This blog post was originally published on the LXD @ Spartz blog on June 17, 2014.
Why are these essential things to do before you start collecting data? Because Google Analytics (GA) only applies these changes going forward, it will not reprocess historical data.
- Setup a view including the full domain path for pages.
- WHY: This will allow you to see all kinds of differences including the number of mobile devices using your desktop site instead of your mobile site (assuming they have different sub-domains).
- HOW: Setup an Advanced Filter as if you’re setting-up Cross-Domain Tracking
- Give someone else permissions.
- WHY: If you get hit by a bus it’s important that someone else in your organization can have full access to your historical data and administrative settings.
- HOW: Add Users to Google Analytics
- Setup a separate Property under the account for your QA environment and keep it separate from your production environment.
- WHY: It’s hard-to-impossible to distinguish QA activity (especially automated regression testing) after the fact.
- HOW: Setup a Property
- Think!
- WHY: Each site or app or project is different. It’s important to understand the project including it’s goals and scale when customizing a GA implementation. While GA does a magnificent job of working out-of-the-box, to get the maximum potential out of the system, you need to understand not only GA but the project as well.
- HOW: Varies.
4 Essential Things You Should Do To Customize your Google Analytics Implementation from the Beginning