How to Review International Traffic in Google Analytics

One of the best places to start when developing your international ecommerce strategy is to review your existing organic traffic.  If you already have customers coming to your site organically from your SEO, review your analytics and existing traffic to get the best bang for your buck before you start paid marketing spend.

Here are some tips from our team of international ecommerce experts about what areas to look at in your analytics when creating a new customer segment focused on international users. 

• Location – This one might seem like a no brainer but check out what location users are coming to your site from. This can be found under GEO à Location in Google Analytics.  You can drill down by country, city, continent or sub-continent level.  Take a look at where customers are coming to your site. You might be surprised to see customers from all over the world have already found your site organically!

•  Language—Next, check out what languages your customers have set for their internet browsers. You’ll be able to fine tune what languages are important to shoppers on your site.  And, take this information with you when you consider implementing translation on your website or in your ad copy.

• Devices—Don’t forget to review how users are interacting with your site. You might be surprised to see different device trends for international v. USA users. Many international customers, particularly those in developing countries interact with the site only via mobile devices.

The below chart from Statista.com shows that the percentage of ecommerce purchases by mobile devices is on the rise.  By 2021 it is projected that 72.9% of all retail sales will come from mobile devices.  This trend is particularly relevant in emerging markets and developing countries where consumers are predominantly shopping as mobile-first buyers. 

• Search Engines—Now that you know who your international customers are, find out how they are getting to your site.  Are they using google, or is there a different search engine that is driving organic traffic to your site? Consider what search engines are driving traffic to your site and review ways you can localize the advertising experience on these search engines.

• Site Content & Search—And, last but not least review what pages international customers are interacting with and what they’re searching for.  Maybe a product that is not a hot selling items domestically has appeal overseas, or perhaps there are different seasonal search terms or translation required to improve search term results for your international shoppers.  

Interested in learning more about how SkyBOX Checkout can help you understand and optimize international ecommerce for your retail business? Contact us to speak with an international ecommerce expert today.