Analytics

What you measure depends on your business goals

I was listening to a podcast earlier today and unfortunately I forgot exactly which podcast it was, so if you know where this quote comes from please let me know. One of the hosts was discussing how online marketers and analysts are constantly measuring statistics through google analytics, omniture, or another web analytics tool.

This concept of measurement has become a convoluted dilemma as we march into 2011.  More and more companies are utilizing web tools such as Google Analytics, Omniture, and the fossilized urchin analytics to measure web traffic.  Some companies have even started tracking conversions, funnels, and other metrics within their chosen platforms to measure online success.

The real question is, what are your keys to internet success?

3 Questions you need to ask to be successful in online tracking

Are you trying to brand your website through internet marketing?

Are you trying to engage lead generation for your sales force?

Are you trying to offer customer service or special offers through your website and social strategies?

By asking yourself these simple questions, you can start to figure out what you need to be measuring, how it needs to be measured, and how you can gauge success in your online goals.  I plan on writing about this more, but make sure to take some time and ask yourself these questions.  I think you’ll be surprised about what you need to focus on vs. what you’re focusing on currently.

More to come soon.

Web Analytics – A look at Google Analytics

Analytics software is a vital tool for any online company.  Luckily, the folks down at Google created an amazing toolset for FREE!  Google Analytics is incredible.  While there are other web analytical tools available online, they can be avoided because Google is just that good. 

Why do you need Web Analytics Software?

Analytics tools allow you to find out an amazing amount of information about who’s coming to your site.  Once the system is set up, you can track everything from number of unique visitors to how people have come to your site.

For instance, with google analytics installed on my other blog, I can find out what percentage of traffic is coming from referred websites like Digg and reddit.  I can also find out the average time spent on my website and see which articles are the most popular.  With that information, I can customize my future blogs to maximize traffic.  On top of that, I can find out which keywords people are using to come to my website.

 For the sake of explanation,  I have included this sample screenshot of the Google Analytics Dashboard. 

From this example, you can see a graph showing the average time people spent on this particular website.  If you were to click the links on the left, you could see similar graphs with their respective breakdowns. 

As you move down the page, the information gets more complex when further breaking down the information.  As you can see, this is a very comprehensive program that can provide an amazing amount of information.  With this information, you can optimize your website to generate more traffic – which in turn will generate more revenue.

Google also continually updates this product.  New Features are always being added to help you get more out of your websites.

 

If you do not have this system installed for your website, I highly recommend setting it up today!

 

http://www.google.com/analytics/