or Why You Need Google Analytics Now
(it’s free and easy to set up)
FIRST: Do you know how much traffic your website gets (screenshot 1, below)?
Related to that, do you know which page(s) on your site get the most traffic? (screenshot 2, below)
You need to know how much traffic comes to your website so that:
- You can see the ebb and flow and watch the reaction to every change, landing page, blog post, special offer or other content that you add.
- You can tell which day-of-the-week/time-of-day is the most beneficial for you to post new content.
- You can see which pages are the most popular.
- You can see how long people spend on each page (also known as the bounce rate) and how many pages they view in a single session
SECOND: Do you know how people got referred to your website (screenshot 3, below)?
Related to that, do you know what they were searching for when they found your website?
- Analytics will show you where your visitors came from (Google, Twitter, Facebook, etc. are “referrers”)
- You can see the keywords your visitors were searching for when they found your site. This tells you what Google thinks your website is about. If it’s on target, great! If you want people to find your website using different search terms, then you know you need to create content that is about the search terms that apply to your business.
Example: if some of your visitors found your site using the search term (or keyword) “purple widgets in Cincinnati” and you want to be found when people search “blue plastic widgets in Cincinnati” then you need a page devoted to blue plastic widgets in Cincinnati. (see screenshot 4, below)
THIRD: Do you know if the visitors to your website are on a PC, tablet or mobile phone?
Here’s why that’s important:
Visitors on a PC or tablet may be researching, so you want to be sure to have all the info they need to know about your business: what you do/sell, where you are located, what area you serve, what your contact info is and all the details a consumer would look for. And you can present lots of informative content as well as marketing yourself.
Visitors on a mobile phone are generally on-the-go, looking for a phone number, address, or a specific product. Make sure you have a mobile-friendly website and that this key info, with a map to your location, is prominent. If you don’t have a brick-and-mortar location, consumers are still searching for the same type of info about your business so they can call for an estimate, an emergency, or an appointment.
According to a recent Google survey of search engine users:
Consumers who visit a store within a day of doing a local search:
- 50% were using a Smartphone
- 34% were using a Computer/Tablet
- 1 in 3 consumers search on a smartphone right before visiting a store.
- 15% of in-store activities involve conducting smartphone searches.
4 out of 5 consumers search for local businesses on search engines.
- 88% of them use a smartphone, of which
54% are looking for business hours
53% are looking for directions to the business
50% are looking for the address
- 84% of them use a computer or tablet, of which
45% are checking the availability of a specific product at a local store
42% are checking business hours
38% are looking for the address
All of this data – and more – is free and easily accessed when you add Google Analytics to your website. Without some type of analytics, how do you know if your website is effective?
