Google Analytics: an essential tool for SEO

Introduction to Google Analytics: understand and optimise your digital strategy

In today’s digital world, mastering data is the key to building an effective and sustainable strategy. Understanding user behaviour on your website in detail allows you to focus your actions, maximise your visibility and achieve your growth objectives. As a global benchmark, Google Analytics provides a detailed view of every interaction, giving digital marketing professionals the opportunity to steer their strategy based on reliable, precise and actionable insights.

With its intuitive interface and comprehensive analytics, Google Analytics is an indispensable ally for businesses of all sizes looking to optimise user experience, increase conversions and strengthen their online presence. This guide, created by Incremys experts, takes you step by step through how to make the most of the tool, covering its essential features, the latest technological developments, privacy issues, and how to integrate this data into a high-performing, holistic SEO approach.

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What is Google Analytics?

Google Analytics is a free solution from Google for analysing website and app audiences and traffic. Available to any business with a Google account, it lets you collect, analyse and visualise large volumes of data about your website or mobile app visitors. This enables professionals to understand exactly where their visitors come from, how they interact with content, and what actions they take as they browse.

The platform now exists in several versions, the latest being Google Analytics 4 (GA4), which takes an event-driven and privacy-focused approach. With this tool, you can measure the return on investment of marketing campaigns, gain strategic insights into customers and prospects, analyse user journeys to identify areas for improvement, and track performance across all acquisition channels. Centralising this information allows you to turn raw data into informed decisions and growth levers, whether for SEO, web marketing or overall commercial performance.

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The strengths and limitations of Google Analytics

Google’s solution offers many advantages for digital professionals. It provides an accessible interface, free access to most features, and the ability to customise data collection for specific objectives. Users benefit from detailed reports that support decision-making, seamless integration with other Google tools, and great flexibility to tailor tracking to their needs.

However, there are some limitations to consider. The initial setup can be complex, especially when configuring advanced goals or custom events. A certain level of technical expertise is required to fully exploit the tool, particularly for custom tracking, segmentation or building bespoke reports. In addition, the depth of analytics may be limited for beginners, and interpreting the data requires a methodical, structured approach.

There are also growing privacy and regulatory challenges, especially with the move away from third-party cookies and the requirements of GDPR. It’s therefore essential to integrate data analysis into a broader approach, using complementary solutions like those developed by Incremys to go beyond standard analytics and gain a true 360° view of your digital performance.

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SEO and GA: a strategic combination for better results

Search engine optimisation relies on a detailed understanding of user expectations and trends. By combining Google Analytics data with in-depth SEO analysis, you can identify traffic-driving keywords, see which queries bring visitors to your site, and analyse behaviour on landing pages.

This synergy lets you assess the impact of your SEO improvements, refine your editorial strategy based on observed performance, and identify friction points that hinder conversion. Thanks to advanced modules such as Incremys’ SEO 360° Audit, you can consolidate all your data – semantic, technical and analytics – to maximise your site’s visibility and relevance in search results.

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Key features for analysing and understanding user behaviour

To get the most out of Google Analytics, you need to master its features and the metrics to monitor. Rigorous analysis helps you set your digital strategy, optimise the user experience, and achieve your targets.

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The main metrics to monitor for effective analysis

Several indicators are essential for evaluating your website’s performance and guiding optimisation efforts. Understanding what they mean and how to use them helps you quickly spot areas for improvement.

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Sessions, users and bounce rate

The number of sessions shows the total visits to your site, with each session beginning when a user arrives and ending after a defined period of inactivity. Users refers to the number of unique individuals who have visited your site over a set period, helping you distinguish new visitors from returning ones.

Bounce rate measures the proportion of visitors who leave your site after viewing just one page. A high bounce rate may point to usability issues, irrelevant content or technical performance problems. Regularly monitoring these metrics gives you an initial snapshot of engagement levels and the overall quality of the experience offered.

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Traffic sources and acquisition channels

Google Analytics distinguishes several traffic sources and channels to help you understand precisely where your visitors originate. Organic traffic comes from search engines, direct traffic from users entering your URL directly, referral traffic from links on other sites, and social traffic from social networks.

Analysing these acquisition channels helps you identify your most effective levers, measure marketing campaign performance and spot new growth opportunities for each channel. This granular view is vital for allocating resources optimally and adjusting your strategy in real time.

