1.3 How to structure your Google Analytics account, property, and data streams - New on Skillshop

Summary

The video explains the structure of a Google Analytics account, detailing its levels: accounts, properties, and data streams. An account represents a business entity, while properties group user data from websites or apps. Data streams capture data flows from websites or apps to properties, with options for web and app streams. Examples illustrate different business setups, such as a fashion blog with one property and stream, and a food delivery service with two properties and multiple streams for customers and drivers. The video also touches on Analytics 360, which offers more data management options.

Takeaways

• 📊 Google Analytics accounts consist of properties owned by a single business entity.
• 🌐 A property represents a collection of user data from a website or app and is where data is processed and linked with other products like Google Ads.
• 📈 Under each property, data streams are created to collect data from a website or app, with web data streams for websites and app data streams for mobile apps.
• 📱 Businesses with both a website and mobile apps may have multiple data streams to capture data across platforms (e.g., website, iOS app, Android app).
• 🖥️ Use a single web data stream to ensure consistent reporting across web journeys, especially for journeys that span multiple domains.
• 🏢 When setting up a Google Analytics account, align your account structure with your business structure, typically using one account per company and one property per brand or business unit.
• 👗 Example: A fashion blog with one website would have one account, one property, and one data stream.
• 🎮 Example: A gaming company with apps for Android and iOS would have one account, one property, and two app data streams (one for each platform).
• 🍔 Example: A food delivery service with different apps for customers and drivers would have one account, two properties, and multiple data streams (web and app) for both user bases.
• 🏢 Analytics 360 offers additional flexibility for enterprise users, including features like sub-properties and roll-up properties.

Q & A

What is a Google Analytics account?

A Google Analytics account is a collection of properties whose data is owned by a single business entity. It serves as the top-level organization for data tracking and management.

What is a property in Google Analytics?

A property in Google Analytics represents a grouping of user data, such as from a website or app. It is also the level where Google Analytics processes data and can create links with other products like Google Ads.

What is a data stream in Google Analytics?

A data stream represents the flow of data from a website or app to a property. It allows control over what data gets collected. There are web data streams for websites and app data streams for mobile apps.

When should you use a single web data stream?

A single web data stream should be used to measure the web user journey to ensure consistent user and session reporting. It’s especially useful when the web journey spans multiple domains, combined with cross-domain measurement.

How should you map Google Analytics accounts and properties to your business structure?

It's a best practice to set up one account per company and one property per brand or business unit. This ensures that the account structure aligns with the business structure.

How would a fashion blog with a single website structure its Google Analytics account?

The fashion blog would have one account since the data is owned by a single business entity, one property for the website, and one data stream for the web data.

How would a gaming company with both Android and iOS apps structure its account?

The gaming company would have one account, one property for the app, and two app data streams, one for the Android version and one for the iOS version.

How should a food delivery service with multiple apps and a website structure its Google Analytics account?

The food delivery service should have one analytics account with two properties, one focused on customers and the other on delivery drivers. Each property would have three data streams: one web data stream, one Android app stream, and one iOS app stream.

What is Analytics 360, and how does it differ from standard Google Analytics?

Analytics 360 is an enterprise-level version of Google Analytics that provides additional flexibility for managing data. It includes features like sub-properties and roll-up properties.

What is the purpose of a property in relation to other Google products like Google Ads?

The property level in Google Analytics is where links with other Google products, such as Google Ads, are created, allowing for integrated data analysis across platforms.