This is Part 3 of our series, “Google Analytics 101: A Small Business Owner’s Guide to Smarter Website Decisions” — discover how Google Analytics can help you understand your audience, improve your website, and make informed business decisions.

If you’re just starting out, check out the recommended reading below first!
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If you’ve opened Google Analytics and felt overwhelmed by all the numbers, you’re not alone! The good news is that you don’t have to understand every single metric to start to get real value from your data right away. 

In this final part of our series, we’re breaking down the most important Google Analytics metrics, what they mean, and why they matter to your business.

Metrics Defined

Users

Users represent the number of unique people who have visited your website. Watching this metric over time helps you understand whether your audience is growing or shrinking. It can also help you track how many individuals your marketing campaigns are reaching. 

Sessions

A session is a single visit to your website. One user can have multiple sessions. This metric helps you see how often people return and engage with your site, not just how many people show up once.

Pageviews

Pageviews show how many pages were viewed in total. While higher pageviews can represent interest, this metric is most useful when paired with others—like session duration—to understand whether visitors are actually engaging with your content once they’ve landed on that page.

Average Engagement Time

Average engagement time indicates how long users actively interact with your site. If engagement time is low, it may be a sign your content isn’t matching visitor expectations or that your site’s user experience needs improvement.

Bounce Rate

Bounce rate reflects the percentage of users who leave after viewing just one page. A high bounce rate isn’t always bad, partially depending on which page they’re visiting—but when paired with low engagement, it can point to unclear messaging, slow load times, or irrelevant traffic.

Conversions

Conversions track the actions that matter most to your business—calls-to-action come to life, like form submissions, sign-ups, downloads, or purchases. This is where analytics become truly powerful, helping you connect website activity to real business results.

Why These Metrics Matter

Instead of chasing every number in Google Analytics, focus on metrics that connect to your goals. Are you trying to increase awareness, drive leads, or boost sales? These core metrics give you the insight you need to make smarter decisions without overcomplicating things.

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Snoack Studios is here to help you get started!

We will set up Google Analytics for your new website and add a plugin to allow you to view the stats in your WordPress admin panel. We provide training, where we will show you how to maintain your website and review Google Analytics basics! We can also set you up with full access to your Google Analytics dashboard.

Recommended:
Part 1: What Is Google Analytics and Why Every Small Business Needs It
Part 2: A Simple Guide to Setting Up Google Analytics for Your Small Business Website