Understanding Google Analytics
A Simple Guide for Bright Horizon Creative Clients
Now that your website is live, it’s time to see how it’s working for you. Google Analytics (GA4) gives you powerful insights into who’s visiting your site, what they’re doing, and how you can grow strategically.
This guide walks you through how to access your data and what key reports to pay attention to—no tech-speak required.
🔐 Accessing Your Google Analytics Dashboard
Go to analytics.google.com
Log in using the Google account linked to your website’s tracking
You’ll land on your Google Analytics Home dashboard
Click your website’s name or property if needed
🧡 Bright Tip: Bookmark the page for easy access later.
📍 Key Terms to Know
Users: Unique visitors who’ve been to your site
Sessions: A group of interactions (pages viewed, buttons clicked) during a user’s visit
Engagement Rate: How actively people are interacting with your site
Conversions: Actions you want users to take—like submitting a form or making a purchase
Traffic Source: Where visitors came from (Google, Instagram, direct, etc.)
📈 Reports to Review Regularly
🏠 Home Dashboard
A snapshot of how your site is performing overall.
How many people visited
What pages they looked at
How long they stayed
Top traffic sources (e.g. Google, Instagram, email)
🔍 Reports → Acquisition → Traffic Acquisition
Shows how people find your site—super useful for measuring marketing efforts.
Look at:
Organic Search – from Google or Bing
Direct – someone typed in your URL
Social – from Instagram, Facebook, etc.
Referral – from other websites linking to you
📄 Reports → Engagement → Pages and Screens
Discover your most popular pages and how long visitors spend on them.
Use this to:
Highlight popular services
Refresh low-performing pages
Improve calls-to-action where people drop off
✅ Reports → Events & Conversions
See what actions visitors are taking.
This could include:
Button clicks
Form submissions
Purchases (if you have a shop)
📅 Make It a Monthly Habit
Set aside 15–20 minutes each month to:
Review visitor trends
Identify what’s working
Adjust content or marketing based on data
🙋 Need Support?
Google Analytics can seem a little complex at first—but you’re not alone.
If you have questions or want help understanding your data, just reach out. At Bright Horizon Creative, I’m here to make sure your website supports your vision, growth, and goals.
