How To Setup Google Analytics 4

How to Setup Google Analytics 4 (GA4)

In its regular fashion of rolling out new and improved tools every year, Google launched an upgrade of its popular web-based analytics site in 2020.

The new Google Analytics dubbed GA4 is a more advanced and better version of the old Universal Analytics. This new platform promises a better approach to data handling and more return on investment for marketers.

In a blog post on Wednesday 16th of March Google announced that UA will sunset from July 2023.

The good news is that you can run it concurrently with the former GA version – Universal Analytics until July 2023. This makes for an easy transition without any data loss.

Now is the right time to make the switch, set your Google Analytics 4 properties. start tracking and capitalising on its many features.

As you get started with Google Analytics 4, you will quickly realise that it is somewhat different from what you know in the old GA. But no need to worry. This article demystifies the complexities involved, helping you set up Google Analytics 4 easily and effectively.

Getting started with Google Analytics 4

Step 1: Create a Google Analytics 4 account

Google Analytics Account Setup

  • To start enjoying GA4 features, new users are expected to create a Google Analytics account. It is very simple and there is a setup wizard to guide you through it.
  • Simply log in to the Google Analytics platform and click on the Start Measuring option.
  • Once in, you will be asked to input the name of your business or company. Be sure it is your business name, not your name.
  • After that, simply click on Next to take you to the tab for creating GA4 properties. Without these properties, there is nothing to measure. So don’t stop at creating an account. You need to create a property too.

For those who already have the old GA account, chances are you currently use the Universal Analytics properties. So, you will need to upgrade the property to the new GA4 property. Or simply create a new property for GA4. Since you already have a GA account, there is no need to create a new one. But you can create a new one if you want.

People using the old Universal GA account can easily upgrade to GA4. To do that, you need to visit your Admin section and check for the GA4 Setup Assistant option under each property. It is that simple.

Step 2: Create a Google Analytics 4 property

Upon upgrading or creating a new GA4 account, the setup wizard will direct you to create a property which can be tracked. This is not so different from UA properties. In fact, you can create a UA property alongside a GA4 property.

Visit the Account tab in the Admin section to get started. Users who have more than one account will find a list of the accounts in this column.

Choose the desired account and navigate to the Property column to set up Google Analytics 4 property. There, you will find the option for GA4 Setup Assistant that will guide you through the next steps until the property is fully ready.

Switching From Universal Google Analytics To Google Analytics 4

Previous UA users can transfer existing data to this new property if they have gtag.js enabled.

Connecting Universal Analytics To Google Analytics 4

Otherwise, you will have to optimise your property afresh. This includes inputting;

Setup Ga4

  • The name of the property or business
  • Your current timezone. This will be the default timezone irrespective of the time in visitors’ countries.
  • Your local currency
  • The desired data stream should be your website’s URL. This ensures every event that happens on the listed site is tracked. If you only include a page link, then only the page will be tracked.
  • Business details such as industry category and business size are important to personalise your services.
  • You also need to tell Google how you want the account to function. Be sure to tick all the boxes that apply to you e.g measure lead generation, optimise my site or app experience, measure data across multiple devices, measure customer engagement, etc.
  • Then click on Create and accept the Terms of service. This should get your account up and running.

Step 3: Get your measurement ID

Getting your measurement ID is the primary reason to setup Google Analytics 4. A measurement ID is similar to the UA tracking ID but the code is a bit different from the code name you get with UA because there is no UA attached this time. Your Measurement ID will be automatically generated once you create your property. This is the very point of the entire process. Now, it is time to start tracking!

Step 4: Start tracking

To start tracking, you need to add your measurement ID to the head section of every page you want to track. To do this, you will need to go back to the Admin section and select the Data stream option. Once in, navigate to Web Stream Details and choose the Tagging Instructions option. This should take you to an interface to Add New On-Page Tag. Here, you will find the gtag.js (Global Site Tag). Simply paste the copied Measured ID in the head section of every page you desire to track.

Ga4 Setup

The key to maximising your marketing result is to properly set up Google Analytics 4. We are positive these quick steps will help you achieve your marketing goals without sweating it. For professional assistance, don’t hesitate to contact FOME. We are here to help!

How To Test And Improve The Speed Of Your Website

How to Test and Improve the Speed of Your Website

If there’s one thing that people hate when surfing the internet, it’s slow-loading websites. When they search on Google and click on the result, they expect the page to load fast. If it doesn’t, they’ll return to the result page and look for another website. It may not mean anything to the person who’s viewing the page but it’s a nightmare for the owner of the website. For the website owner, it means losing potential clients.

