[S]o you have a great new responsive design website. Perhaps you have even started blogging. How do you know your website is effective? How do you know traffic is increasing and the new site is being effective?
Many businesses work with their web developers for engaging online marketing, social media and SEO campaigns. Campaigns are good, but how do you measure success? How do you even study improvements?
Launching Google Analysis – Google Analyticator
1. Install and Activate Google Analyticator. In order to judge and monitor how well your website or blog is receiving traffic, it is necessary to have a tool that will track and give reports on your visitors. One of my favorite WordPress plugin does accomplish this goal. Install Google Analyticator into your WordPress dashboard.
2. Setup Your Google Analytics Account. I could take the time to explain this further, but there are two very good articles, one by Carrie Hill, How To: Google Analytics Installation for Novices & Beginners and Kristi Hines, The Absolute Beginner’s Guide to Google Analytics, that do this for me. Follow their instructions till you get the your tracking code/ID.
3. Add Your Google Tracking Code/ID into Analyticator. For this, I direct you to Drew Doggett’s YouTube video. See below. (Click here if you don’t see a video below.)
4. Study Your Visits, Pageviews, Bounce Rate & New Visits. Once Google Analyticator is active, you will start to view your Google Analytics Summary report directly inside the WordPress Dashboard. I would toggle between the 30 and 60 days drop downs. In general, you want to see Visits, Pageviews, Average Time on Site, and Pages/Visit trending up.
I track mine and type them into a spreadsheet. I don’t worry so much about any individual highs or lows, but review to see the trend in general is going up.
You should strive for a low “Bounce Rate.” As that tells you what percentage of visitors only look or read one page or article, before leaving. Some themes lend themselves to better bounce rates over others. On my Daddy Got Custody blog, realizing it is a custody reference site, I know most folks find what they want and leave, so I am not concerned the bounce rate is high. However, on this website designer site, I want a low bounce rate so that I see people click further for pricing and more details.
5. Study Your Top Pages, Top Referrers, and Top Searches.
Finally, look at your “Top Pages.” On my blog, I realized that an article about building a 4th grade Alamo was pulling better than the rest. Are your article generating interest? Are they being found in Google Searches? Over time you will find “Top Searches” give you some clues on to where and what people are typing to find your site. “Top Referrers,” show where other sites are bringing you traffic.
This information doesn’t give you a complete picture, but like a doctor, it does give you a check up and insight on the SEO of your website or campaign. Hopefully this data help you discover the ROI of your online marketing.
How do you track your website success? How do you use Google Analyticator?
Featured image courtesy of Dollar Photo Club.