The User Pathways Report in Looker Studio tracks how users navigate from different previous pages to the current page, providing insights into traffic sources and user behavior. It helps identify key external platforms (like search engines) driving traffic, as well as internal navigation patterns within your site. This information is essential for optimizing website navigation, improving user experience, and understanding how users interact with your content.
By analyzing user journeys, you can measure the effectiveness of content pathways, track changes in behavior over time, and uncover user intent. The report provides actionable data to help improve website structure and content flow, ensuring that users are guided more efficiently toward desired actions, like conversions or call-to-action clicks. Ultimately, this report helps website managers and marketers make informed decisions to enhance engagement and user satisfaction.
Navigating the Report
Graphs and Charts
The pie chartin the report visualizes the division of traffic between pages within ohio.edu and those coming from external sources like Google or another referral source.
Table
The table shows detailed information about the previous pages visitors were on before navigating to the current page. It includes metrics such as the Number of Clicks from the previous page to the current one and the % Change compared to the previous period.
Using Filters
The filters at the top of the dashboard ensure a consistent experience with other reports in Looker Studio. The filters include:
- Date Range:Allows users to view data from specific time periods.
- Current Page Path:Filters data by individual page paths, allowing for specific analysis of a page’s performance.
- Page Path Grouping:Groups related pages into broader categories, enabling the analysis of trends across similar sections of the site.
- Previous Page Origin:A filter labeled "previous page – ohio.edu or somewhere else?" lets you analyze whether users arrived from internal (ohio.edu) or external sources before arriving on your target "Current Page".
Adjusting these filters can help you hone in on specific segments of your traffic, providing more detailed insights into user pathways.
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Start Exploring Your Looker Studio Dashboard
To dive into your Looker Studio dashboard, explore real-time insights that reveal how your content is performing. Analyze key metrics like web traffic, engagement, and conversions, empowering you to make data-driven decisions that enhance your digital strategy.
Examples of How Data Can Be Actionable in the User Pathways Report
Identifying Key Traffic Sources
If the report shows a high percentage of users arriving from search engines like Google, you can prioritize optimizing your SEO strategy for specific keywords. For instance, if many users are landing on program-specific pages, you might focus on creating more targeted content around those programs to further boost visibility and engagement.
Or if you were expecting a large percentage of pages clicks coming from another page path, would be a great opportunity to check your intersite linking strategy.
Improving Internal Navigation
If users are frequently navigating from broad landing pages (e.g., the homepage or departmental overview pages) to specific sub-pages (like program details or application forms), you could streamline the pathway by adding clearer calls to action, improving menu navigation, or creating more direct links to key pages, reducing the number of clicks required to reach important content.
Detecting Drop-off Points
If the data shows users frequently leave after visiting certain pages (e.g., high traffic to a page but no further navigation), it may indicate a need to improve the content on that page, add more engaging links, or provide clearer next steps. For example, a high bounce rate on a program curriculum page might suggest users are not finding the information they need, prompting a redesign or additional resources.
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You Still Need Help?
You're not alone in this! Schedule a personalized 1:1 consultation with UCM to get your specific questions answered and gain expert guidance. We'll help you and your team unlock the full potential of your data, making it easier to drive actionable improvements for your webpages and achieve meaningful results. Click the project request form below and navigate to Web < Web Analytics/Dashboard Support Request.