I knew much less about Google Analytics than expected

A lot of people that have websites has used Google Analytics to track basic statistics. It's quite easy to implement and you get a lot of data. You know there are a lot of things that you can do with it that you don't know how to do. There are experts that can tell you how to set up a lot of options but, ey, that's a lot of information you are already getting there. I think I can life with this "basic" stuff.

Since I started AlejoLab I have been learning that what I don't know about GA is a lot more than I thought. If you are somehow like me, who have some general technical knowledge about the web and usually work out the problems by searching for references instead of learning how to do the things from the ground, then you will probably do like me. Like 4 months ago I would have say I knew 50% you need to know to get basic statisctics on GA, and how to use 2% of the features to make the most of it. That last part is what you usually that other things about custom dimensions, filters, custom reports, and so on. You know someone is going to need them, but they are probably professionals with very specific needs.

I thought I knew 50% you need to run the basic features and 2% of the total.

After this three months I have been learning a lot of new things about GA, sometimes not very practical things, but the realizations of the features I needed. Now I would say that I know 10% of the basics and 1% of the total.

Here are some of the things I have realized I didn't know about and I should. They may be basic or more advanced. I write them in a, sort of, chronological order.

• How to track goals (basic if you are seeling something or have a subscribers list).
• Integrating GA with AdWords (and your goals).
• Integration GA with AdSense. More difficult than expected because they have to approve you account and domain before, and it can take weeks of obscurity.
  
• Configuring the value of goals and campaigns correctly son you can say where is you money going and coming from without leaving GA (and doing all the math yourself).
• Activate and link Webmaster Tools, to know which searches and keywords are diving traffic to your site.
• How to correctly set up profiles and accounts.
• Why managing your profiles efficiently can be extremely useful (and can save basic data you are losing without knowing).
• Taking out your own internal visits (they tend to be a lot) that are messing up all the data.
• Segmentating your users using filters.
• The ability to track specific behaviours (looks easier than expected).
• What the bounce rate really means.
• How GA cookies work and how to customize them to track what you really need.
• Recently GA has added to its API the possibility to perform split tests with the content (incrementing exponentially the possible uses of all the previous features).
• ...

I guess what happens if you don't plan to learn about something and learn by using it just because it is there. At some point you start to consider to either delegate or learn the basics in a more structured way. As always it depends on your personal goals.