Overview
This article helps you navigate reporting and analytics through three clear stages: Establish, Evolve, and Excel. You can work through each stage in order to build strong foundations and progressively improve your data tracking and analysis, or jump directly to the area that matches your current goals and expertise level.
Use this guide as your index to key reporting and analytics resources across Access Volcanic's help centre.
Working through the stages
You can approach reporting and analytics improvement in three progressive stages, each building on the previous level:
Work through the stages in order to build comprehensive reporting knowledge, or jump to the stage that matches your current needs.
Establish reporting foundations
Establish your reporting foundation by configuring standard reports on your website and setting up essential Google Analytics metrics. This helps you implement basic tracking parameters and understand key insights from Google Analytics.
Use these guides to get started:
Learn about standard reports on your website.
See how to connect Google Analytics to your site.
Troubleshoot traffic drops in Google Analytics 4.
Evolve your reporting strategy
Once your foundations are in place, evolve your reporting capabilities by using advanced filtering, custom dimensions, and trackable forms. Focus on refining your analytics strategy and implementing conversion tracking.
Use these guides to deepen your setup:
Understand UTM tracking on your site.
Learn how to build a trackable UTM link.
Excel with advanced reporting and analysis
Excel at advanced reporting by creating custom reports, calculating ROI, and analysing how users interact with your career site. Use these resources to interpret your data and make confident, data-driven decisions.
Use these guides when you are ready for more advanced analysis:
Learn about advanced reports on your website.
Understand dimensions in advanced reports.
See how to add heatmap software to your site.
Learn how to interpret the data from your site.
Calculate performance with return on investment reporting for your website.
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Best practices
Review your reporting setup regularly so your analytics stays aligned with your current goals and tracking requirements.
Complete the Establish stage before moving to advanced reporting so you have reliable foundational data to build upon.
Use analytics data to guide your decisions rather than making large changes without evidence.
Test your tracking implementation after any site changes to ensure data continues flowing correctly to your reports.
FAQs
Q1: Should I work through all three stages in order?
Answer: Working through the stages in order helps you build solid reporting foundations before moving to advanced analysis. However, you can jump to any stage that matches your current needs and experience level.
Q2: How long should I spend on each stage?
Answer: Spend enough time on Establish to set up proper tracking and standard reports before moving forward. Evolve and Excel are ongoing processes you can revisit as your reporting needs develop.
Q3: Can I skip the Establish stage if I already have Google Analytics connected?
Answer: Review the Establish guides even if you have existing analytics, as they help identify gaps in your current setup and ensure your foundations are solid before progressing to advanced tracking.
Q4: Which stage should I focus on if I am new to reporting and analytics?
Answer: Start with Establish to set up your reporting foundations properly. This stage covers the essential setup that supports all future analysis and optimisation work.
Q5: How often should I revisit these guides?
Answer: Revisit Establish guides when making significant site changes or launching new campaigns. Review Evolve and Excel guides regularly as part of ongoing optimisation and when monitoring performance metrics.
Q6: Do I need to complete all guides in each stage?
Answer: Complete the guides that are most relevant to your current goals and priorities. You can return to other guides in the stage as your needs develop or your tracking requirements change.
Q7: Where should I start if I notice unusual data in my reports?
Answer: Start with the Establish stage guide on troubleshooting traffic drops in Google Analytics 4 to understand what changed and identify whether it's a tracking issue or genuine traffic change.
Q8: Can I work on ROI calculations without completing the other stages first?
Answer: ROI calculations require reliable tracking foundations from Establish and proper UTM tracking from Evolve to be accurate. Complete earlier stages first to ensure your ROI calculations are based on trustworthy data.