Improve Website Performance Metrics with Google Website Analytics Software

posted by CAPTIVATEDESIGNS.COM // January 29, 2010 // What's Next?

Have you taken the necessary steps to ensure that your new website produces a return on investment? The first step to maximizing your ROI is monitoring key website performance metrics using website analytics software.

I’m sure that you’re familiar with the old saying, if you’ve always done the same old thing, then you’ll get the same old results. That is precisely why you need to get a firm understanding of your website’s performance metrics, so that you can change course if things are not going well.

When it comes to understanding your website’s performance, Google Website Analytics Software gives you the most bang for your buck – it’s free, and it has everything that you need to figure out where your site stands.

To analyze the performance of your website, you need to look at the following areas.

Understand Key Website Performance Metrics Like Visitor Traffic

By adding Google Website Analytics Software or another website tracking tool to your source code, you will be able to identify key website performance metrics like how many visitors your website is getting, both unique visitors and repeat traffic. You will also be able to see whether there is a rise or fall in your website traffic from one period to the next. So let’s say one month you switch up your advertising and you see a rise or decline in traffic; chances are it can be directly associated with that campaign. Google Website Analytics tracking software helps you understand the effectiveness of your online campaigns, and fine tune your advertising using website performance metrics like monthly visitor numbers.

The Website Referrer Performance Metric -- Where Are Visitors Coming From?

Understanding where your visitors are coming from is also an important website performance metric. If you know where your website visitors are entering your site from, you can take action to increase the amount of exposure you get from that source. This website performance metric is very important if you are doing online marketing, such as banners, pay per click (PPC), article marketing, affiliate marketing or other forms. Unlike print advertising, you can measure whether or not the campaign is producing results, and make the necessary adjustments.

Use Website Analytics Software To Determine How Long Your Visitors are Staying and What Pages They are Visiting

If you’re getting visitors to your website, but they are only staying on the homepage and then leaving your website, there’s a term for this. It’s called your website bounce rate; you want to make sure that this number is low. Your website typically has a high bounce rate if it’s not giving your website visitors what they want, or it’s difficult for them to get to the information that they need. This is why it’s very important that during your website design you pay a lot of attention to how your website will function. Simple and consistent is always best. Your website content also has a part to play with your website bounce rate; how well your website copy entices visitors the moment they hit the homepage is important.

What’s Your Conversion Rate? An Important Website Performance Metric for Determining the Visitor to Sales Ratio

Google Website Analytics actually allows you to set goals for your site. For example, if you have a form on your website, such as “request a free quote,” you can track your website conversion based on your marketing efforts each time someone fills out that form. This can also work if you have an online store, and it will give you a pretty good idea of how many visitors it takes for you to get a lead or a sale. Just like in sales, you would know that you need a certain amount of leads per month to reach your sales goals; it’s the same with your website marketing strategy.

If you haven’t created a website yet, it’s best to plan your website performance strategy ahead of time so that you can avoid costly mistakes. Conducting research of what works and what doesn’t work for a business like yours on the web is important. Learning what the key website performance metrics are that need to be implemented during your site design is also instrumental in establishing a website that performs well. Once you have created your site, it is essential to track the effectiveness of your design and online marketing strategy using website analytics software like Google Analytics.

Nicole McCullum is the founder of Captivate Designs, a web design company that provides small and mid-sized businesses with custom website design solutions including business web design, e-commerce web design, graphic design and internet marketing. Ms. McCullum has been featured on Inc.com as a Web Design Expert, and her web design tips and articles have been published in NY Enterprise Report and Strategy Magazine. For more information, visit www.CaptivateDesigns.com.

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Nicole McCullum

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