Just like internet users and website owners, Google dislikes slow-loading websites because it leads to poor user experience. If Google allows this to happen, users will be wasting their time waiting for pages to load. They’ll eventually look for a different search engine like Bing. When that happens, Google will lose its revenue flow from Google ads. 

To prevent that from happening, Google makes sure that fast-loading websites are on top of its search result pages while those that load slowly are at the bottom of the list. Site speed has long been one of the factors that affect site ranking. If you want your website to appear on page 1 of Google, you need to improve its loading speed.

Page Speed and SEO

Simply put, page speed refers to how fast the content on your page loads. Various factors can affect your page’s loading speed including image compression, page file size, and the site’s server. Page speed is one of the factors used by Google’s algorithm to rank pages. If your page loads slowly then Google can only crawl a few pages within a specified time, which could have a negative effect on your website’s indexation. It’ll also lead to poor user experience and low conversions. As a rule of thumb, your website must load within 3 seconds to provide a good user experience and obtain higher search result rankings.

How to Test the speed of your website

There are different ways to measure the load speed of your page. Three of the most common ones are fully loaded page, time to first byte, and first meaningful paint. You can use go to gtmetrix.com and create a free account to test the speed of your website. You may also refer to Google’s PageSpeed Insights to evaluate your page speed.

How to Improve the Speed of Your Website

  1. Use the Correct Hosting Solution

New website owners tend to go with the cheapest hosting option. That’s not a problem if you’re just starting but when your website gets more traffic, you need to consider upgrading your hosting solution.

The two hosting providers I recommend are:

  1. Reduce Image Sizes

Given that images account for at least 50% of your page’s site, it’s important to make sure that the images in your website have the right size and file format. Having large images on your site means your server will work harder to load the media files. Since Google appreciates fast loading sites, using optimized images will make your website easier to crawl and index.

That’s why reducing the size of your image is essential. Smaller image sizes use less of your website’s disk space and bandwidth. It will make your pages lighter. Your server will communicate with your visitor’s browsers faster, and your content will load even faster. You’ll find various image compression plugins on the internet today.

But the top three ones you should consider using are:

  1. Reduce HTTP Requests

Most of the web page load time is spent downloading different components of the page including scripts, images, and stylesheets. Your browser will send an HTTP request to a web server. One HTTP request is made for every component. So, if your page has a lot of components, it will take longer to render the page because it has more on-page components. If you’re looking for a plugin to help you minimize your page’s HTTP request, you should check out Autoptimize

  1. Use a cache plugin

Caching involves storing several copies of files or data in a cache or a temporary storage location so that they could be accessed faster. It’s where data for web browsers, servers, and software applications are saved temporarily so that users don’t have to download data each time to access an application or website.

The cached data includes scripts, files, and images that are stored on a device automatically when a user visits a website or opens an application for the first time. Caching your WordPress site can help it load two to four times faster.

You can use WordPress Super Cache for free or sign up for a premium account at WordPress Rocket

Having a fast-loading website is essential. It may be a challenging undertaking but it will have a significant impact on your website’s overall performance.

© FOME

How To Prepare Your Website For The Core Web Vitals Google Update

How to prepare your website for the Core Web Vitals Google Update

Google takes user-friendliness to the next level

Google’s first big update for the year is about to roll out, and with it come a few (quite significant) changes to the algorithm. From a website owner’s perspective, the most crucial change is that the page experience ranking signals will be applied globally on all browsers on mobile devices

If this sounds like a mishmash of SEO jargon, don’t worry because we’ll explain everything. And, it’s actually really easy to understand. You just have to look at things from Google’s perspective. They’ve always been all about ease of use and accessibility (as noted in their mission statement), and almost all algorithm changes aim to make the web more user-friendly.

Of course, in a perfect world, “search engine optimisation” wouldn’t need to exist. People would just create their content and websites in line with the standard from the get-go because they want to provide users with the best possible experience. However, web development trends aren’t there just yet. And, besides, making something functional is much simpler (and cheaper) than making something functional and user-friendly. That’s where SEO comes in.

What are these “Core Web Vitals” and why should you care about them?

Well, probably, because Google has been going on and on about the “major change that’s on the horizon” for the better part of a year? Besides, website owners who allow themselves to get blindsided by this update are very likely to lose many positions.

Here’s a quick summary: 

Google wants to point users to safe, secure, mobile-friendly and user-friendly websites. The update places a big emphasis on usability. Websites that are easier to browse will have an easier time ranking higher. Good user experience has always been a significant factor, but now, they’re taking it to the next level. 

 And don’t worry, because, in their own words, 

“Good page experience doesn’t override having great, relevant content.”

