Google analytics - discovery and beyond

It's been amazing interacting with students who want to pursue Digital Marketing and the Analytics thereof - using Google Analytics.

This is a hands-on subject - you are as good as you can get - only by interpreting and giving meaningful insights into what the Google Analytics Dashboard depicts.

But this level of Insights comes from understanding the Business Problem. What Drives the Business under consideration? What are the long term and short term goals?

Google Analytics allows you to set up measurable goals. To quote : 

Goals measure how well your site or app fulfills your target objectives. A goal represents a completed activity, called a conversion, that contributes to the success of your business. Examples of goals include making a purchase (for an ecommerce site), completing a game level (for a mobile gaming app), or submitting a contact information form (for a marketing or lead generation site).

Defining goals is a fundamental component of any digital analytics measurement plan. Having properly configured goals allows Analytics to provide you with critical information, such as the number of conversions and the conversion rate for your site or app. Without this information, it's almost impossible to evaluate the effectiveness of your online business and marketing campaigns.

(Source : https://support.google.com/analytics/answer/1012040?hl=en)

Business defines the Goals every year - often called Strategic Objectives . Strategic objectives are long-term organizational goals that help to convert a mission statement from a broad vision into more specific plans and projects.

Well-managed businesses usually start their planning process with a broad mission statement or vision. The mission is translated into a strategic plan that is then used to guide operations. Managers gain from an understanding of the difference between strategic and operational objectives because this distinction plays a major role in the conversion of an overarching vision into concrete, specific tasks. 

It becomes the task of the Google analytics team to convert Business objectives to GA Goals . They need to be able to add value and justify each Goal by linking it to an actual or symbolic Revenue gain.