Association Website Performance Reporting

At Harvest, we compare digital marketing to the cultivation of a field. Performance reporting is like the harvest, when the success of digital marketing investment can be measured.

Google Analytics 4 (GA4) offers a wealth of data, but many of its reports don’t provide actionable insights to help your association achieve its goals. Compared to Universal Analytics (UA)—which stopped tracking hits in the summer of 2023—GA4 can be more complex and harder to navigate. We recommend investing in a Google Looker Studio dashboard to make the most of this powerful tool. A well-designed dashboard focuses on the specific reports that align with your association’s key performance indicators (KPIs), delivering clear, actionable insights.

About Looker Studio: Why Your Association Needs It

Looker Studio simplifies GA4’s data by focusing on what matters most. Here’s why it’s an essential tool for associations:

  • Free to Use: Once the dashboard is set up, Google platform reports have no ongoing costs.

  • Comprehensive Data Integration: Aggregate performance data from Google Ads, Facebook Insights, LinkedIn Ads, and more in a single dashboard. For non-Google platforms, a subscription to a partner connector like Supermetrics may be required.

  • Customizable Sharing Options: Make reports accessible to anyone via a shareable link or assign view/edit permissions to specific individuals.

  • Interactive Reports: Dashboard users can sort data by custom date ranges and report columns and even filter reports by page URL, campaign name, and more. 

  • Automated Reporting: Configure reports to display monthly or year-over-year comparisons automatically. This is especially helpful for associations with seasonal engagement trends.

  • Unified Metrics: Easily combine website “sessions” (visits) and “key events” (like memberships and conference registrations) in a single report for a holistic view of your performance.

Our Work

  • National Healthcare Professional Association

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  • State Association for Insurance Agents

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  • National Association for Surgeons

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Ten Actionable Looker Studio Reports for Associations

The following reports go beyond data—they deliver insights to help improve your website’s performance and impact.

1. Source/Medium

This report categorizes traffic by its source (e.g., Google, Facebook), indicating where the traffic originates, and by its medium (e.g., organic search, referral), which specifies the type or category of that traffic. As a foundational tool for analyzing your website's performance, this report helps identify which sources drive the most traffic and key events, allowing you to dig deeper into the factors behind these results.

Example Use Case: If Facebook traffic decreases 10%, you can use the Social Network Landing Pages report to identify underperforming posts or pages. Similarly, if organic search traffic grows 15%, investigate which landing pages are driving the increase.

2. Organic Search Landing Pages

Organic search is often a major driver of association website traffic. This report reveals which pages bring in the most visitors and key events from search engines like Google and Bing.

  • Why It’s Critical: If you’re investing in association SEO, this report identifies:

    • Pages needing improvement to boost performance.

    • Content gaps that present opportunities for new page creation.

3. Search Queries

Understanding why certain pages attract search engine traffic can be challenging. This report, pulled from Google Search Console, displays the search terms driving clicks to your site.

4. Referral 

Referral traffic comes from links on external websites. This report shows where your website visitors are coming from, which pages they clicked on, and which key events were triggered. Key Insights from Referral Traffic:

  • News Websites: Positive or negative coverage from news outlets can drive significant traffic to your association’s website. When news stations or websites publish articles linking to your site, you can monitor and analyze the resulting traffic. This helps you understand the reach of the coverage and its impact on your association's reputation.

  • Universities: Universities often link to association websites for resources on licensing, certification, or other educational content. These links can also encourage graduates to explore membership opportunities. Consider fostering relationships with universities by offering valuable resources or partnerships that align with their programs and student needs. Are you actively engaging with universities to position your association as a trusted resource?

  • Advocacy Organizations: Advocacy groups and nonprofits frequently link to association pages highlighting work aligned with their missions. These connections drive traffic and can lead to increased donations and memberships from individuals who share similar values. Collaborating with advocacy organizations can amplify your outreach and solidify your credibility within your shared cause.

