Google has built an empire on its ability to gather and analyze data on users. While this can be a little creepy, there’s no denying that when properly used, this data makes Google better at targeting audiences and at finding content that connects with audiences. It’s why you can normally find what you need after looking at one page of search results.
Google has made analytics tools available before. In fact, Google Analytics is one of the most ubiquitous forms of monitoring traffic used online. The basic version of Google Analytics is free but Google has launched a premium service with new features to help business owners and marketers.
Sophisticated marketers who use analytics platforms are three times more likely to outperform their peers in achieving revenue goals. Google Analytics free set of tools has been extremely useful, but the company has struggled to get people to pay for premium services through Google Analytics. The introduction of Google Analytics 360 may change that.
“Google Analytics has long been a popular tool for marketers, both large and small,” explained Lindsay Rountree in commentary she posted on ExchangeWire. “But the uptake on GA Premium has been slightly slower as a standalone, paid-for analytics package, versus other best-in-breed incumbents. The ability to combine GA Premium with Google’s suite of new and updated products will be an attractive prospect for many advertisers, pitching Google comfortably against a new competitor set in the software sector, comprising the likes of Adobe, Oracle, and Salesforce.”
Google Analytics 360 is a suite of several software that business owners can use to greater effect than using the free-to-use tools. It’s not just repackaging old tools into a bundle. According to Google, these new software tools will include three items that are still in beta. Google Analytics 360 includes:
Analytics 360 – Gain new insight with a total view of the customer experience.
Attribution 360 – Discover the true value of all your marketing channels.
Tag Manager 360 – Get more data and less hassle with powerful APIs and partnerships.
Optimize 360 (beta) – Test and deliver more personal experiences on your site.
Audience Center 360 (beta) – Match the right people with the right message.
Data Studio 360 (beta) – Build beautiful and shareable reports, with all your data in one place.
Besides the power of the software, Google has added some customer support features to help business owners see the value in paying for the premium service. For example, Google has made onboarding easy. They’re also offering dedicated services, online training, exclusive content and more.
As Google releases this new set of features to the general public, there have been comments from the early testers that show Google Analytics 360 suite show the potential of the new set of tools.
“The Google Analytics 360 Suite gave us the really big ah-ha moment,” commented Pawan Divakarla, Analytics Leader at Progressive. “When we launched our mobile app, it provided insurance quotes. But after looking at the data, we saw people were attempting to buy insurance. So, we shifted our mobile strategy to offer ecommerce. Google gave us that insight.”
Besides the previously mentioned features, Google Analytics 360 Suite also integrates with other Google solutions like AdWords, the Google Display Network and Google BigQuery. Business owners can also combine it with Google partners like DoubleClick Bid Manager to reach the best potential customers at the right moments with auto-optimized bidding. The system even helps business owners use website data to segment high-value customers and remarket to them automatically.
This new set of tools may be a game changer for small business owners who want to have the power of large marketing tools scaled down to something they can use. For more information about changes happening at Google, read this article on potential SEO penalties for bloggers.