To be honest, Google Analytics can be pretty daunting once you begin. It's fairly common for people to get overwhelmed by the magnitude of information available.
Also, a lot of people log into Google hotjar, have a look here and there, check their total visitors every now and then, and simply log out. The most they are concerned with is the number of visitors their website saw the preceding day or week, and that's all. They rarely ever end up with actionable insights.
Unfortunately, that is not the correct approach. The data which the tool gathers can only be put to use if people act on it.
So, who's to blame? Not Google Analytics for sure.
Presuming that you already have it configured for your website, here are some tips that can definitely help you improve your website using Google Analytics.
Do you fare well among your competitors?
Using the benchmarking screen, you can successfully compare your online portal with that of your competitors. Since each of your competitors might not be using Google Analytics, it's not going to be 100% accurate, but it's still better than nothing.
The feature can also be used to compare statistics like average time spent on site, which would give you a fair idea of how engaged the visitors are in your competitor's' website, and of course, yours.
This data would give you a fair estimate of where you currently stand in the market and how can you work upon it.
How compatible is your website?
Of course, hotjar, are an advanced, proficient computer user. Sadly, not everyone is. Google Analytics lets you track the different tools people use to browse through your website and helps you identify and optimize the aspects that draw in maximum traffic.
It's pretty easy to identify the different devices people use to access your site, be it mobile phones, tablets or desktop computers. Also, you can sneak in further to see the browsers that people use.
You could potentially be losing a lot of business if your website isn't compatible to devices and platforms driving in traffic. Optimize your website accordingly.
What kind of shoppers do you have?
In an ideal scenario, a website has 2 types of customers, namely returning shoppers and one-time shoppers. Returning shoppers is a win-win situation and in order to retain them, you could use referrer information and cookies to show them customized options.
However, if you are only familiar with a scenario where you rarely ever see a buyer return, your only focus should be on getting more and more new customers.
Focus on the content people care about
Understanding the Page Views is the key to identify the pages on your website that grabs most of the views. Limit your focus to these pages as these are the ones engaging the customers.
Since these are the only pages your website visitors care about, your job is to ensure that the content in such pages is up-to-date, interesting and a source of valuable information.
Most importantly, hotjar, repeat the processes periodically; log into your Google Analytics account each month, or even better, each quarter.