How does it work? Google Analytics; It's the first question new users ask when they want to know about the popular traffic measurement tool.

You created your new blog with such love and passion! You regularly update yourself on the topic that interests you so that you can write "fresh" and quality articles, without repeating yourself and you make sure to offer value and substance to the reader. You get the first comments, the followers gradually increase and it seems that your blog is getting more and more popular!

However, how "connected" are readers to it blog you?

Is the bounce rate enough to evaluate their loyalty?

Read below the statistical data you need to monitor through Google Analytics to answer the above questions and fully evaluate blog engagement!

1. Counting visitors for the 1st, 2nd, 3rd… time!

Visitors who want to be informed about your articles will subscribe to the blog's RSS feed or enter their email on the relevant list to receive your new article in their inbox.

However, how will you count those from different sources, e.g. those who remembered the blog url, typed it in and found their way back to your blog?

Google Analytics, in the "Frequency & Recency" category, displays information about those who have visited your blog one or more times. It is important to evaluate and compare the data on a monthly basis and notice if visitors increase every time you publish articles with quality content.

2. How long do visitors stay on the blog?

In Google Analytics there is a separate category called Engagement, which shows the time readers spend on your website/blog.

However, Google Analytics characterizes as engaged users who switch between pages, regardless of how long they stay on them. So, if a user visits a page of your blog and stays there for a long time, Google will list it in the 0-10 seconds category.

It is important to know that visitors to blogs behave differently than visitors to a website as they stay on one page to usually read an article without continuing to browse the blog.

3. Counting Pages and Counting Time

– How many pages by m.o. do blog visitors visit?

As we mentioned above, the number of pages that readers navigate between is usually limited for blogs, but there are ways to motivate them to stay on the blog by reading additional articles.

Top Tip: Show related posts or recommended posts at the end of each article 😉

- How much time visitors devote to blog you?

If you have found that the number of pages they browse is limited but the time spent on the blog is increased, it may be because they read an article and then leave your blog. Be sure to entice your audience by publishing articles with quality content that will provide value and substance to the reader!

4. Tracking email conversions

Do you want to evaluate the reach of your blog? Activate the conversion tracking code to count email conversions! The best way is to create a thank you page or "thank you" page and send the users who subscribe to the email list there!

Equally useful is setting goals through Google Analytics to track how often readers subscribe to your blog. This way you will evaluate the success of your blog strategy!

5. Evaluate the strength of different channels

It is useful to track where the visitors to your blog come from and make appropriate decisions for each communication channel respectively! e.g. if you find that most readers come from Facebook, it is a good reason to create a strong presence there by starting conversations and causing comments with the aim of not only attracting even more followers but investing in creating a loyalty relationship with the existing ones. In addition, think about creating quality articles with secrets and useful tips for Facebook users! They will appreciate it! 😉

There are many ways that will help you evaluate the engagement of those who trust and follow your blog. The personal or corporate goals of the blog will guide you in choosing the appropriate metrics to evaluate the "engagement" and loyalty of the users with the quality and essential content you offer.

What statistical data do you monitor to evaluate blog engagement?

SOURCE: https://www.papaki.gr/blog/2013/09/26/google-analytics-blog-engagement/