The term analytics is often used in reference to tracking website statistics. For the purposes of this journal entry, this is also true. But, it’s important to point out analytics can also refer to any statistics you consistently track. Remember, the more data you gather, the more insight you have and the more educated your business decisions can be.
The question then becomes: How do you track your website analytics?
In many ways, tracking your website is a synch. There are a variety of free and paid tracking tools at your disposal. We are big fans of Google Analytics and Gaug.es. Why two different programs? Because they’re both great tools and its always good to have an alternate tracker handy.
Google Analytics provides a broad scope of statistics for historic and real-time data. It allows you to easily integrate your analytics, Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and any paid advertising you might have.
Another option is Gaug.es. It has a streamlined interface great for getting started with tracking and analysis. And, it also has excellent live traffic insights. This one-two punch analytics combo lets you make educated decisions. It allows you to improve your web presence and enhance your visitors’ experiences.
The power of analytics will really be evident next time you update your home page or add a new landing page. As you make the upgrade, track how visitors respond. Is your bounce rate increasing or decreasing? Has your conversion rate gone up?
To maximize your insight, create two alternating versions of your new landing page. By making subtle or not so subtle changes between the two, you can track how the performance dips and rises. Use this information to hone your final product.
PS - Are you not sure if your data is consistent? Sometimes it can be worth having two analytics programs installed simultaneously for short periods of time to validate your data. But, be careful. Installing two programs increases the JavaScript your users’ browsers must load. This ultimately increases load time. So, limit the time more than one tracker is installed.
What tracking software are you using? Not sure what is best for your site? Give us a call and we can help you start tracking.
