Analytics and Online Marketing - 5 Simple Tips
Web analytics can be a little like a maze … you are stuck in the middle of many different corridors of information, some a little lighter than others, but not at all sure where any of them lead. Today we look at 5 of the basic analytics tips that can really make a difference to your online marketing … giving you at least 5 different paths through that maze!
Watch your basics stats
Your basic web analytics statistics that make a difference to your online marketing success are:
* Bounce rate (how many people leave immediately after viewing a page)
* Number of page views
* Time spent on site
* Time spent per page (although this can be misleading if people load several pages in tabs and then flick through each one)
* Errors (shows you where things need fixing)
* Browser used (show you which browsers you should test your site with)
* Referrer (where did they come from?)
* Exit point (where did they go - or what page did they leave from?)
Look at your reports within a specified date range
Whenever you make a change to your website, watch what happens in your analytics. Watch the times when your site saw the most activity, and when it saw the least. If you’re using Google Analytics, it’s pretty simple - just click on the dates in the calendar to select.
Know why you’re using analytics
In regular advertising, there are very few reliable and easy ways to know what impact and reception your tactics are finding in the real world. It is all too easy to become comfortable with this concept in the online world. Analytics are your single best way to know whether the money you’re spending is being returned, what value customers find in your business and how they relate to it. Unfortunately, you’ll find many of your online competitors DO use analytics, and therefore are more in-tune with your audience, and cost-effective than you.
Be consistent
Make sure you look at your analytics regularly, to get a feel for what things are ‘usually’ like on your website. You’ll be able to spot if something out of the ordinary happens, and hopefully fix it before it has a major impact on your online marketing!