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Goals and conversion tracking

Tracking conversions sits at the heart of digital performance measurement. Goals are set according to the site’s high-value actions, such as purchases, newsletter sign-ups or downloads. The conversion rate relates the number of conversions achieved to the total number of sessions or users, while the value of a conversion quantifies the financial impact generated.

Accurate tracking of these indicators ensures you can optimise your conversion funnel and manage marketing ROI. Cross-analysing goals, acquisition channels and user behaviours gives you a complete overview of performance and improvement areas.

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Step-by-step data tracking setup

Reliable analytics depend on carefully configuring your data collection. There are two key steps: installing the tracking code, then configuring the goals and events you want to monitor.

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Account creation and tracking code installation

The first step is to create a Google account (if you don’t already have one), then access the analytics platform to create a new property for your website or app. A unique tracking ID is generated. This must be placed on every page of your site, usually in the <head> section of the HTML. For centralised and flexible tag management, using Google Tag Manager is highly recommended. Once the code is active, data collection begins automatically, populating your dashboards and reports.

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Setting up goals and event tracking

To accurately monitor key visitor actions, you need to configure goals in the dedicated section of the platform. This could be a form submission, a completed purchase or a newsletter sign-up. Event tracking, meanwhile, lets you measure more specific interactions, such as button clicks, file downloads or video views. These events can be set up using custom tags or directly via Google Tag Manager. Finally, creating segments lets you analyse groups of users or sessions according to defined criteria, allowing for more refined, targeted analysis.

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A new generation of analytics

With the rapid evolution of digital habits and regulatory requirements, the new generation of analytics tools stands out for its user-centric, privacy-first and technologically innovative approach. Google Analytics 4 (GA4) is at the forefront of this transformation, offering a modernised view of performance measurement.

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Understanding the differences between GA4 and Universal Analytics

GA4 marks a break from the previous Universal Analytics (UA) version. The main change is the data model: while UA focused on sessions and pageviews, GA4 uses an event-based system, giving you unprecedented detail in measuring interactions. This allows you to track both web and mobile traffic within a single property, integrate machine learning-based predictive models, and customise analysis with bespoke reports.

GA4 also offers advanced options for consent, data anonymisation and disabling advertising features without consent, making GDPR compliance easier. Data retention is now limited to 14 months in the standard version, compared to unlimited retention previously, enhancing user privacy.

With Universal Analytics ending in July 2024, migrating to GA4 is essential to ensure your measurement remains reliable, compliant and uninterrupted.

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Analysing customer journeys across devices

The new version provides a holistic view of the customer journey thanks to cross-device and cross-platform tracking. Each user can be identified via unique IDs, whether a Google account, a site-specific ID or a device ID. This ability to reconstruct a visitor’s journey across devices – desktop, mobile, app – allows you to better understand touchpoints, average conversion times and the most effective conversion paths.

This approach supports personalised optimisation of acquisition, retention and loyalty levers, taking into account the increasing complexity of user journeys in an omnichannel digital environment.

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The central role of events in GA4

In the new version, every interaction is measured as an event, whether it’s a pageview, purchase, click or custom interaction. Events are grouped into three categories: automatic (scrolling, outbound link clicks, internal search), recommended (purchase, sign-up, add to basket), and custom according to your business needs.

This level of detail lets you model journeys precisely, identify conversion blockers, and tailor reports to your business priorities. The flexibility of this event-based model opens the door to ever-more detailed analysis and constant adaptation of your digital strategy to real user behaviour.

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Measuring performance without third-party cookies: challenges and solutions

The gradual disappearance of third-party cookies is fundamentally changing how data is collected. GA4 is designed to mitigate this by relying on first-party identifiers and Google signals to enable cross-device tracking. The arrival of Consent Mode v2, mandatory in Europe, allows conversions to be modelled even without explicit cookie consent, ensuring continuity of analysis.

The tool also makes it easier to integrate server-side tracking solutions, which improve data reliability while respecting user privacy. These innovations ensure the long-term viability of measurement and the adaptability of marketing strategies in an ever-stricter regulatory environment.

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Technical and strategic challenges

Collecting, analysing and interpreting data involves overcoming new technical and strategic challenges. The need for accuracy, the explosion of digital channels and growing privacy concerns require ongoing adaptation of best practices.

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The tagging plan: an essential tool for precise analysis

The quality of your analytics depends directly on a rigorous tagging plan. You should carefully define which pages, major events and key conversions to track, so you get a comprehensive, reliable view of performance. Using Google Tag Manager makes it easier to manage and control your tags, avoiding implementation errors and simplifying technical maintenance.

