| As we all know, visitor traffic is crucial to the | | | | to begin focusing more |
| success of every Website. If you do not know | | | | advertising to Outdoor topics, advertisers and |
| how many views your pages get, how can you | | | | markets.Where are visitors coming from?When |
| know if | | | | you begin marketing your site, whether it is |
| anyone is seeing your site, product or service? | | | | banner and link |
| With an online business, you can not afford to | | | | exchanges, classified ads, posting articles, press |
| guess at how effective your marketing, content, | | | | releases or pay per click |
| message or website design is.Ideally, you need to | | | | advertising, you need to know what is working |
| know what pages are viewed, how long the | | | | for you and what is wasting |
| visitor stays | | | | your time. Referral link reports help narrow this |
| on any given page and what page they click to | | | | down and allow you to see |
| next. Also, if you can see the | | | | what active links on the Internet are being used |
| keywords they used to search for you, or see | | | | to bring site visitors.For |
| what link they clicked to get to | | | | instance, let's see how our enthusiastic and |
| your site (referral link), you have great | | | | dedicated dog widget owner has |
| information for SEO (search engine | | | | been advertising. Being on a shoestring, Owner |
| optimization) of your site content and keywords. | | | | decided to try SEO and send |
| This is all part of Web | | | | out weekly press releases. has been indexed by |
| analytics. The more you know about site | | | | several |
| analytics, the better prepared you | | | | major search engines, keywords have been |
| will be to get the most out of your site traffic | | | | refined thanks to the keyword |
| and visitor usage. Read | | | | usage reports. Using the referral reports Owner |
| through these basics and you will be ready to go | | | | sees that the SEO is |
| look for an effective visitor | | | | beginning to roll along nicely and is even picking up |
| traffic reporting service, find the best features | | | | a little momentum.Now |
| for the price, and boost your | | | | for the press releases. Owner sends out a new |
| site's effectiveness.Who are your visitors?You | | | | press release each week for |
| spend many hours identifying your target market. | | | | two months. Without the referral link report, |
| Through SEO, you | | | | Owner would be in the dark as |
| spend even more time, and often money, to | | | | to whether the links on the releases were being |
| focus your keywords, search | | | | used, unless it was a paid |
| indexing and content for this market. You devote | | | | distribution service (and that info is only for one |
| yourself to find the | | | | release on that one site).With the referral report, |
| optimal visitors by geography, interest, | | | | Owner was able to send out press releases at no |
| demographics and other important | | | | |
| criteria, all for one purpose ... to get the attention | | | | cost, and see what sites picked them up and |
| of potential customers or | | | | posted them through the clicks |
| clients.Once you know your target market, you | | | | on the contact links. So the press release about |
| need to know if your efforts are | | | | Vacation dog widgets got a |
| effective. You do that by tracking your site | | | | lot of attention, excellent. That was time well |
| visitor statistics. Web analytics | | | | spent. So now, Owner focus |
| analyze your site traffic and break down the | | | | can shift so efforts are optimized.Why is all this |
| data into usable information | | | | so important?I must answer this question with a |
| reports. Visitor stats you need for the best | | | | question: do you know how your site |
| tracking include how many total | | | | has been doing? If you do not have reports to |
| visits ("hits" on your site pages, which means the | | | | give you the real-time traffic |
| total number of views by | | | | information necessary to gauge visitor |
| everyone who visits your site), unique page | | | | performance, how can you know how |
| views (views of any given page | | | | your site is really doing? Are you thinking some |
| by the same visitor), and geographic location of | | | | decent sales is doing well?Or because you get nice |
| your unique visitors. The | | | | feedback, the site is ok? If this is the case, you |
| advantage of geographic location is that you can | | | | are |
| monitor where your | | | | settling for inferior results. This is not a solid way |
| visitors are coming from. For instance, (note: | | | | to manage any business, |
| fictional | | | | and a Website is business. Why would you want |
| company) began by selling to one region in the | | | | to settle for "ok" when you |
| US but was getting traffic | | | | can get the tools at little expense that can make |
| from Canada and Germany. Owner saw that | | | | your site soar? Our Owner |
| marketing focus was needed | | | | wanted to quit the "day job" and make a real |
| for a more specific geographic area.What are | | | | living from DogWidgets.com, |
