| Website analytics, often called website statistics, are | | | | could be at 1 million and not mean a thing. Let me |
| not understood well by most owners of online | | | | explain... If you have 1 million photos on one page of |
| business websites. Google Analytics, Urchin, Analog.cx, | | | | your site - if one person went there and viewed |
| or Report Magic can all flood you with statistical | | | | them you will rack up over 1,000,000 hits as a result. |
| information about your visitors, who they are, where | | | | If your page has 30 photos, you get 30 hits. Basically |
| they came from and what they did while at your | | | | a hit is any object. You get one hit for someone |
| business website. Amidst this river of data there are | | | | viewing your page, one for each image, one for any |
| a few crucial things to understand. I will cover a few | | | | audio listened to or videos clicked. Clicks do not tell |
| things here and then, if you are still interested in | | | | much at all. Nobody knowledgable about analytics talk |
| learning more you can find me at the links below. | | | | about hits at all. The main criteria everyone is |
| I have used Google's free analytics program for | | | | concerned about are: unique visitors, and pageviews. |
| many years now as well as a couple other free | | | | Unique Visitors (UV) - the number of unique people |
| reports to give me a different view of the data. You | | | | that visited your site is represented by this criteria. |
| should not be surprised to see different analytics | | | | UV count is something that many business owners |
| programs reporting slightly different information about | | | | are concerned with because when they increase, |
| your websites. This is the norm. No two programs | | | | sales increase. Reach increases. This is a main goal of |
| work the same way and define events exactly the | | | | business online, along with the next item, Pageviews. |
| same. I would recommend you use more than just | | | | Pageviews - the number of times your page was |
| one website analytics program to give you a better | | | | shown to a visitor. One visitor might see 8 pages. |
| view of things. | | | | One visitor might see 3. Pageviews are given in total |
| What I count on though is Google Analytics. This | | | | and by average usually. The pageviews number is, in |
| requires a bit of code on each page of your Google | | | | Google Analytics, after those that bounced have |
| analytics requires placing a bit of code on each page | | | | been removed from the number. If you have |
| of your business website. It is very accurate and tells | | | | GoDaddy for your business website hosting you |
| you a great deal of information. I strongly | | | | have access to their free stats program. This |
| recommend that you use this free Google program | | | | program shows the pageviews including all bounces - |
| as one of your analytics tools. | | | | so there are many more pages counted than Google |
| The following are some basic analytics terms and | | | | Analytics counts. For example, at Godaddy one of |
| what they really mean: | | | | our sites gets 3700 pageviews per day. Google |
| Bounce Rate (BR) - BR tells you about the number | | | | shows only about 1000 per day for that same site, |
| of visitors coming to your site that do not stick | | | | not counting the pageviews of the bounced visitors. |
| around long enough to click even one other links. | | | | Many people believe you need hundreds or thousands |
| These visitors 'bounce' off into oblivion and to | | | | of visitors per day at their business site to make |
| someone else's site presumably. High bounce rates | | | | money with their online business. The truth is, if you |
| are the norm. This is a function of the search engines | | | | had only one hundred highly targeted visitors arrive |
| (usually) not making perfect matches for those using | | | | at your website, that might be enough. No matter |
| the search engines. It could also be regular visitors | | | | how many visitors you are getting, try hard to |
| that pop in to look for something new, they do not | | | | convert them to join your email list by offering |
| see it and they click away. | | | | something for free in exchange for them joining your |
| BRs of 60% or higher, though this sounds incredible, | | | | list. You will have continued opportunities to promote |
| are about average. If you can get below 50% that is | | | | ideas, conversation and things you are selling if you |
| a good percentage. It all depends on your business | | | | are able to email them over time. |
| of course, but obviously lowering the BR has | | | | This was just a basic introduction to analytics for |
| advantages, like more pageviews - probably leading | | | | your business website. There is much more to know, |
| to more sales. | | | | and I hope you will continue your quest for |
| Hits - Hits means nothing in the big picture. Your hits | | | | information about this very important topic. |