Server-side tagging goes a step further, improving data reliability and privacy while reducing the impact of ad blockers and browser restrictions. A well-designed tagging plan ensures reporting consistency and the effectiveness of your optimisation activities.

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The end of third-party cookies and possible alternatives

Changes in regulations and technology are reshaping traditional audience measurement. The main browsers now block third-party cookies, while European law requires explicit consent before collecting any personal data. As a result, client-side tracking is becoming less effective, forcing businesses to explore new alternatives to maintain continuous, high-quality analytics.

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Server-side cookies as a solution

Server-side tracking involves moving data collection from the browser to the company’s server. Information is sent directly from the server to the analytics platform, bypassing browser restrictions and giving you better control over data security and ownership. This approach reduces the impact of ad blockers, improves site speed, and ensures more reliable data collection.

Although this solution requires greater technical expertise and internal process adaptation, it is increasingly seen as the best answer to the loss of third-party cookies – especially for businesses wishing to maintain a high level of analytical accuracy in a post-third-party-cookie world.

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Impact on tracking and marketing strategies

Adopting server-side tracking and the end of third-party cookies require businesses to upskill technically to configure and maintain tracking systems. Marketing strategies must adapt by reassessing acquisition channels and attribution models, and by combining multiple data sources to keep a holistic view of the customer journey. Partnering with specialists, such as those offering integrated solutions like Incremys, is vital for ensuring continuous, compliant and effective measurement.

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Privacy compliance and regulatory requirements

Personal data protection is now at the heart of digital concerns. Companies must comply with GDPR and European privacy directives, updating their consent management platforms and ensuring proof of consent is tracked. GA4 makes this easier through advanced features like Consent Mode v2, IP anonymisation, and disabling advertising features if consent is not given.

Incremys supports its clients in implementing responsible and compliant processes, ensuring ethical data collection and transparent handling of personal information, in line with market expectations and regulatory developments.

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How to get the most from Google Analytics with Incremys

To move beyond standard analytics and turn data into a performance lever, Incremys offers advanced integration of analytics tools and Google Search Console within innovative SaaS modules. This approach gives you a 360° view of SEO optimisation and digital performance management.

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SEO 360° Audit: identifying opportunities for improvement

Incremys’ 360° SEO audit goes far beyond the diagnostics offered by standard solutions. It centralises and cross-analyses detected issues – underperforming pages, high bounce rates, low conversions – with in-depth semantic analysis. This dual approach identifies weak content, validates keyword relevance, and checks alignment with user search intent.

Full technical evaluation and site structure analysis help pinpoint barriers to natural search ranking. All improvement recommendations are available in one place, prioritised by their potential impact on visibility and conversion, allowing you to act quickly and efficiently.

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Semantic analysis and identifying weaknesses

The platform’s integrated semantic analysis spots under-used content, materials not aligned with user expectations, or outdated versus search engine guidelines. It highlights opportunities to target new strategic keywords and offers high-value editorial recommendations, powered by Incremys’ built-in artificial intelligence.

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Consolidating SEO data and key insights

The SEO 360° Audit module brings together all data from analytics platforms, Search Console and internal analysis. This gives you a cross-sectional view of each URL’s performance, helps prioritise actions by expected gain, and supports decision-making with clear, actionable and tailored reports. Aligning technical, editorial and marketing efforts ensures global, consistent site optimisation.

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Performance reporting for strategic decisions

Monitoring performance indicators is essential for measuring the effectiveness of actions and driving continual improvement. With our reporting module, you can access all crucial metrics, consolidated and enriched by Incremys expertise.

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Session, transaction and URL analysis

The reporting platform provides detailed analysis of session numbers, users and new visitors on every strategic page. For e-commerce sites, it closely tracks transactions and conversion rates per URL and puts performance into perspective by audience segment, acquisition channel or time period. Every report is customisable to your needs and can be shared with stakeholders to foster collaboration and efficiency.

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Key metrics to optimise your results

The KPIs tracked cover the full user journey: bounce rate, time on page, marketing goal completion rate, average basket value, revenue generated, and campaign ROI. Traffic breakdown by channel, source or medium is analysed to quickly spot opportunities for optimisation and reallocate budgets effectively. This data-driven management guarantees continual performance improvement and smart resource allocation.

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Advanced strategies to maximise your return on investment

The real value of analytics lies in turning information into concrete action. Incremys supports clients with advanced data interpretation and strategic use of insights to maximise the ROI of every digital initiative.

