Although “Automated Insights” is not a new tool within the Google Analytics platform, Google continues to invest in its functionality and has now expanded the tool to almost all languages as of March 6, 2019. If you are not familiar with Automated Insights, it is a feature within Google Analytics (part of Google’s overall “Analytics Intelligence”) meant to surface insights and explanations about trends and changes in your data and even some recommendations about what you could consider doing differently. Additionally, these insights are meant to be presented in a conversational manner, rather than just highlighting data points. Ultimately, these insights and recommendations are in line with the larger push by organizations like Google to use Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence to help augment digital marketers and analytics specialists, making them more efficient at their job.
However, the tool does come with some challenges and limitations that we, as Digital Marketers, must keep in mind. Although the data being used to produce these insights and recommendations is accurate, as with any automated tool, one must ensure that they apply critical thinking to each insight or recommendation. It’s critical that individuals ensure that anything they consider doing differently based on the insights aligns with their overall strategy and company goals. For example, if there is a recommendation surfaced by these insights, it’s incumbent on the marketer or analyst to consider:
- Required resources to implement the recommendations
- The proper timing to implement the suggested changes
- Opportunity cost of not implementing other recommendations
- If there is data outside of Google Analytics that should be considered
- Overarching brand goals and considerations
Since the insights and recommendations being made are somewhat general and do not take into account the considerations listed above (and many others), having an agency partner to investigate these insights and tailor them to an organizations specific needs can be very valuable. Additionally, an agency partner will also help educate an organization on the specific and actionable steps that are needed to be taken to achieve the desired output from the recommendations.
With a full-service Digital Agency partner, the recommended changes will also be viewed from a holistic approach, taking components such as SEO, Social Media Marketing, and advertising outside of Google Ads into account. Google’s Automated Insights can provide helpful recommendations for an organization, but ultimately lack the strategic support that is provided by a well-rounded team of experts.
If you have any questions about Automated Insights, please reach out to the experts at MoreVisibility.