Google Analytics Blog Reporting
If you’re running an online store and investing time writing blog content, don’t leave its performance to guesswork. Whether your blog aims to educate buyers, share product tips, or improve SEO, Google Analytics is the key to understanding what works and doesn’t.
For e-commerce store owners, your blog isn’t just about storytelling. It’s a long-term asset that can increase organic traffic, support product discovery, and build trust with potential customers. In this article, we’ll explain how to use Google Analytics to monitor content performance and improve your SEO reporting, so your blog starts working as hard as your product pages.
Why Blog Tracking Matters for Online Stores
Most store owners track product performance, cart abandonment, and ad conversions. But blogs are often overlooked.
Here’s why that’s a mistake:
A well-performing blog post can drive traffic, build trust, and direct readers to product pages without a hard sell. For example:
- A post on “How to Choose the Right Serum for Oily Skin” can link to your skincare line.
- A gift guide can highlight your bestsellers.
- A how-to post can show your product in action.
With Google Analytics, you can measure what content drives that kind of behaviour and optimise your efforts based on the data.
3 Blog Metrics Every E-Commerce Owner Should Watch
The first thing to know is the main blog metrics you should look out for, so you know if your blog efforts are paying off. Here are the top three indicators that show if your blog is doing its job for your store:
✅ Average Engagement Time
Are readers actually consuming your content, or just bouncing? A longer engagement time means your blog is resonating. Short times may signal a mismatch between the headline and the content.
✅ Top Traffic Channels
Understand where your blog traffic is coming from. Is SEO working? Is Pinterest or Instagram driving views? This tells you where to focus your promotion efforts.
✅ Bounce Rate
A high bounce rate means visitors read the blog but don’t interact further. That could be a design issue, a weak CTA, or poor mobile formatting. It could also mean they didn’t find what they were looking for.
💡 Pro Tip: Pair your blog data with product click-throughs using Google Tag Manager or enhanced e-commerce settings in GA4. This gives you deeper visibility into content-driven conversions.
Keep reading to learn how to set up Google Analytics!
Setting Up Google Analytics on Your Online Store
If you haven’t already set up GA4 for your e-commerce site, here’s a quick guide:
- Go to analytics.google.com and sign in with your Google account.
- Create a new property and choose “Web” as your data stream.
- Grab your Measurement ID.
- Add it to your site.
- Shopify: Paste it into the “Google Analytics” section under Online Store > Preferences.
- WooCommerce: Use a plugin like Site Kit or insert the GA tag manually into your header.
Give it 24–48 hours, and your site will report traffic data.
What to Track in Your Google Analytics Blog Dashboard
Once your blog is up and running with traffic, it’s time to see what’s working. Here are the main reports you should pay attention to as a store owner:
1. Pages and Screens
Go to: Reports → Engagement → Pages and screens
This tells you which blog posts are the most visited. Look for:
- High page views (what’s attracting attention)
- Long average engagement time (what’s holding it) and the bounce rate of each post (see below)
- Posts that naturally lead readers to product pages
A post with significant traffic but poor engagement might need a stronger opening or clearer formatting. If a post has great engagement but low traffic, it might be a hidden gem you can boost through SEO or social media.
What is bounce rate?
In GA4, bounce rate is calculated as:
100% – Engagement rate
So:
- A high bounce rate means users only viewed one page and didn’t engage (no scrolling, no clicking, no time on the site).
- A low bounce rate = good engagement (GA4 counts a session as engaged if the user spends 10+ seconds, has 1+ conversion, or views 2+ pages).
Step-by-Step: How to See Bounce Rate in GA4
- Open your GA4 property. Go to analytics.google.com and select your website’s GA4 property.
- In the left menu, click: Reports → Engagement → Pages and screens
- In the report table, click the small pencil icon 🖉 (top-right corner) to customise the report. This lets you edit the metrics shown.
- In the side panel that appears, click “Metrics” → “Add metric”
- Search for “Bounce rate” If it’s available in your property, it will appear as a metric you can add.
- Click “Apply” → Save changes (you may need to click “Save as a new report” if prompted)
- Your Pages and Screens report will now include a Bounce Rate column.
2. Traffic Sources
Go to: Reports → Acquisition → Traffic Acquisition
This section reveals how readers are finding your blog:
- Organic Search → strong SEO opportunity
- Instagram/Facebook → potential to repurpose content into posts
- Direct or Referral → newsletters, influencers, or backlinks working in your favour
This insight is vital for SEO reporting. It shows which content brings in free traffic and which platforms are worth your effort.
3. User Pathing
Use Explore → Path Exploration to see what people do after reading your blog.
- Do they click through to your product collections?
- Do they leave immediately?
- Do they add to cart?
If a blog post gets traffic but doesn’t lead to any further action, consider adding:
- A call-to-action to check out a product
- Internal links to your bestsellers
- A visual product block inside the post
From Traffic to Sales: Using Your Blog Strategically
The goal of your blog shouldn’t just be traffic—it should be influence. Blog posts that answer questions, provide value, or help solve a problem build trust. When they include soft nudges toward your products, they guide readers toward a purchase without the pressure.
Some ideas:
- A post on “How to Set Up a Cosy Study Space” can feature your candles or stationery
- A tutorial on “How to Style a Midi Dress” can showcase your latest collection
- A skincare Q&A can link to your bestsellers and offer a sample-size bundle at the end
When you track which of these posts perform well using Google Analytics, you can do more of what works—and stop wasting time on posts that don’t move the needle.
Final Thoughts: Let Google Analytics Guide Your Content Strategy
For e-commerce stores, your blog is more than just words—it’s a marketing tool. With Google Analytics, you gain clarity on what content drives traffic, builds engagement, and supports your sales funnel.
Instead of guessing what to post next, you’ll have real data guiding your decisions. That’s not just more brilliant marketing—it’s sustainable growth.
Need help writing blog content that actually drives product discovery?
Let’s work together—view my SEO blog writing and content strategy services for e-commerce brands here.