  • Government Websites: Links from government websites are especially valuable because they enhance your credibility with visitors and search engines. Government sites may link to your association for resources, data, or services related to the communities you serve. State associations, in particular, should review existing content on state and local government websites to identify opportunities for collaboration. Don’t hesitate to request a link or suggest creating a new page that features your association.

  • Other Associations: Links from related associations—whether national, state, or local—can significantly impact your website's traffic. State associations should analyze the benefits of referrals from city-level associations or national affiliates. Building reciprocal relationships with other associations can expand your visibility and create mutually beneficial traffic flow.

5. Campaigns

Track the performance of all your marketing campaigns in one place. Campaign types include:

  • Email: Monitor engagement and conversions by campaign name.

  • Google Ads: Assess the success of paid campaigns.

  • Social Ads: Evaluate Facebook and LinkedIn ad performance.

  • Partner Publications: Measure clicks from partner newsletters or articles.

  • Print Materials: Use QR codes on mailers or brochures to track offline-to-online engagement.

6. Top Pages

This report highlights your website’s most viewed pages, offering insight into which content resonates most with your audience.

  • Pro Tip: Create variations of this report to focus on top blog posts or landing pages for targeted analysis.

7. Site Search

Analyze what users are searching for within your website. This can reveal:

  • Content that is hard to find and needs better placement.

  • New opportunities for content creation based on user interest.

8. Location

Understanding where your audience is located can help you target your outreach efforts more effectively. National associations my want to look at traffic by state, and state associations may want to look at traffic by large city.

  • Report Options: View data by city, metro area, state, or country.

9. Device Type

Understand how users interact with your website across different devices (desktop, mobile, tablet).

10. Social Network Landing Pages

Track the performance of pages receiving traffic from social platforms like Facebook or LinkedIn.

  • Example Insight: Identify which posts or campaigns are driving the most traffic and replicate their success.

Optional Reports for Deeper Insights

Ad Campaigns

  • Google Ads: The Google Ads report in Looker Studio helps you maximize the program’s potential by offering critical metrics such as clicks, click-through rate (CTR), cost-per-click (CPC), total ad spend, and conversions, enabling you to refine and optimize your campaigns for better results.

  • Social Ads: The costs of managing social ad campaigns often surpass the registrations generated—particularly for membership-specific campaigns—making it essential to ensure a positive return on investment (ROI) before continuing to invest. Using a partner connector service like Supermetrics, you can directly integrate ad performance metrics from platforms such as Facebook, LinkedIn, and X (formerly Twitter) into your Looker Studio dashboard. This integration provides a comprehensive view of campaign effectiveness, helping you make informed decisions to optimize your ad spend.

Other GA4 Events

  • File Downloads: Track the performance of downloadable resources like PDFs.

  • Outbound Links: Measure clicks on external links, especially for offsite platforms.

  • Video Views: Monitor video engagement, including progress milestones (e.g., 25%, 50%, 100%).

Reports Exclusive to GA4

These reports can be found in GA4, but it’s difficult to import them into Looker Studio.

  • Attribution Paths: Potential members often don’t complete their registration form on their first visit to your website. They might discover your association through an ad, take time to research further, and then return via a Google search to complete the membership form. In such cases, attributing the entire credit to the last Google search overlooks the role of the ad in driving awareness and engagement. If you’re investing in advertising, it’s essential to understand the full journey users take before converting. The Attribution Paths report provides valuable insights into these multi-step journeys.

  • Page Path Exploration: Gain insights into user navigation patterns by visualizing how visitors move through your site. For instance, you can track users' paths from the homepage or analyze the specific journeys that lead to membership form completions.

  • Demographics: Access age and gender data by adjusting GA4 data collection settings.

Unlock Your Association’s Potential with Looker Studio

A tailored Looker Studio dashboard empowers your association to focus on what matters most: driving results, maximizing impact, and achieving your mission. By implementing these reports, you’ll gain actionable insights to improve your website and outreach strategies.

Let Harvest Help!

Struggling to create association performance reporting yourself? Harvest can help:

Contact us today to learn how performance reporting can help your association!