Google Analytics: User Data

User data can tell us about our patrons' geographic location, technology use, language, and behavior.  This can inform website, collections and instructional content.

For instance:

LibGuides user data shows that many of our students access the site from West African countries.  Consequently, the Instruction Librarian focuses on instructional examples that are relevant to West African populations.  Additionally, the Collections Librarian can use this data to purchase materials for this population.

Website user data shows that patrons do not use Internet Explorer 7 when accessing the website.  Therefore, the Information Technology Librarian does not need to optimize the site for that browser.

Website user data shows that many patrons access the website using the Spanish language option in their browser.  Due to this, the Library Director can advocate for a renewed Spanish language web presence to the Walden leadership.

Additionally, we can further narrow down these metrics to discover more specific data about our users.  It is possible to find out how many patrons in the United States use Firefox to access our website, for example.  

Naturally, privacy concerns may arise when we collect data about our users.  Google Analytics has a robust privacy policy that we can consult to alleviate potential concerns.

Geographic location shows the countries and regions where our patrons live.

1. Log in to Google Analytics and click on the appropriate site.
   
   
2. In the left column, click Audience, then Demographics, then Location.
   

You will now see a list of countries.  The list can also be sorted by City, Continent or Sub Continent Region.  More information about Location in Google Analytics.   

Language shows the language set in the patron's browser.  From this, we can reasonably infer the language that our patrons speak.

1. Log in to Google Analytics and click on the appropriate site.
   
   
2. In the left column, click Audience, then Demographics, then Language.
   

This will bring up a list of languages.  Google Analytics detects the language that is set in the patron's browser to calculate this metric.  More information about Language in Google Analytics.

The New vs Returning report shows how many of our users have used our website previously.

1. Log in to Google Analytics and click on the appropriate site.
   
   
2. In the left column, click Audience, then Behavior, then New vs Returning.
   

This will bring up a list of visits by Visitor Type.  Additionally, many reports offer the ability to filter our statistics by visitor type, so we can see if new visitors navigate the site differently than returning visitors.  More about new vs returning visitors in Google Analytics.

Visit Duration shows how long patrons stayed on our website.

1. Log in to Google Analytics and click on the appropriate site.
   
   
2. In the left column, click Content, then Overview.
   
   
   
3. You will now see an overview report in the middle of the page.  Visit Duration is expressed in the Average Time on Page section. 
   
   
   

An appropriate visit duration will depend on the type and purpose of the site.  For example, the visit duration for the website is around 2 minutes.  This seems low at first, but many patrons come to the site and then immediately go to LibGuides or the databases, which accounts for the short timeframe.  Visit duration on a site with a lot of instructional content, like LibGuides, will likely be much longer.

Referring URL shows the URLs of website that are directing users to our site.  It is expected that the report will include many Walden-affiliated URLs.  However, it is useful to examine this report for unexpected referrals which could lead to potential marketing opportunities.

1. Log in to Google Analytics and click on the appropriate site.
   
   
2. In the left menu, click Traffic Sources, then Sources, then All Traffic.
   
   
   
3. You will now see a list of entries, each containing a URL and a traffic type (direct, referral, organic).  If you click on the Direct or Referrals link in the left column, you can view the list by that traffic type.
   

The Browser Type metric shows the type of browser that patrons use to access our sites.  This is useful to determine the technological capabilities of our patrons' computers, so we do not spend time developing a system that patrons' computers will not support.  Additionally, this metric can tell us the percentage of patrons which use a particular browser, which informs the library's website maintenance strategy.

1. Log in to Google Analytics and click on the appropriate site.
   
   
2. In the left menu, click on Audience, then Technology, then Browser and OS.
   

The Network metric tells us what Internet Service Provider (ISP) the patron is using to access our content.  This metric is useful for troubleshooting purposes and can inform technical documentation.

1. Log in to Google Analytics and click on the appropriate site.
   
   
2. In the left menu, click on Audience, then Technology, then Network.
   

We can also get information about our mobile users in Google Analytics, but the Walden Library's set up is a little complicated.  Learn more about mobile analytics at Walden.

The Social report shows the impact of common social networks on our website.  This report can be used to see how many patrons came to our site via Facebook, Twitter or elsewhere.  

1. Log in to Google Analytics and click on the appropriate site.
   
   
2. Click Traffic Sources,  then Social, the Overview.
   
   
   
3. Scroll down to the bottom of the page, where you will see a list of social networking sites which have referred traffic to our site.
   

A word of caution:  Squarespace isn't one of Google's social partners, so their data does not show up on this report.