Google Analytics is a free and simple product that requires no software and can be installed within any and all pages of your current website. It will better help you track the information needed to assist you in improving your traffic, content, and convert users into customers. When equipped with the truth about usership, marketing your business to the right clientele can be easier.
Over the next few weeks, I will provide information on the basics of getting started with Google Analytics. Each article will focus on a different tracking tool of Google Analytics that will enhance your marketing strategy, drive people to your website, and increase the quality usership of your website.
Throughout the coming weeks, I will use the example of a surf gear and surf clothing website that is attempting to gain new, quality customers to make purchases through their site. Today, I will discuss how Google Analytics tracks keywords that users type into Google to find your business.
Let’s say you’ve created a magnificent website with the best layout and content you believe will gain traction on the World Wide Web. Now its your hope to keep people tuned into your site, get them to contact you for business, and continue to utilize your website as a resource. This is happening, right? Or are you just crossing your fingers, hoping that the same buzz words and visual cues you are attracted to are also attracting those desirable potential customers?
Once Google Analytics has been installed on your website, don’t expect to have an immediate picture of who is using your site and for what purposes. When implementing a new marketing tool, it is always a good rule of thumb to allow at least a full fiscal quarter to obtain a decent sample of your data. Over time, you will have the ability to compare year-to-year data to assist you in your long-term marketing plan.
In determining what to make of this information, many times it is the qualitative data, rather than merely quantitative data, that will assist you in making informed decisions about your website content.
Relevant keywords throughout your website will improve your site’s ranking within a search engine. Here, we will review how Google Analytics will help you optimize the keywords you use throughout your website content to attract valuable users. Let’s use our surf gear and active swimwear scenario.
First, please be aware that by placing relevant keywords relating valuable parts of your website in a high density on targeted pages, you may improve your search rankings for those keywords. Continuing with this example, let’s say prior to using Google Analytics you have given prominence to the phrase “active swimwear” throughout your website with hopes of generating a higher ranking within Google.
Next, you go to the keyword section underneath the traffic sources category of Google Analytics and see a ranked list of the actual keywords that drove traffic to your website. Analytics reports the words “board shorts,” “durable swimwear,” and “surf clothing” bring more traffic than “active swimwear.” Additionally, you see that users coming from the keyword traffic source “board shorts” are spending an average of five minutes on your website, in comparison to one or two minutes for other keywords. Together this reveals that more users visit your site and spend time on your site when they have originated from a keyword search for “board shorts” versus other keywords driving traffic.
So what becomes actionable here? You are now able to replace “active swimwear” throughout you website with “board shorts” based on data that shows you it is a better key phrase to target!
In conclusion, if you have no way of knowing how your website is producing results, Google Analytics will reveal some basic truths about the users going to your website and for what reason. This is a tool that can be utilized on a very elemental level, as described by the keyword example above, or built up and analyzed over time it can be used to greater depths. It will allow you to ride the wave to your sales goals.
Next week, look forward to another aspect of Google Analytics that will further assist you in tracking your website users and improving your results.
