{"id":33232,"date":"2014-09-25T08:15:51","date_gmt":"2014-09-25T15:15:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.bruceclay.com\/blog\/?p=33232"},"modified":"2019-07-26T10:29:11","modified_gmt":"2019-07-26T17:29:11","slug":"getting-started-with-google-webmaster-tools-and-analytics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bruceclay.com\/blog\/getting-started-with-google-webmaster-tools-and-analytics\/","title":{"rendered":"Getting Started with Google Search Console (Webmaster Tools) and Google Analytics"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>How well do you understand how your own site is performing? Many website owners know when their online business is up or down, but have only a vague sense of <em>why<\/em>. But it <em>is<\/em> possible to know specifics, the kind of analytics and facts you need to make informed decisions that will improve your site\u2019s SEO and marketing strategy.<\/p>\n<p>Think about the site data you have now. Can you answer these questions:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>What\u2019s my most successful web page?<\/li>\n<li>Which pages get the most traffic and conversions?<\/li>\n<li>Where do my site visitors come from \u2014 search, social media, or other?<\/li>\n<li>What keywords are leading searchers to my site?<\/li>\n<li>What kinds of people come to my site by age, gender, location, industry, interests?<\/li>\n<li>What path do people take through my site, and where do they leave?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>If knowing these types of specific data seems impossible, then take heart. It\u2019s not science fiction, nor is it a sales pitch. <strong>The tools you need are available \u2014 for free \u2014 from Google.<\/strong><\/p>\n<h2>Two Essential Software Tools for Webmasters<\/h2>\n<p><strong>Google Search Console<\/strong> (formerly called Google Webmaster Tools) and <strong>Google Analytics<\/strong> are essential for website marketing. Of the oodles of free software Google produces to help businesses and individuals do all sorts of things online, these two tool packages stand in a class of their own. We so strongly recommend both tools to our search engine optimization clients that installing them is at the top of our new-client checklist. And it\u2019s surprising how many sites haven\u2019t grabbed the opportunity yet to have one or the other\u00a0or\u00a0both. Each provides a wealth of information for webmasters to help them manage a site.<\/p>\n<p>Ready to stop flying blind through your website decisions? It\u2019s time to install your own personal instrument panel! Use the resources here to set up Google Search Console and Google Analytics, understand what each is\u00a0for, and get started using these powerful free tools.<\/p>\n<h3>Getting Started with Google Search Console<\/h3>\n<p><strong>First, click to find out <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bruceclay.com\/blog\/set-up-google-search-console\/\" target=\"_blank\">how to set up Google Search Console (Webmaster Tools)<\/a><\/strong>. The article will lead you through installing the code, verifying you are the website owner, and then logging in for the first time to your new GSC account dashboard.<\/p>\n<p>Once you have Google Search Console set up, look around. Here are a few super-useful features not to miss:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li><strong>Search Analytics report:<\/strong> The Queries view shows keyword queries people searched for (in Google searches only) that returned your web pages in the results. The check boxes control which data display on the line graph \u2014 the number of clicks, impressions (views), CTR (percentage of people who clicked through), and\/or position (where your page ranked for that search query). Choosing the Pages view, you can see which specific pages ranked in the search results. Play around with all the radio button options to get familiar with this relatively new and powerful webmaster tool. The Search Analytics reports provide a pulse beat that\u2019s worth monitoring. Watch them when you\u2019re rolling out new content pages, trying to rank for new keywords, or just keeping an eye on your search engine results page (SERP) rankings in Google.\n<p><figure id=\"attachment_37273\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-37273\" style=\"width: 570px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bruceclay.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/gsc-search-analytics-report.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.bruceclay.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/gsc-search-analytics-report.jpg\" alt=\"Google Search Analytics report\" width=\"570\" height=\"293\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-37273\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Search Analytics report in Google Search Console (click to enlarge)<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li>\n<li><strong>Sitemaps:<\/strong> This page, located under the Crawl menu, shows XML sitemaps that Google is aware of for your site and gives you a way to upload a new one. <a title=\"How to Create an XML Sitemap - Tutorial\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bruceclay.com\/seo\/create-sitemap\/\" target=\"_blank\">Creating an XML sitemap<\/a> and submitting it is like giving the search engine spiders a map. With it, they can more efficiently find their way around your site and index more of your web pages for search.