In recent years, cannabis businesses have started to embrace SEO. Yet, many of them are still skeptical of digital analytics. This is a big mistake as thriving in the modern economy requires a website and a reliable system to track its performance. Google Analytics is the cornerstone of success.
Getting started is easy. A business owner visits google.com/analytics, creates an account, and integrates special data-collecting code into their website. Based on the insights, a cannabis SEO expert can help the company drive sales by getting featured on the first page of Google search results. Here is how to make the most of Google Analytics in 2022.
Why Google Analytics Is Vital
Nowadays, any cannabis or CBD business needs a solid SEO strategy to succeed. Optimization experts cannot suggest it without looking at organic traffic. They need to consider key user behavior indicators, such as:
- The number of unique users that discovered you through organic search;
- The most popular and best-performing pages;
- Keywords that led consumers to your website.
Google Analytics accumulates all of this information. It serves as the primary source of data describing the performance of your site. Based on analytical insights, experts can assess your top 10 pages to identify the most effective practices that work for the target audience in cannabis or CBD.
Suppose your best-performing pages are blog articles. They offer educational material on the health benefits of CBD products, the origins of marijuana, and the differences between various strains sold at your store. Based on Google Analytics, you may discover that users are attracted to:
- The same quality of content;
- The particular length of articles;
- Articles with a particular number of images and other media elements;
- On-page SEO strategies used for optimizing these posts.
Armed with these findings, you can create more posts meeting the same criteria. Keep them updated in terms of content, keywords, and metadata. Additionally, insights from Google Analytics can be used to enhance your social media strategy. Improve your content calendar by integrating topic ideas that resonate with your audience the most.
What Can Google Analytics Do?
The data is not limited to just keywords and sources of organic traffic. You can receive detailed reports describing various dimensions of running your business online. These include (but are not limited to):
1. Number of visitors in real-time
Google Analytics will show how many consumers are currently on your website. This lets you track changes in traffic for one-day campaigns, monitor the effects of social sharing, test website changes, and verify if the tracking ID was inserted correctly.
2. Location of users
Aside from the number of users, you can determine the cities and countries they come from. Audience locations are accessible via Audience >> Geo >> Location. Make sure your promotional efforts attract users from your target area.
3. Devices used for browsing
Any savvy marketer knows that most consumers these days prefer using their mobile devices. They are likely to search for cannabis or CBD from smartphones or tablets. You can access these reports via Audience >> Mobile >> Devices. Check the types, brands, and operating systems.
Mobile optimization is universal and crucial for any e-commerce business. When you develop an app, you must choose the operating system most popular with your audience. If you want native experience, determine which OS is used by the majority of customers.
4. Traffic-driving channels
Do you get the most traffic from social sites or organic search? Google Analytics answers this question. You can see which channels are the most effective, so they deserve more attention. You can use default channel groupings or create your own.
5. Navigation patterns
Check how users navigate your site – which pages they land on and where they go next. GA can generate Behavior Flow Reports to help you understand what your target audience looks for.
6. Most popular pages
Some pages of your site are probably ranking higher than others. To find this information, go to Behavior >> Site Content >> All Pages.
7. Load speed
The faster your pages load, the better for your ranking and popularity. Consumers tend to abandon websites that load longer than 3 seconds, and Google also prioritizes speed. This information is available through Behavior >> Site Speed >> Overview.
8. Conversion rate
How many of your website visitors complete purchases? Conversion rate is a vital sales metric. You can track it for specific goals depending on your strategy. Google Analytics will accumulate this information in Conversions >> Goals >> Overview.
Final Word
Google Analytics can accommodate different marketing goals. Its interface lets you track different indicators of success aligned with your unique strategy. Basically, there is a measurement for everything done from the marketing perspective.
Suppose you have just added a product launch video. You can track how many people played your promotional video. GA will even tell you how many of them watched 25%, 50%, or 100% of it!
Without data, promoting your business is like playing golf in the dark. You cannot predict things or optimize your spending. Analytics will help you identify 20% of your efforts that bring 80% of results. These insights are essential for any successful campaign, particularly in such a censored field as marijuana.