So, if two websites have the same score, the one with the better content will still have the upper hand. All inline with Google’s original goal. They want to help users find the most relevant, easily accessible and interesting content that’s available out there. Annoying delays, slow loading speeds, insecure websites, repetitive content, and everything of the sort should be a thing of the past. 

Core Web Vitals – The Three Metrics

  • LCP – Largest Contentful Paint (yes, that’s a word!)
  • FID – First Input Delay
  • CLS – Cumulative Layout Shift 

The first metric – LCP – is all about response time. And it’s pretty self-explanatory: you want your pages to load as fast as possible. This includes everything from server response time and scripts to specific resources like images and video files. The longer the users have to wait for your page to load, the higher chance they’ll get bored and go to your competitor. Google wants the LCP to take less than 2.5 seconds from the moment it starts loading.

The second metric – FID is focused on input delay. Or, you can view it as “yet another” speed metric. Basically, you want the website to respond to the user’s taps or clicks as quickly as possible. The big delays usually come from big scripts or other elements loading in the background, which prevents the browser from responding in a timely manner (and usually creates frustration in the user). Google is looking for a delay of 100ms or less.

The final metric – CLS – has to do with layout shifts, ads, dynamic content, and weird fonts. You know how, sometimes, the website’s layout shifts or changes a couple times after the page is done loading? This is one of the major sources of frustrations for mobile users because you’re always forced to wait a couple of seconds before interacting with your screen unless you want to risk clicking on something that just seemingly appeared out of nowhere. And, what’s even worse is that the user has no choice in the matter – the issue is present regardless of your connection speed or device specs. Google understands the frustration and wants to limit (or, ideally – eliminate) the shifting layout practice.

How to prepare your website for the Core Web Vitals Google Update

Getting your website ready for the update is as “simple” as making sure you’re compliant with Google’s usability policies. This includes a combination of the following:

  • Mobile Friendliness – Seeing how this update is focused on mobile usability, you will want your website to perform equally well across all devices. Or, in other words, you’re looking for a “good” mobile score with zero usability errors.
  • Security – In order to get a “good” rating, you need to eliminate all possible security issues. Depending on the type of website you’re running, this can be achieved via plugins or back-end code implementations. 
  • SSL Certification (HTTPS) – HTTPS has long since been the norm, and this update will only reinforce the notion. SSL certificates are easy to obtain (and relatively simple to set up), protect your users’ data and allow them to know for sure that they’re in the right place. Besides, all popular browsers (e.g. Google, Firefox, Vivaldi, etc.) now come with a built-in feature that screams at users if your website lacks an SSL certificate. And we don’t need to tell you why this is bad for business.
  • Ads (and lack thereof) – If at all possible, we’d advise you to go ad-free, especially for commercial websites. On top of being less annoying to visitors, this helps with appearing credible and building your brand. However, for some projects, this is simply not an option (see media websites, platforms, etc.). For websites that rely on ad revenue, earning a “good” page experience ranking can be a bit tricky (depending on your ad provider). You will want to avoid hosting any ads which could be considered obstructive, distracting, or otherwise interruptive. This is sort of silly, considering the leading advertisement notions in marketing, but, hey – Google wants a better user experience, which means less annoying ads!

As with most of their updates over the past couple of years, Google is not willing to leave website owners in the dark. Google’s report tool can help you see exactly what’s “wrong” with your website on an URL-by-URL (page by page) basis. You will want to take a good look at any URLs that return “poor” or “need improvement” results and address the issues as soon as possible to avoid losing positions.

 

Sources:

Page experience

Web vitals

LCP-FID-CLS

Google Business Profile

How To Cope With The Limited Google Business Profile Functionality

Hello and welcome back to our blog. Today we are going to discuss something that has to do with one of the giants of the tech world, Google. We are sure everyone that has access to the internet must have heard or come across Google at one time or another. It is regarded as the biggest and most reliable web search engine in the world today. Do you want to lose weight or learn how to cut your hair? Ask Google. Do you want to learn how to cook or do something as simple as spring clean your house? Ask Google, and the list goes on and on.

If you have logged on to Google my business panel recently, you may have seen something like this “Limited Google Business Profile functionality”. Also, under this caption, you may have noticed “Edits, review replies, and other Google My business functionality may not operate as usual at this time due to the Coronavirus (COVID-19)”. This error message is due to the persistence of the crisis, and Google has decided to limit some of the functionalities of Google Business Profile. In this blog, we will cover what is happening and how you can cope with this new development.

