Understanding Google Analytics Metrics Over Time

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Summary

The report provides key insights into your business’s performance over time from Google Analytics perspective, allowing you to track the progress of critical metrics and compare the current year’s performance against the prior year.

Questions the report answers

• How the business is performing over time and how it is performing compared to the prior year?
• What trends or patterns are emerging in KPIs over time?
• What might be driving changes in key metrics over time?

How to read the report

Understanding the Comparison Between Years

The report allows you to compare the Selected Year (blue line) against the Prior Year (gray line) for each KPI. This comparison helps you quickly assess whether your business is improving or underperforming in specific areas.

• If the blue line is consistently above the grey line: This indicates that your selected year performance is better than the prior year for that specific metric. For example, if your Sales Amount is consistently higher this year, it suggests that your sales strategies are more effective.
• If the blue line is below the grey line: This indicates that your selected year performance is worse than the prior year for that metric. If you notice this in metrics like Average Order Value (AOV) or Conversion Rate, it may indicate issues such as ineffective promotions or issues with the website.
• Crossing lines: If the blue line starts below the grey line but eventually crosses above it (or vice versa), this indicates a turnaround or change in performance relative to the prior year.
  • A positive shift (the blue line starts below the grey line but eventually crosses above it) suggests improvement due to recent actions like marketing campaigns or operational changes.
  • A negative shift (the blue line starts above the grey line but eventually crosses below it). A negative shift may suggest that a successful strategy from the prior year is no longer working or promoting a review of your current approach.

Spotting trends over time:

• Look for patterns or spikes in the data. For example, if the metric Sales Amount is in certain months, this could indicate seasonality or the impact of a successful strategy or tactic.
• Identify declines or dips in KPIs. For example, if you see a drop in Conversion Rate during a specific month, it may point to issues like website performance or changes in customer behavior.
• Compare performance during key periods like holiday seasons, sale events, or campaign launches to see how these initiatives affected key metrics. For example, did the Number of Orders spike during a specific event.

Analyzing Supporting Metrics

Each KPI is influenced by supporting metrics to understand these you refer to the KPI Tree - Google Analytics report. KPI Tree will help you understand the relationship between these key metrics. By reviewing these supporting metrics, you can gain deeper insight into why your high-level KPIs are trending up or down. For example, If the Sales Amount is declining: Check the Number of Order and Average Order Value. If the Number of Order is declining check Session and Conversion Rate. These will explain to you why sales are declining.

Glossary

Conversion Rate (Google Analytics)

The percentage of website sessions tracked by Google Analytics (GA) that result in a purchase. It is calculated by dividing the number of orders by the number of sessions.

Engagement Rate

The percentage of sessions that resulted in meaningful user interactions on the website, as defined by Google Analytics. It is calculated by dividing the number of engaged sessions by the total number of sessions.

Engaged Sessions

The total number of sessions where users interacted meaningfully with the website, as tracked by Google Analytics. It is calculated by summing the number of engaged sessions.

Number of Site Users

The total number of unique users who visited the website, as tracked by Google Analytics. It is calculated by summing the total number of unique users recorded by Google Analytics.

Pageviews

The total number of pages viewed on the website during the specified period, as tracked by Google Analytics. It is calculated by summing the total number of page views recorded in Google Analytics.

Pageviews per Session

The average number of pages viewed per session. It is calculated by dividing the total number of pageviews by the total number of sessions.

Tracked Revenue

The total revenue generated from orders is tracked by Google Analytics (GA). It is calculated by summing the sales amounts from all orders that are tracked by Google Analytics.

Tracked Number of Orders

The total number of orders tracked by Google Analytics. It is calculated by counting all orders that are tracked by Google Analytics.

Tracked Average Order Value

The average amount a customer spends per order, as tracked by Google Analytics(GA). It is calculated by dividing the total revenue from GA-tracked orders by the total number of GA-tracked orders.

Sales Amount

Total revenue generated from the sales. It is calculated by summing sales amount values.

Untracked Average Order Value

The average amount a customer spends per order, which are not tracked by Google Analytics(GA). It is calculated by dividing the total revenue from GA-untracked orders by the total number of GA-untracked orders.

Untracked Number of Orders

The total number of orders not tracked by Google Analytics. It is calculated by counting all orders that are not tracked by Google Analytics.

Untracked Revenue

The total revenue generated from orders not tracked by Google Analytics (GA). It is calculated by summing the sales amount from all orders that are not tracked by Google Analytics.

Sessions (Google Analytics)

The total number of sessions recorded in Google Analytics.