Google Analytics: The Ultimate Growth Resource!

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Google Analytics: The Ultimate Growth Resource!

IT'S FREE! I had to mention that right off, just in case you didn't know. Naturally that's the best part, but the second best (and just as important) is that Google Analytics is it is an enterprise-class web analytics program. If you don't have it installed on your website, you're either a Google-Hater, or you've never heard of it. Do it. Do it now!

Keep An Eye on Traffic

The first thing to do in building a successful marketing tool is to test it. Now, it's hard to keep track of how many business cards make it into a Rolodex vs. getting tossed in the trash can - but with Google Analytics you can easily see how viewers are interact with your website. Naturally, you can't ask them questions, but you can easily make  judgment calls on content, design, and new additions with greater conviction once you've monitored your site for a few months and compared the data.

Here's a great example: Imagine you're asking people who call in where they found you and none of them mention your website. You may get frustrated and decide to scrap the whole website idea - another marketing attempt down the drain. Instead you take my recommendation and install Google Analytics and monitor your inbound traffic. After 4 weeks you discover that 85% of your traffic is coming from those who directly type your domain name into their browser address bar (they most likely received your business card or had a friend tell them about you), and 10% of your traffic is from referring sites, like your local Chamber of Commerce, or some other listing site. This means that only 5% of your traffic is from the search engines. This tells you immediately that your website isn't being listed for any important Key Phrases (Index Terms) and that you need to invest in growing the website in that direction before trashing the whole idea.

Here's another example: You want to increase traffic, and your numbers are looking up, but no one is calling! Over the past two months you've had 200 new visitors, and your website is being found on Google and Yahoo for several great Key Phrases (Index Terms), but it doesn't seem to help! You look at the Analytics report and notice that your Bounce Rate is 85% off the home page. This tells you that 85% of all viewers who come to your website are leaving with in the first 5 seconds. Wow. That's horrible. Time for a new look/layout to your home page - one that will more effectively engage your viewers and entice them into proceeding further into your website!

Plan Your Website Growth

Once you have a good idea as to how to control your traffic, you can then plan for the future. What pages to keep, what pages to add, restructuring or simplification of the sitemap and linking logic. With Google Analytics you can make these plans months in advance and tackle them proactively.

Here's an example: Let's say you offer two services, and by word of mouth you get the same amount of business for both, but Google Analytics shows that more people are searching for the first service, and you have higher traffic count and more page views on the pages that talk about the first service. Now, you can take this two ways: 1) you can beef up the other service in hopes that some day people will magically start searching for it, or 2) ride the wave and put more effort into new content and upkeep for the first service. You may eventually decide to minimize the second service and have your web presence focus mainly on the first service to maximize profit!

Looking to the Future

Driving without a destination is pointless. Having a website without a purpose is almost as pointless. Google Analytics will help you map out a course for your website that will  not only help it grow, but also grow your business' online presence, and thus directly grow your business through the most efficient and cost effective means of marketing.

Main Website:
www.google.com/analytics/

I personally recommend all my clients and friends setup a Google Analytics account and take it for a test drive. The fact of the matter is, that the information Google gathers from monitoring your website is open knowledge and anyone can actually get it - if they could build a comparable analytics program. Again, Google Analytics is free, powerful, and a great place to start in growing your website and online presence.

ZakGraphix - “Raising the Standard of Design, One Website at a Time.”

Micah Zak
St. Louis Web Design – ZakGraphix.com

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