Website Analytics: The Most Important Number

By Nathan Bellah

Data. Numbers. Trends. Aaaaah, yes... Analytics. The pulse of every site and the heartbeat of your marketing efforts. Did you know that most CMO's that I have spoken with do not even understand their own website's keys for success?

The metrics I have heard time and time again are page views. Overall traffic. Bounce rate. Time on site. The list goes on. True, all of these metrics can be important in testing messages/landing pages, BUT, the key performance indicator that I always remind them of is, "What data point do we need to move to make sure that we all keep our jobs?" 100% of the time it is always, MONEY. That is right, ROI. 

Backing into the, sometimes, ambiguous data mine field that is analytics can be rough. In a traditional marketing world it is extremely important to know your analytics baseline, e.g. website sales or conversions.

Measuring these metrics before testing components is absolutely crucial. Have a plan for marketing executions that includes a dedicated start date for each component and a dedicated tracking method for measuring results. 

I prefer to manage a client's analytics with all media that is running. This way I know exactly how traditional components are affecting digital and overall performance goals. 

Remember. You can not measure how far you have come without knowing where you began.

Nathan Bellah is the head of digital media for AgencyEntourage. He explores and executes the most effective paid media strategies for clients across the country. He also enjoys sushi and a good pair of Chuck Taylor’s. 

A Painless Way to Track Web Data and Keep your Sanity

Guest Post from: http://www.wordwritepr.com/

The varied tasks and daily duties required of the small business operator are endless.  In today’s fast-moving, digital marketing world a credible, effective and professional web presence is essential.

So is continued and accurate measurement of how, when and from where your web visitors engage your web site.  How visitors got to your site, what they view and even how long they stay are important details that can go far in shaping and effectively managing web content and engage prospects.  But the trick is, how do you get this knowledge and insight to web visitors without drowning in endless data?  How do you review of your web audiences in a way that is quick, painless and won’t challenge your sanity? 

Well all of this is not as difficult or challenging as it sounds.  Below we offer four very doable tips that can rapidly help make better sense of your web data.

Use a Dashboard

A handful of common factors highlighting web performance have emerged as standard in getting a good first glimpse of visitor.  Most of these like “total visitors”, “average pages viewed” or “bounce” (those who exit  your site within 30 seconds of arriving from their landing page), provide an easily understood gauge of visitor behavior.  These are common variables found in dashboard measurement clusters like that in Google Analytics and provide a cheap and easy way to monitor basic web activity.   They cut through the clutter and rapidly prioritize what issues should be of primary and continuing interest.

Build a Baseline

The old saying goes “anything worth doing is worth measuring”.  Well we have a “new” saying: “Any data worth collecting about your web needs a baseline.”  Common dashboard indicators mean little without context—and that context comes from first establishing “normal” web visitor levels and characteristics.  Use three or six months –or if possible—a year of retrospective data on which to build average values for dashboard indicators.  Then when with a new measurement period compare them to the baseline levels.  Instantly you’ll gain a sense of what’s up, down and in-between.

Gauge Source Data

All web visitors make it to your site in a one of four ways:

1.      By directly typing in your web address,

2.      by being referred to your site through an active link in other digital content,

3.      as a result of a search engine query, or

4.      as a result of a digital conversion marketing campaign.

Commonly called “source” data this information is another common element found in most web site dashboards.  Keep track of the proportion of visitors that you obtain from each of these four “channels” and use that knowledge in overall web marketing including adjustment to any “keyword” marketing approaches you utilize.

Don’t Measure Too Much

A lot of small business operators get overwhelmed by simply measuring web visitor activity too frequently.  By all means you should check daily to make sure your site is operating and common links feeding it are not broken.  But in terms of summarizing web visitor behavior for baseline comparison, over measurement is just as dangerous as no measurement.  Even in the digital communications world most trends shift and emerge slowly—you’ll want to be able to recognize then but not force or run the risk of “seeing” a shift that is yet to actually form.  Our guide:  Once a baseline is established take monthly measures of dashboard variables and track them over time.  This way you’ll literally be able to see shifting behavior over time and respond accordingly.

Understanding web visitor activity is important but it doesn't have to be daunting.  Naturally, almost all web measurement platforms have far more detailed capability than discussed here.  There will be times when using more detailed measures will help you.  But to get an accurate, quick and easily understood picture of your web visitors try these tips to help turn web data into knowledge.

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Paul Furiga, ABC
President & CEO

WordWrite Communications LLC  |  www.wordwritepr.com
411 Seventh Avenue  |  Suite 1125  |  Pittsburgh, PA 15219
A member of PR Boutiques International, www.PRboutiques.com
T 412.246.0340, ext 25  |  M 412.427.0597  |  F 412.246.0342 

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Keys to Great Web Design: Building Your Digital Storefront

Your website is your digital storefront. If your store isn’t built well then you won’t get the customers you desire. In the years we’ve been building websites, we’ve learned a few things about what it takes to put together a superior web presence for our clients, and how to build a good site. In order to succeed in either your physical location or your web site, it’s important to pay attention to the following key factors:

Making a First Impression: Aesthetics of the Façade

For those that don’t know your company well, any chance you get to give them a reason to come on in should be taken. The visual appeal of a site is important. You only have once chance to make a great first impression. Are your site visitors saying WOW! or OW! when they see your site for the first time? People make immediate decisions about the credibility of your company, your brand or your products when they see your website.

Well Designed Store Layout

Your customers should enjoy walking through your store. It’s as big of a reason for them to return to you as your product is. If your site can’t be easily navigated and your valuable content can’t be easily found, then your users will go elsewhere. We work hard to plan and build sites that are intuitive, simple and easy to navigate. We want our users to feel like everything is right where they expect it to be.

Clear and Consistent Marketing Campaign

When you open a store, you have to let people know you’re there. You also have to have a clear, consistent message for them to understand what you’re all about. A superior web site has clear, compelling and concise content with clear calls to action. Investing in a beautiful site and neglecting the content is like buying a car without an engine. We work with our clients to make sure that the content on their site is well written, search engine optimized and created with the clients business in mind.

Conversion: Turning Window Shoppers Into Customers

Window-shopping is nice. It can even be rather helpful for word of mouth marketing. But it’s much better when those window shoppers turn into customers walking through the door. Early on in the planning process we will determine what a “conversion” or call to action looks like for your website.  It could be to submit a lead form, make a phone call or purchase a product. We then keep that goal in mind for the entire process from design to coding to content writing. We want your web site to be the primary tool for growth in your company.

Traffic Growth Over Time

You have to keep bringing them in. Those window shoppers who turned into customers should then turn into more customers. Ongoing search engine optimization and careful implementation of social media and online marketing campaigns will ensure that your traffic continues to grow.

About the Author: Eddie Looper is a content writer at Thrive Internet Marketing, an Arlington TX Web Design and online marketing company. We’re pretty sociable, why not follow us, or contact Thrive to discuss how we can use the power of the Internet to help grow your business.