<br \/>\n<a title=\"How to Create an XML Sitemap tutorial\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bruceclay.com\/blog\/getting-started-with-google-webmaster-tools-and-analytics\/\" target=\"_blank\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-33235\" src=\"https:\/\/www.bruceclay.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/gwt-add-sitemap-button.jpg\" alt=\"add or test sitemap button\" width=\"131\" height=\"36\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li><strong>Manual Actions:<\/strong> This is where Google\u2019s webspam team might leave the kind of news you hope to never get \u2014 that they suspect the site of foul play and have applied a manual penalty. (Note: Most penalties are algorithmically applied, without notification.) If you suspect your site has been demoted in the SERPs, then check this page for a possible manual action. If so, this is also the place where you\u2019ll submit a reconsideration request, but only after you\u2019re confident your site meets search engine guidelines again.\n<p><figure id=\"attachment_37272\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-37272\" style=\"width: 470px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bruceclay.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/gsc-no-manual-actions.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-37272 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.bruceclay.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/gsc-no-manual-actions.jpg\" alt=\"Manual Actions in Google Search Console\" width=\"470\" height=\"221\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bruceclay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/gsc-no-manual-actions.jpg 470w, https:\/\/www.bruceclay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/gsc-no-manual-actions-300x141.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 470px) 100vw, 470px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-37272\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">All manual penalties levied against a website are reported in Google Search Console.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li>\n<li><strong>Much more to explore:<\/strong> There are many more useful features within Google Search Console (it was difficult enough trying to pick just a few to highlight). For a more thorough tour once you get these webmaster tools set up, browse the <a href=\"https:\/\/support.google.com\/webmasters\/?hl=en#topic=9128571\" target=\"_blank\">Help Center<\/a>. If you have any questions, then see these <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bruceclay.com\/blog\/google-search-console-faq\/\">FAQs<\/a>  for a quick answer.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<h3>Getting Started with Google Analytics<\/h3>\n<p>If you were drooling over the data riches inside Google Search Console, then grab a bib because you\u2019ll be amazed by the treasures available within Google Analytics! This free yet robust software lets you set up conversion goals, track visitors, view changes over time, and even customize reports and dashboard views to help you monitor almost whatever data you need. Analytics is\u00a0like a marketer\u2019s best co-pilot, providing the crucial data that helps you navigate your Internet marketing course.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Get started by following our guide on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bruceclay.com\/blog\/how-to-set-up-google-analytics\/\" target=\"_blank\">How to Set Up Google Analytics<\/a><\/strong>. Follow the steps to create your Google Analytics account and then install the tracking code in your website that will allow the analytics software to gather data. That last bit sounds hard, but it\u2019s not \u2014 it\u2019s really as easy as copying and pasting.<\/p>\n<p>Once your software is set up, give it about a day to start collecting data. Analytics data is not retroactive, but\u00a0the reports will show more and more data over time. Keep that in mind as you begin looking at the various options in the left-hand menu. Imagine how useful it will be to compare weeks, months, or even years\u2019 worth of data and concretely monitor your progress.<\/p>\n<p>Google has designed the Analytics dashboard to be straightforward and as non-intimidating as possible. Still, with such a powerful tool as Google Analytics, there\u2019s a lot to explore and know. We included a couple of instructional videos in that how-to article, so go back and watch them if necessary. We also suggest you browse the \u201cSetup and basics\u201d section of the <a href=\"https:\/\/support.google.com\/analytics\/#topic=3544906\" target=\"_blank\">Analytics Help Center<\/a> to give yourself a good start.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bruceclay.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/ga-setup.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-33237\" src=\"https:\/\/www.bruceclay.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/ga-setup.jpg\" alt=\"Google Analytics Help Center\" width=\"579\" height=\"269\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bruceclay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/ga-setup.jpg 579w, https:\/\/www.bruceclay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/ga-setup-300x139.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 579px) 100vw, 579px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><b><i>Want to learn more?