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Leveraging data to guide your decisions

Smart report analysis lets you spot emerging trends, anticipate shifts in user behaviour and identify high-potential audience segments. Measuring the impact of your actions and adjusting strategy in real time maximises ROI and ensures sustainable growth.

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Accurate audience segmentation

Segmentation is a powerful lever for refining analysis and personalising marketing activities. By grouping users by source, behaviour, engagement level or conversion rate, you can tailor messages and offers to each profile, optimise the user journey and boost loyalty.

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Behaviour analysis and customer journey optimisation

Detailed behavioural analysis, combined with Incremys AI, highlights the key steps and friction points in your conversion funnel. Recommendations for ergonomic or editorial optimisation can be rapidly implemented, and A/B testing validates their effectiveness for maximising visitor-to-customer conversion. This ongoing optimisation is the key to profitable, sustainable growth.

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Boosting conversions through analytics data

Cross-analysing your data means you can act directly on conversion levers, identifying friction points and optimising strategic pages.

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Identifying friction in the user journey

Journey diagnostics highlight pages with high abandonment rates, forms that are too long or complex, and checkout steps that cause drop-offs. Once these issues are identified, targeted corrective actions can be put in place to streamline the journey and improve commercial effectiveness.

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Optimising key pages to increase conversions

Using detailed reports, you can optimise landing pages, tailor content and calls to action to the expectations of different audience segments, and continually test the impact of changes. This data-driven approach, supported by Incremys modules, ensures constant improvement in performance and maximum campaign profitability.

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Analysing social media performance

Social networks are an increasingly strategic channel for acquisition and engagement. The analytics platform lets you measure precisely how your social actions impact overall site performance, and adjust your strategy accordingly.

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Tracking social media performance and impact

You can identify the volume of traffic generated by each social network, analyse traffic quality via bounce rate, session duration and conversions, and track campaign effectiveness using personalised UTM tags.

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Understanding referral traffic and backlinks

Analysing referral traffic helps you spot partners or media sending you qualified visits, measure the impact of backlink campaigns or media coverage, and identify opportunities to gain more quality backlinks. This strengthens your site’s authority and diversifies your acquisition sources.

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Measuring conversions from social campaigns

By setting specific goals for social media actions, you can accurately measure the conversion rate of each campaign, compare the profitability of different networks or post formats, and allocate budgets to the highest-performing levers to maximise ROI.

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Optimising your strategy with proven best practices

To maximise the impact of social actions, it is advisable to use consistent UTM tags for each campaign, create custom dashboards to monitor social KPIs, and regularly analyse reports to adjust your editorial and advertising strategy. This ongoing, data-led optimisation guarantees effective campaigns and greater brand awareness.

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Go further with Incremys

To fully exploit your data’s potential, Incremys offers a complete range of advanced modules that integrate and consolidate information from analytics platforms and Search Console. This approach identifies new opportunities, automates content creation and technically optimises your site for maximum performance.

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Advanced modules for a winning SEO strategy

Incremys’ 360° SEO SaaS solution is built on innovative modules to drive every stage of your digital strategy, from spotting opportunities to measuring ROI.

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Identifying opportunities and predicting results

The opportunity analysis module helps you find high-potential keywords and topics, develop SEO business plans based on traffic forecasts, and prioritise high-impact actions. Incremys’ AI anticipates market changes and provides personalised recommendations for every project via reliable predictive analysis.

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Automating the creation of high-performing content

Producing effective SEO content is simplified thanks to automation modules. The platform generates personalised editorial briefs in line with your brand DNA and strategic brief,automates large-scale production using AI, and intelligently allocates writing tasks between humans and artificial intelligence to ensure quality, originality and effectiveness.

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Technical optimisation through seamless CMS integration

The CMS integration module enables you to automatically deploy content created in Incremys to your website, eliminating tedious manual work and ensuring technical compliance for rapid indexing and maximum performance. It also simplifies translation and localisation management, allowing you to address multiple markets and languages with ease.

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This automation reduces time-to-market, ensures consistent SEO optimisation, and maximises the impact of every action across all digital channels.

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Explore our resources and solutions to maximise your results

The Incremys ecosystem supports you at every stage of your digital project, with training, webinars, educational videos and personalised guidance from experts. The webmarketing, seo, content strategy and automation blog is full of tips, analysis and case studies to keep you at the cutting edge of the market and discover the latest sector innovations.

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To stay up to date and continue improving your digital performance, visit the Incremys Blog.