Every business name should reflect the image of the business in real life. That can be seen as the first rule of business. However, due to the recent circumstances, Google is allowing businesses to modify their business names, and add ‘delivery’ and “take out options’ as part of it. If your business allows you to utilise this opportunity, don’t waste it, and try to make it count. Now, let’s talk about restricted functions.

  • Reviews: If you encourage customers and clients to post reviews of your product on your Google, you will notice that no new reviews are appearing on your listing panels at the moment. This is because, since 20th of March, 2020, Google stopped publishing customer reviews on any listing panels. Take, for example, the London Eye. It is always known to have tons of reviews every day, but recently, there has been no new reviews. Users can post their reviews, but Google does not publish them any longer. It is also not possible to try to respond to those reviews. The reason is to protect local businesses from anyone that tries to post malicious reviews or mislead anybody, given the current circumstances. Just stop asking customers for their reviews. Instead, keep in touch with them until everything becomes normal.
  • FAQs: Those of you hoping to use the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) to inform your customers, you will not be able to, because it has also been removed. We believe it is also a ploy by Google to protect these small and medium enterprises from the dire effects of our present circumstances.
  • Descriptions: Since some of these descriptions get rejected, adding them to your listings can cause some problems. We cannot say for sure if it is true with every business, but a likely cause may be the effects of our economic situation.
  • Google posts and pictures: Some Google posts have been rejected lately, and even though one cannot tell the cause, Google is working tirelessly to fix this problem. Images posted on listings are also facing the same issues.

If you are experiencing any of these; please be patient. Also, if your business is no longer open at present, you can lock it as temporarily closed. Do that by logging into your Google Business Profile dashboard, click on ‘Info’ and in the main dashboard, select the ‘Locked as temporarily closed option’. It is unfortunate that some companies have been marked as ‘Temporarily closed’ without them requesting it, but if you are affected, you can submit a request for your company to be unmarked. Just click on the ‘Info’ tab, and in the main dashboard, click on the log as Open option. Due to inadequate lack of response from Google, this may take some time and may stay as the ‘Under review’ status for some time. Google is aiming to prioritise edit reviews that are critical to health-related businesses. If you are trying to create new Google listings, you may have to be patient, as health-related issues come first.

If you need any help or advice, please do not hesitate to get in touch with us.

© FOME

How To Tell That You Need A New Website

How to tell that you need a new website

Have you ever looked at your website and wondered – “Is this website good enough for what I need? Will it help me achieve my business goals?”

In our day and age, every business owner is fully aware that running a successful business without the back-up of a solid online presence is nigh impossible. And, sooner or later, everyone invests in a website of their own. But just how effective is the website that you’re working on right now? How well does it convey your company’s mission and vision to your potential clients, landing on your homepage? Does it properly communicate the value that they’d get out of doing business with you?

Sadly, a lot of websites fail to tick a lot of necessary checkboxes, turning from an asset into a resource sink. But how can you tell that your business needs a new website? Here are the four main marks that each and every business-related website needs to hit:

  • Conversion Rates
  • Bounce Rates
  • Mobile Optimisation
  • Pride

Conversion rates

Ultimately, this is what every business website is about. No matter how well-optimised or professionally designed your website is, if it’s not converting then it isn’t doing its job.

Your conversion rate is mostly dependent on the following factors:

  • Traffic sources
  • Niche
  • Call to action

Getting traffic is great but traffic alone doesn’t cut it.

If you are getting a lot of traffic, be it by virtue of search engine optimisation, social media marketing, or paid advertisements, you can generally tell that your website is doing well. But this won’t translate to business success unless those visitors turn into leads.

If your website isn’t generating enough leads for the amount of traffic that it’s getting, this means that something is wrong – it’s either unappealing and unclear or difficult to navigate. Remember – just because your website looks good in your eyes, doesn’t necessarily mean that it appeals to your potential customers! Just as everything else in the business field, your site must be built with what your customer wants, needs and likes.

Worse yet, some websites have no tracking implementations whatsoever. This simple rookie mistake prevents business owners from being able to evaluate the performance of their online asset, invalidating almost all digital marketing efforts.

Bounce Rates

Once visitors find your website and land on your homepage, you want them to stick around for as long as possible, explore your website, and ideally – get in touch with you. The longer they stay on your site the better, as this gives your digital assets more time to do their job. If your visitors are leaving quickly, however, it means that you’ve got a problem on your hands.

