Are you an audiologist or business owner who relies on Google Analytics data to make decisions about your website? If so, this article is for you! We'll explain why age data is only part of the story when it comes to understanding your website visitors and conversions. Discover how Google Analytics can be deceptive - and why seniors are still likely your biggest source of success.

Explaining the Deception of Google Analytics

Google Analytics is a free web analytics service that tracks and reports website traffic. It is the most widely used web analytics service on the Internet. Google Analytics is a powerful tool, but it can be deceptive if you don't understand it and its' limitations.

 Age data is only part of the story for audiology websites. The average age of website visitors as indicated by the data is not always truly representative of the population that actually visits the site.

In addition, Google Analytics does not track all visits to a website. It only tracks visits from users who have JavaScript enabled in their browsers. This means that Google Analytics does not provide accurate data for all website visitors.

Bot Traffic is a Real Thing

You may have heard of it in reference to Google Analytics data, or you may have seen it in the news....

Either way, bot traffic is something that all website owners should be aware of.

What is bot traffic?

Bot traffic is when a robot, or “bot,” accesses a website. These bots can be good or bad. Good bots might be from search engines like Google, Bing, or DuckDuckGo. They crawl websites to index them for search results. Bad bots might be from spammers, hackers, or scammers. They can create fake activity on a website or even steal information.

Many bots that visit your site are registered with javascript data in an attempt to make them appear as human as possible.

So, whether or not you know it, Google Analytics is trying to figure out how old they are.

So, how old are the bots visiting your site?

Why would you care?

The general rule of thumb with all marketing is to try your best to reach your consuming audience. If you rearrange your website to attract people less like your average customer... how do you think that's going to work for you? 

Seriously, don't do that.

The impact of iOS 14 on demographic tracking

There are a number of ways to track website visitors, and one of the most common is through Google Analytics. This tool allows website owners to see detailed information about their visitors, including things like age, gender, location, and even what device they're using.

However, it's important to keep in mind that this data is not always accurate. For example, if someone is using an iPhone with iOS 14 (or above) installed, Google Analytics will not be able to track their age or gender. This is because Apple has made changes to how Safari handles cookies, specifically for the purpose of protecting user privacy.

So what does this mean for practice owners? Well, it means that they need to be aware that the data they're seeing in Google Analytics may not be complete or accurate. This is especially true when it comes to demographics like age and gender.

In the end, it's important to remember that Google Analytics is just one tool among many when it comes to tracking website visitors. While it can be helpful, it's not always 100% accurate. So don't rely on it too heavily when making decisions about your website target demographic or marketing strategy.

After all... your practice probably carries made for iPhone hearing aids, right? You probably want to target that consumer that iOS makes "invisible" to Analytics data.

It's all about conversions. Who makes an appointment at your office?

If you're an audiologist or hearing aid specialist, then you know that it's the goal of your practice to produce audiology revenue. Where does the majority of that come from? 

Yeah, hearing aids. 

Who is the average hearing aid user? 

Yeah, a senior citizen. 

You should be talking to them. You want to make sure that seniors are making appointments at your office. And, if they're not, then you need to find out why.

There's a lot of noise out there when it comes to analytics. But, don't get too caught up in it. The most important thing is to focus on your target audience - seniors - and make sure that they're converting.

Here are a few tips to help you improve senior conversion rates:

1. Use clear and concise language on your website.

2. Make it easy for seniors to find your contact information.

3. Use testimonials from satisfied patients on your website.

4. Offer special discounts or promotions that will motivate seniors.

5. Make sure your website is accessible and easy to navigate on all devices.

And most importantly- make sure they can actually book an appointment on your schedule from your website- because that's the highest value conversion there is!

By following these tips, you can insure that seniors are making appointments at your office - and that you're not chasing your tail based on irrelevant data from analytics.

Target Your Ideal Patient Avatar

If you could bring one new patient into your practice, who would it be?

• Consider the likelihood of them having a treatable hearing loss.

• Then consider the patient that will have the highest "lifetime value".

• Then, consider the likelihood of the patient to seek treatment. 

When you put all of this together, I think you will land on one type of patient that will define your target "avatar".

It's probably a 60 year old man who is in his last few years before retirement.

Why?

• Because a man is still statistically more likely to have a hearing loss than a woman.

• Because his workplace situation means that he still has an absolute need to hear and communicate.

• His age makes him likely to heave a hearing loss.

• And, his age also means that if you treat him well, he'll not only treat his hearing loss with hearing aids now, but he'll likely come back and do it again 4 more times.

If your clinic typically sees an average selling price of $2,000, then this patient is worth $20,000 to your practice in hearing aid purchases alone. If you treat him really well, he'll also refer friends like him... I think you can see where this is going. 

If this is your primary avatar, this should be the target of the majority of your marketing efforts. 

Conclusion: The Role of Google Analytics In Understanding Audience Demographics

As we've seen, age data is only part of the story when it comes to understanding audience demographics. Google Analytics can be deceptive if you don't take into account other factors such as gender, interests, and location- not to mention the general accuracy of the data itself. 

When trying to understand your website's audience, keep your ideal patient in mind, and work toward attracting them. 

If you want your web presence to achieve your goals, go after the conversions you want (phone calls and ultimately, appointments and revenue), rather than chasing the traffic you may (or may not actually) be getting- and use analytics to track and improve your conversion rate.