| your visitors searching for?This area of analytics | | | | and with diligence and Web analytics, there is a |
| is a terrific opportunity for SEO and refinement of | | | | good chance Owner will |
| your | | | | succeed, and make a lot of dogs happy at the |
| keyword strategies. With a good tracking | | | | same time! Please don't settle |
| service, you will be able to get a | | | | for "ok." Take your site to the next level. All it |
| report on search engine keyword usage and | | | | takes is having the right |
| clickstream (click path) data. In | | | | information to work with. To paraphrase an old |
| other words, the report will show a breakdown | | | | idiom, Visitor Knowledge is |
| of the keywords your visitors | | | | Site Success.How do they use my Website?Your |
| used to find you as well as the search engine | | | | visitors are valuable. The visitors that buy your |
| they used. This information is | | | | product or service are |
| invaluable as it spells out exactly what your | | | | priceless; they are the key element to success. |
| visitors are looking for, how | | | | You want to make them |
| effective your keywords are, and lets you know | | | | happy and keep them coming back. You also |
| what search engines have | | | | want them to spread the word |
| you listed. If your chosen service provides it, you | | | | about you. And yes, Web analytics can improve |
| can click the report link to | | | | this as well. By knowing |
| see what your page rank is for that engine, in | | | | how visitors are actually using your site, which |
| real-time. A good analytics | | | | pages they visit, how long |
| site will also provide the clickstream data, which | | | | they view the pages they visit, what pages |
| will show you the path your | | | | compel them to continue inside |
| visitor's took inside your site, from page to page. | | | | the site (clickstream), and what pages they use |
| This data is invaluable for | | | | to leave your site (exit |
| marketing your site and product or service. To | | | | page) will tell you a great deal. For instance, back |
| demonstrate, the owner of | | | | to our dog widget site. |
| has been trying to decide what areas to focus | | | | Owner sees that the Uses for Widgets page |
| on. Owner's | | | | seems to hold the visitor longer |
| dog widgets have a wide variety of applications, | | | | than other information pages. It was written with |
| and Owner sees through | | | | humor and has a fun, |
| the keyword report that the search terms are all | | | | clean look. Wow, a winner page. However, Rainy |
| over the spectrum. There | | | | Day Widget shows as a big |
| is no focus. This tells Owner that a marketing | | | | exit page. Not a good page, it appears to kill the |
| strategy is needed to grab | | | | site visits. Ok, Owner knows |
| visitors that want specific dog widgets.When do | | | | that Rainy Day page needs some redesign and |
| they visit my site?You will also want to monitor | | | | rewriting fast.Don't let your Website stall like a |
| your peak traffic hours. This is very easy with | | | | rainy day widget. As with any business, a |
| a good analytics report. The more detail your | | | | Website is needing continual marketing and |
| reports show, the more | | | | refinement to stay focused and |
| information you have to work with. You should | | | | on target. You need to keep on top of your |
| be able to have the data on | | | | markets, keep fresh, interesting |
| your site visits broken down by year, month, | | | | and compelling content, keep your site available |
| week, day and hour. This is | | | | to those who want your |
| important information, but you really need more | | | | product or service. Staying alive on the Web |
| than just "visitor totals." | | | | means you need visitors ... |
| You should look for this time breakdown by page | | | | visitors who are looking for what you have to |
| views (total views of every | | | | offer. With good Web analytics |
| page on your site) and by unique visitors (pages | | | | you have the tools you need to put your site in |
| viewed by each individual | | | | front of your target market, |
| visitor). To show the importance, let's consider | | | | increase your ROI and find success on the |
| our dog widget site sells a variety of multi-colored | | | | Internet. And isn't this why you |
| widgets for dogs. Owner | | | | have a Website?Cherie' Davidson is content and |
| notices through tracking reports that there is a | | | | marketing manager for VisiStat is a detailed, real- |
| much higher page view of | | | | time site traffic and Web analytics report service |
| the Outdoor widgets on Friday mornings. The | | | | that is focused on ease of |
| Outdoor page seems to | | | | use and user-friendliness. VisiStat's goal is to help |
| compel the highest number of clicks to the order | | | | site entrepreneurs make |
| page. No one clicks from | | | | the most of their site marketing and search |
| the Rainy Day widgets page to the order page. | | | | engine optimization efforts - to |
| So now Owner has the | | | | be a virtual "goldmine" for marketing. |
| information to rethink the Rainy Day page, and | | | | |