\u00a0<\/i><\/b>\u00a0Check out our <a title=\"SEO Tutorial\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bruceclay.com\/seo\/search-engine-optimization\/\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>free SEO Tutorial<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0for step-by-step instruction and hands-on access to many SEO tools. Or, give us a call to discuss our\u00a0<a title=\"Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Services\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bruceclay.com\/seo\/services\/\" target=\"_blank\">SEO consulting services<\/a>. We can help.<\/p>\n<p><em>[<strong>EDITOR&#8217;S NOTE:<\/strong> Text and images were updated July 2015 to reflect Google&#8217;s new naming and user interface.]<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>How well do you understand how your own site is performing? Many website owners know when their online business is up or down, but have only a vague sense of why. But it is possible to know specifics, the kind of analytics and facts you need to make informed decisions that will improve your site\u2019s SEO and marketing strategy.<\/p>\n<p>If knowing specific data seems impossible, take heart. It\u2019s not science fiction, nor is it a sales pitch. The tools you need are available \u2014 for free \u2014 from Google. Click to find out <a href=\"http:\/\/www.bruceclay.com\/blog\/getting-started-with-google-webmaster-tools-and-analytics\/\">how to get started with Google Search Console (Webmaster Tools) and Google Analytics<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":39,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"content-type":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[18,1232],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<title>BruceClay - Getting Started with Google Webmaster Tools &amp; Analytics<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"How well is your site performing? Info provided in Google Analytics &amp; Google Search Console (Webmaster Tools) is free and helps you make informed decisions.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bruceclay.com\/blog\/getting-started-with-google-webmaster-tools-and-analytics\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Getting Started with Google Webmaster Tools &amp; Analytics\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"How well is your site performing? Info provided in Google Analytics &amp; Google Search Console (Webmaster Tools) is free and helps you make informed decisions.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.bruceclay.com\/blog\/getting-started-with-google-webmaster-tools-and-analytics\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Bruce Clay, Inc.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:author\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/paula.allen\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2014-09-25T15:15:51+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2019-07-26T17:29:11+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.bruceclay.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/gsc-search-analytics-report.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Paula Allen\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@paulaspeak\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Paula Allen\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.bruceclay.com\/blog\/getting-started-with-google-webmaster-tools-and-analytics\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.bruceclay.com\/blog\/getting-started-with-google-webmaster-tools-and-analytics\/\",\"name\":\"Getting Started with Google Webmaster Tools & Analytics\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.bruceclay.com\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2014-09-25T15:15:51+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2019-07-26T17:29:11+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.bruceclay.com\/#\/schema\/person\/910a056b27deb0ee27c2c1b9ec3b5d64\"},\"description\":\"How well is your site performing? Info provided in Google Analytics & Google Search Console (Webmaster Tools) is free and helps you make informed decisions.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.bruceclay.com\/blog\/getting-started-with-google-webmaster-tools-and-analytics\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.bruceclay.com\/blog\/getting-started-with-google-webmaster-tools-and-analytics\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.bruceclay.com\/blog\/getting-started-with-google-webmaster-tools-and-analytics\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.bruceclay.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Getting Started with Google Search Console (Webmaster Tools) and Google Analytics\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.bruceclay.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.bruceclay.com\/\",\"name\":\"Bruce Clay, Inc.\",\"description\":\"SEO and Internet Marketing\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.bruceclay.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.bruceclay.com\/#\/schema\/person\/910a056b27deb0ee27c2c1b9ec3b5d64\",\"name\":\"Paula Allen\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.bruceclay.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/e241c9294c55d0a3e57478ec5e967dd2?s=96&d=retro&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/e241c9294c55d0a3e57478ec5e967dd2?s=96&d=retro&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Paula Allen\"},\"description\":\"Paula Allen started at Bruce Clay Inc. in 2008 as a senior technical writer and now manages the company's content and documentation. An English lover at heart, Paula enjoys working in a team where grammar is frequently discussed and in an industry where there's always more to learn.