Web Analytics - A Basic Understanding
Too often in the past, web sites were judged based on a 'gut' feeling rather than quantifiable results. In the same way as Management Information Systems were developed to enable business managers analyse and improve their business processes, so the whole area of web analytics has been developed to perform a similar role in relation to web sites.
Historical Approach to Web Analysis
Traditionally, analysis was restricted to the information that could be extracted from the web site log files stored on the hosting server. Various software programs allowed these files to be analysed and summary information would be made available online, generally grouped by day or by month.
Typical Information Provided Would Be:
- overall monthly site visitors,
- pages viewed,
- top keywords used to find the site,
- referring sites,
- top entry and exit pages.
This information allowed the site owner to see if the overall site traffic continued to grow, what external links were driving traffic through to the site, what keywords were working well and so on. It gave the site owner some real data with which to form an opinion based in fact as to how the site was performing and to act accordingly. A site with good content but no traffic might need SEO work, a site with high traffic but no resulting enquiries might need a content review.
Modern Web Analytics - Providing the Basis for Web Strategies
Google Analytics can provide a wide range of information about visitors to your site
The sophistication of the web analytics process has improved and the relatively crude approach of analysing log files is no longer the only method of trying to understand site visitor behaviour. Custom code on your web pages will work in conjunction with web analytics software to allow for improved analysis of your online campaigns, site content and conversion ratios across the site and so on.
Find out where in the registration process site visitors quit your site, see how they navigate around the site, analyse the search terms that more often delivered sales, track performance of electronic newsletters to customers, all this and more is possible with an effective web analytics program.
As businesses increasingly consider their web presence a fundamental and indispensable part of their business strategy, so a full understanding of their web site's performance is an absolute requirements.
Contact clickstream today and get your web analytics program in place.