Are you looking to start an e-commerce store? Are you interested in ways to better understand the activity going on within your e-commerce store? If so, we’re happy to introduce you to these two fantastic pieces of software– Shopify and Google Analytics. These tools can be used together to make managing your online business as easy and efficient as possible.
The main star of this duo is the Shopify platform. Shopify is a platform that allows users to start and manage e-commerce-related businesses. The platform enables the user to create online stores on the web, mobile, and even in real-world store locations. Shopify can even be used across different social media channels as well, allowing you to spread the reach of your store and products as far as possible.
Shopify can be accessed from any compatible device that has an internet connection. This is because Shopify is completely cloud-based and hosted by Shopify’s own servers. It also means you don’t have to worry about updates and maintenance for the program itself, that's all taken care of on Shopify’s end.
Everything you need to get your online business up and running is available through Shopify’s paid core package. Some of the notable things included in the paid package are–
All of these tools are already integrated into the Shopify platform for your convenience.
Shopify makes opening an online store something anyone can do. Image courtesy of Unsplash.
Google Analytics is an online tool that provides users with in-depth search engine optimization and marketing information related to their websites and apps. Google Analytics 4 is the most up-to-date version of Google Analytics and is completely free to use. Users are required to create a Google Analytics account in order to use the software but this process is easy and can be completed in a matter of minutes.
Google Analytics offers its users a vast amount of information about the anonymous people that visit and interact with the owner's site/app. Some of this information includes–
Google Analytics can also tell the owner information about how users interact with the site/app. Google Analytics uses data like entrances and exits to determine what pages users are starting and ending their sessions on. The software can also tell the owner how many users make it to the order confirmation page, as well as provide other data related to store purchases like order confirmation numbers.
All of the data you need that relates to your site's users is available anytime anywhere thanks to Google Analytics. Image courtesy of Unsplash.
The first thing that needs to be done before you can start the integration process is the creation of your Google Analytics account. Once that's done we can move on to the actual integration process. Adding Google Analytics to your Shopify store isn’t quite like adding Google Analytics to other web pages. While this process may seem more complicated it is pretty simple and easy once you understand what to do. It is also far less tedious than the methods for some other sites.
First, you need to go to your Google Analytics homepage. Then you need to find the account section on the homepage. Navigate to the create new account section under the my account section of the homepage. Select whether or not you're adding tracking to a website or mobile app, in this case, we are only focused on website integration.
Next, fill out the corresponding information and paste your Shopify website URL in the area provided. Fill in the rest of the information and then click on the get code button at the bottom of the page. From here you need to copy the code provided by Google Analytics and paste it into the preferences section of your Shopify webpage. If you want a full video tutorial on how to complete this process, Shopify has one on their website you can check out. Be sure to hit the enhanced e-commerce box in your preferences to add even more Google Analytics integration to your Shopify page.
Considering the fact that Shopify already comes with built-in SEO and marketing tools you may be wondering why you should even bother going through the process of integrating Google Analytics with Shopify. While it is true that Shopify offers built-in SEO and marketing tools, and those tools are great for users who are just getting started with a website, once you’re ready to dive into more expansive e-commerce work you may find that the built-in tools just don’t cut it.
Google Analytics not only provides much more data than the built-in tools but also gives you multiple ways of viewing and organizing that data to allow you to draw as much information from the data as possible. An example of this is Google Analytics' ability to sort data using a secondary dimension. This extra dimension gives your data more context which can allow you to view the data you’re analyzing in a completely new light. The program can be used to identify your target demographic, the location you're selling the most product in, the genders that are most interested in your products, as well as the age range that your products are purchased from the most. This information will allow you to tailor elements of your store or product to better please your primary customer base, or even branch out into the customer base you're struggling to reach.
This is the kind of info you can access with Google Analytics integration. Image courtesy of Unsplash.
Both Shopify and Google Analytics 4 are integral parts of any successful online business. They both offer features that complement each other and are easily integrated with one another. They both function as useful tools for both new and experienced online business owners alike.
