Understanding the basic terminology and concepts in Google Analytics is crucial for effectively using the platform. This section will introduce you to the key terms and concepts that you will encounter frequently.

• Definition: Users are the individuals who visit your website. Google Analytics tracks users by assigning a unique identifier to each visitor.
• Types:
  • New Users: Visitors who are accessing your site for the first time.
  • Returning Users: Visitors who have accessed your site before.

• Definition: A session is a group of user interactions with your website that take place within a given time frame.
• Duration: By default, a session ends after 30 minutes of inactivity or when the clock strikes midnight.

• Definition: A pageview is recorded every time a page on your website is loaded or reloaded.
• Unique Pageviews: This metric combines pageviews that are generated by the same user during the same session.

• Definition: The percentage of single-page sessions in which there was no interaction with the page.
• Implication: A high bounce rate may indicate that the landing page is not relevant to your visitors.

• Definition: Acquisition refers to how users arrive at your website.
• Channels:
  • Organic Search: Visitors who come from search engines.
  • Direct: Visitors who type your URL directly into their browser.
  • Referral: Visitors who come from other websites.
  • Social: Visitors who come from social media platforms.

• Definition: Behavior metrics provide insights into how users interact with your website.
• Key Metrics:
  • Pages per Session: The average number of pages viewed during a session.
  • Average Session Duration: The average length of a session.

• Definition: Conversions are completed activities that are important to the success of your business.
• Types:
  • Goals: Specific actions that you want users to take on your site (e.g., form submissions, purchases).
  • Ecommerce Transactions: Purchases made on your website.

Task: Match the following terms with their correct definitions.

Solution:

• Users: D
• Sessions: C
• Bounce Rate: A
• Pages per Session: B

Task: Calculate the bounce rate if 300 users visit your site and 90 of them leave without interacting with any other page.

Solution:

• Mistake: Confusing users with sessions.
  • Tip: Remember that a user can have multiple sessions, but each session is a distinct visit.
• Mistake: Misinterpreting bounce rate.
  • Tip: A high bounce rate is not always bad; it depends on the context of the page.

In this section, we covered the basic terminology and concepts in Google Analytics, including users, sessions, pageviews, bounce rate, acquisition, behavior, and conversions. Understanding these terms is essential for effectively analyzing your website's performance. In the next module, we will delve into tracking and reporting, starting with setting up the tracking code.