\",\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/paula.allen\",\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/paulaspeak\"],\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.bruceclay.com\/blog\/author\/paula-allen\/\"}]}<\/script>","yoast_head_json":{"title":"BruceClay - Getting Started with Google Webmaster Tools & Analytics","description":"How well is your site performing? Info provided in Google Analytics & Google Search Console (Webmaster Tools) is free and helps you make informed decisions.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.bruceclay.com\/blog\/getting-started-with-google-webmaster-tools-and-analytics\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Getting Started with Google Webmaster Tools & Analytics","og_description":"How well is your site performing? Info provided in Google Analytics & Google Search Console (Webmaster Tools) is free and helps you make informed decisions.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.bruceclay.com\/blog\/getting-started-with-google-webmaster-tools-and-analytics\/","og_site_name":"Bruce Clay, Inc.","article_author":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/paula.allen","article_published_time":"2014-09-25T15:15:51+00:00","article_modified_time":"2019-07-26T17:29:11+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"https:\/\/www.bruceclay.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/gsc-search-analytics-report.jpg"}],"author":"Paula Allen","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@paulaspeak","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Paula Allen","Est. reading time":"6 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.bruceclay.com\/blog\/getting-started-with-google-webmaster-tools-and-analytics\/","url":"https:\/\/www.bruceclay.com\/blog\/getting-started-with-google-webmaster-tools-and-analytics\/","name":"Getting Started with Google Webmaster Tools & Analytics","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.bruceclay.com\/#website"},"datePublished":"2014-09-25T15:15:51+00:00","dateModified":"2019-07-26T17:29:11+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.bruceclay.com\/#\/schema\/person\/910a056b27deb0ee27c2c1b9ec3b5d64"},"description":"How well is your site performing? Info provided in Google Analytics & Google Search Console (Webmaster Tools) is free and helps you make informed decisions.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.bruceclay.com\/blog\/getting-started-with-google-webmaster-tools-and-analytics\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.bruceclay.com\/blog\/getting-started-with-google-webmaster-tools-and-analytics\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.bruceclay.com\/blog\/getting-started-with-google-webmaster-tools-and-analytics\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.bruceclay.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Getting Started with Google Search Console (Webmaster Tools) and Google Analytics"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.bruceclay.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.bruceclay.com\/","name":"Bruce Clay, Inc.","description":"SEO and Internet Marketing","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.bruceclay.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.bruceclay.com\/#\/schema\/person\/910a056b27deb0ee27c2c1b9ec3b5d64","name":"Paula Allen","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.bruceclay.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/e241c9294c55d0a3e57478ec5e967dd2?s=96&d=retro&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/e241c9294c55d0a3e57478ec5e967dd2?s=96&d=retro&r=g","caption":"Paula Allen"},"description":"Paula Allen started at Bruce Clay Inc. in 2008 as a senior technical writer and now manages the company's content and documentation. An English lover at heart, Paula enjoys working in a team where grammar is frequently discussed and in an industry where there's always more to learn.","sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/paula.allen","https:\/\/twitter.com\/paulaspeak"],"url":"https:\/\/www.bruceclay.com\/blog\/author\/paula-allen\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bruceclay.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33232"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bruceclay.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bruceclay.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bruceclay.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/39"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bruceclay.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=33232"}],"version-history":[{"count":34,"href":"https:\/\/www.bruceclay.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33232\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":70434,"href":"https:\/\/www.bruceclay.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33232\/revisions\/70434"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bruceclay.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=33232"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bruceclay.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=33232"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bruceclay.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=33232"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}