reporting Software takes the guesswork and hassle out of web analytics reporting.
Google Analytics is an exceptional tool for tracking and collecting data. However, it’s important not to get data fatigue and be swamped by information. Focusing on the metrics and KPIs that matter is key.
To determine which data points to track and collect, you need to understand the needs of your business or client.
Once you have a good understanding of what your business or client is hoping to learn, you can start to identify the relevant KPIs (Key Performance Indicators).
KPIs are the lifeblood of any effective web analytics report. They help you to understand if you’re meeting your goals and objectives.
Different types of sites will have different KPIs. Here’s a quick comparison of e-commerce sites and information sites:
E-commerce sites
Web analytics for e-commerce sites usually track KPIs such as:
These figures will tell you how much revenue your website is generating, how many orders are being placed, what percentage of visitors are completing a purchase (conversion rate), and how much each order is worth on average (average order value).
The shopping cart abandonment rate lets you know how many people are adding items to their shopping cart but not completing the purchase. This is useful information because it can help you to identify any potential issues with your checkout process.
Information sites
If your website provides information or entertainment, rather than selling products, you’ll want to track different KPIs.
For example, you might want to track:
These figures will give you a good indication of how popular your website is, how long people spend on your site, and how many people leave without a single interaction(bounce rate).
The average time on site metric lets you know how engaged people are with your content. If people are spending a long time on your site, it’s a good sign that they’re enjoying your content and finding it informative or entertaining.
Still, regardless of what type of website you have, your SEO report builder can benefit from the following metrics:
There are just a few of the most important metrics that should be included in your web analytics report. As mentioned before, the specific metrics you track will depend on the type of website you have and the goals you’re trying to achieve.
Every dollar counts when it comes to marketing budgets. Web analytics can help you assess the ROI of your digital campaigns and optimize your spend.
For example, if you’re running a PPC ad campaign, you can use web analytics to track how many people are clicking on your ads and how many of those clicks are converting into sales or leads.
The same goes for understanding the impact your SEO work is having on your site and goals.
Real-time feedback is essential for making informed decisions. Web analytics reports can help you track progress and identify areas of improvement.
For instance, if you’re trying to increase sales on your e-commerce site, you can use web analytics to track how many people are viewing product pages, adding items to their cart, and completing the purchase.
Web analytics can help you identify which pieces of content are performing well and which ones are falling flat.
This matters for two reasons: first, you want to make sure you’re creating content that people actually want to read, and second, you don’t want to waste time and resources on content that no one is going to see.
Not sure where to start with your website development? Web analytics can help.
If the report shows that most of your visitors are coming from mobile devices, then you know you need to prioritize mobile optimization.
Or, if the report shows that people are leaving your site after a few seconds, then you may want to check factors like navigation, design, and content.
The user journey doesn’t end when someone clicks on your ad or link. So it’s essential to track what happens after that, too.
Web analytics can help you see the entire journey, from initial click to purchase (or other goal), so you can identify gaps and optimize the journey.
In the end, web analytics is all about making sure you’re getting the most bang for your buck. You get an in-depth look at where your audiences are, what they need, plus the strengths and weaknesses of your current strategy.
This data empowers you – and by extension, your clients – to make smarter decisions not just for your bottom line but for your target audience as well.
Once you have the data, you need to present it in a way that’s easy for your team or client to understand. That means choosing the right report format. Data tables, for example, are great for displaying large sets of data, while charts and graphs are better for visualizing trends.
Taking the Shopify example again, you might want to use a line graph to track progress against your sales goal and a table to show which products are selling the most.
Finally, don’t forget to actually share the report with your team or client! Use it to evaluate your current campaigns, brainstorm new ideas, and support each member of your team in their specific roles.
Creating an effective web analytics report doesn’t have to be complicated. In fact, why don’t you try creating one right now?
Here’s your free 15-day trial of Reporting Ninja! Play around with our template, try our widget wizard, and check out all the amazing features you can use to create your custom Google Analytics reports.
A web analytics report is a cornerstone of any effective digital marketing strategy. By tracking the right data and presenting it in an easy-to-understand format, you can make sure you’re always moving in the right direction.
Reporting Ninja helps you quickly and easily create custom web analytics reports, so you can focus on what’s important: driving results for your business or clients.
Use our Google Analytics Reporting Software to craft professional reports in minutes. Want to pull data from different sources? Try our Data Studio connectors for free. We offer connectors for a wide range of channels, including Facebook Ads, Google My Business, LinkedIn Pages, Twitter Analytics, and many more.
Sign up now for a FREE, 15-day trial of Reporting Ninja’s advanced analytics tools.
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