Google Analytics ID Under the Hood

Let’s say that I use my smart phone to search for a product on your website. Then, the following day, I do another search from my laptop, looking for certain information about the product. Finally, a couple of days later, I purchase the product on my cell phone. Then, the following week, I use my tablet to get service or warranty information.

 Cross Device Reports

Under Google Analytics without the User ID feature, you would have counted me as four unique visitors. Nothing would have told you what you really want to know about my purchasing habits. However, by using the User ID feature, you get access to cross device reports that tell a more accurate and helpful story about how people are accessing the information and products you provide. Not only can you discover how different devices are being used, but you can group them together into a timeline, analyzing an on-going client relationship with your business.

The User ID feature allows you to generate your own IDs and assign them to visitors, thereby associating that ID with every engagement with your Website, regardless of the device the user is employing. Obviously, the data that this feature makes available can be crucial to your understanding of how you are apportioning your marketing resources. You need to know how people are actually deciding whether or not to buy from you. To do that, you need to be able to identify when four apparent visitors are, in fact, actually one.

How to set it up?

To set up the User ID, you enable the feature in your Google Analytics account and then modify your tracking code. The User ID set up overview guides you through the process of enabling the feature in your account. As a result, you also get a more accurate visitor count. Moreover, since users are identified, all activities that take place with that ID are properly attributed to the correct client.

Google Analytics then allows you to generate a cross device report. You may be able to determine whether people using multiple devices behave differently than other visitors. You may find that one segment of visitors clicks on an advertisement on a mobile device, but then returns home to purchase the product on a desktop computer the following day.

The key for you as a marketer is to be able to understand the relationship between the two actions. Without the ability to identify users across devices, your analysis of your marketing strategy cannot be whole. You can get to know your customers from the moment that they first make contact with your Website. And you can judge the ability of your business to retain them over time.

As a specialist in Web AnalyticsDevrun Web Agency can help you discover what information is available, how to access it, and then how to use it. Contact us today to find out more about our Web Analytics services and how we can help you grow your business.

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