Google Analytics: It’s time to get certified

By Danielle Talbot

What could you be doing right now that would instantly help boost your resume? The correct answer is getting yourself certified in Google Analytics. Google Analytics is becoming an increasingly sought after skill in the job market. The good news for you is that getting certified is free and can be done all on your own time!

What is analytics?

In the world of Advertising, analytics is all about analyzing data and statistics relating to a company’s web page or social media sites to better help them understand how their business is doing. This could be a personal measure or in comparison to the competition.

What do you learn?

When you become knowledgeable in the world of google analytics, you can expect to be able to figure out three key pieces of information about the people who are interacting with your brand, which are:

1. Who is visiting your site and when: This helps you identify your audience and learn more about who they are. Specifically, information about what country they live in or whether there are certain days of the week or times of the day when they visit the most.
2.    How often people return and how long they are staying: This is how you learn how much time users are spending on your page. It also greatly helps with figuring out what percentage of users are new to your page compared to those that are returning.
3.    How they are finding you: When looking at the traffic on your web page or social media sites, it is important to know how people are finding you. Whether they are typing in your web address directly, being recommended to your site, or finding you through a search engine.

How to become certified

As stated earlier, getting certified is free and can be done all at your own pace. All you will need to do is sign up for a free Google Partners account, which can be done through your current Gmail Account.

Once you are signed in, you will find the analytics exam and hours worth of study materials and videos. It will take you through every part of the analytics exam topics and teach you all about becoming a Google Analytics expert. The exam itself is 90 minutes long and consists of 70 questions. After you pass the exam, the certification is valid for 18 months.

Advantages of being Certified

The benefits of becoming Google Analytics certified outweighs the time it will take you to complete it. With an analytics certification, you can:

• Maximize the performance of your web page and/or social sites.
• Show employers you are competent in SEO
• Boost your resume
• Stand out from other job applicants
• Rule the world

Okay, so maybe that last one is stretching it, but you get the point. Becoming certified is essential to standing out in this competitive job market. So, what are you waiting for? It’s time to get certified.