If visitors are leaving your website without bothering to check at least one additional page on their way out, this can mean that something is really wrong. The most common reasons for a high bounce rate are:

  • Slow page loading times – nobody is going to want to wait for your page to load for longer than a second or two, no matter how pretty it is!
  • Inadequate internal linking – you want the pages that rank the best in Google to point your visitors towards the most exciting parts of your website!
  • Bad layouts & design – as noted above, it is crucial that your website is appealing to the eyes of your potential customer!
  • Lack of clarity – in business, everything needs to be crystal clear and easy to understand!
  • Lack of mobile optimisation – a huge percentage of people browse the internet from their phones and tablets. If your website does not work well with mobile devices, you’re missing out on a significant portion of potential clients!

Mobile Optimisation

The mobile optimisation “craze” has long since passed, but that doesn’t mean you can afford to ignore mobile browsing! Digital marketers have simply stopped talking about it as much because it’s now one of the baseline trends in website development. If you’ve got a website in 2019, it simply has to be completely mobile-friendly, there’s no way around it. As a matter of fact, if you were to do a bit of mobile browsing yourself, you’d be hard-pressed to find a website that doesn’t tick this checkbox!

Not only is mobile friendliness crucial for user experience, but it is also of vital importance for ranking well on Google search results! That’s because Google wants users to be as comfortable as possible during their online journeys and if your website isn’t capable of providing them with an adequate experience, it will get penalised by the algorithms!

So if your website isn’t optimised for mobile devices, you’re not just losing out on conversions, but on traffic as well!

But mobile friendliness goes much deeper than the mere basic functionality tests, presented by Google. As we mentioned above, user experience is the cornerstone of every successful business website. So if your Google Analytics is showing worse conversions for mobile than for desktop, you might want to focus on the experience of your users a tad more. Mobile experience encompasses everything from the design and position of your menus, buttons, and other interactive elements, all the way to functionality implementations like user accounts, logins and shopping options.

Your website should fill you with pride!

If at any point in time you feel like your website isn’t a worthy representation of your business, if you feel uncomfortable with the idea that important clients will have to go through your website, that’s a huge red flag.

Remember – your website is your representative in the online world, the digital face of your business. It should be your pride and joy, a testament to your confidence and credibility. So, if you’re embarrassed by it, you should consider making changes.

If you think that you might need a new website, don’t hesitate to send a link our way, for a complimentary no-strings-attached consultation!

How to deal with negative online reviews

How to deal with negative online reviews

In this age of social media, receiving a negative review online can potentially be catastrophic for your brand. Word-of-mouth has always been a quick way to spread bad news, but this is even faster with technology, and if brands don’t respond promptly, a negative review can lead to long-lasting damage.

That’s the first thing you need to know about dealing with negative online reviews: a response is necessary 99 per cent of the time. Never respond to posts that are abusive or personal though – if they are particularly bad, you can report them directly via sites like Twitter and Facebook, or contact the police.

But for all of the other negative posts that you receive, how exactly should you respond?

The polite, professional, apologetic approach to negative online reviews

If you’ve spotted a less than favourable review of your business that includes some genuine concerns from the poster or they’ve made it clear that they expect a response, then it’s always best to adopt a polite and understanding approach.

In your reply, demonstrate that you’ve read their complaint thoroughly by using their own words back to them, just in a slightly rephrased manner. Be apologetic, letting them know that you’re sorry that they feel this way, using a professional and polite tone throughout.

Detail changes you are making to your operations to ensure the same issues won’t recur, or provide them with reassurance that this was a rare incident and you are taking steps to make sure the same never happens again.

Provide contact details should they wish to discuss the matter further with you, and let them know that they’ll always be welcomed back as a customer in the future, and that you hope to see them again.

Using a formal ‘Dear Sir/Madam’ at the beginning of your response and signing off with ‘Yours Sincerely’ will help to keep your exchange as professional and sincere as possible.

The witty approach

In some cases, a more light-hearted, witty response can be more appropriate, but it’s important to know exactly when this is the right approach to take.

Becoming known for a banterous attitude could see your brand go viral on the web and gain you more exposure, but you have to be really careful about when you employ this approach.

If a customer has posted a review that you think is ridiculous and feel confident enough to explain why, this type of reaction may be appropriate. However, if a poster has complained about something that you think needs investigating further, don’t even consider going down this route until you’re sure there’s nothing they should be complaining about.

Witty responses to reviews can often be seen on TripAdvisor, so have a browse through some of the site’s comments sections to see the kind of thing we mean. Just remember to never insult anyone’s appearance or say anything offensive or personal to them, but it is probably okay to poke fun at whatever they’ve said a little.

Twitter, with its succinct character limit for posts, allows brands to be a little more creative with their responses to reviews. Retweet positive ones you receive to showcase praise to your followers, but make sure to acknowledge negative posts too so it doesn’t look like you’re ignoring them.

 Source: Lovin Manchester, Daily Mail