Problem/Solution - Website Analytics Pave the Way

There are many companies that offer web analytics, some free and some with a monthly fee. While Google Analytics happens to be our supplier-of-choice, we emphasize that it is important to have some sort of analytical review of your website, if not monthly, then quarterly.

 

As part of the Search Engine Optimization process, enterprises spend thousands of dollars each month on website analytics so that they can know why, who and when people visit their sites. Analytics are useless unless you read and understand the message behind your reports!

 

The past few articles of Catalyst have given you a high level overview of Google Analytics reports and how best to use the information. Still, changes you make may take some time to work their magic.  In fact, it may take a few months to actually see results.  It is important to continue the review and update process on a regular basis.

 

Here are a few problems many companies face that are demonstrated upon review of their Google Analytics reports -- and some suggestions on how to improve the results.

 

Problem:

Your bounce rate (the percentage of visitors who exit your site to another site without visiting other pages) is over 30% and the average time visitors spend on the site is less than 1 minute.

 

Suggestion:
Pages need to be relevant- Relevancy is KEY to lowering your bounce rate. You typically have about 3-5 seconds to engage your visitor and if the information is not relevant you will lose them. Information needs to be succinct, as well as current.  People tend to scan, so headlines should tell the story and body copy should be compelling.

Information needs to be where you say it is - If a visitor was expecting to learn more about your services by clicking on a particular link, make sure that particular link takes them to the information they need...in the first three seconds.
 
Problem:
You have web banners linking to your website posted on various industry websites, but the bounce rate is high and the average time on the page is only seconds.
 
Suggestion:
Customize the landing page for web banners- You have the ability to choose where on your site your web banners link, so why not take advantage of it? Your first reaction might be just to link to your homepage. Stop and put yourself in the visitor's shoes. If they click on a web banner that advertises a specific car part in hopes of getting more detail, but instead are directed to a page that says nothing about the particular product advertised, their first reaction will be to click the back button and leave.  A way to resolve this is to create a banner-specific page. Giving visitors what they intend to find is a simple strategy that can lead to future success.
 
Problem:
You spend a lot of money and time updating your website, creating new pages, and picking the perfect words to make your site SEO compliant.  Unfortunately more than half of your pages never get viewed and visitors miss all the important stuff.
 
Suggestion:
Keep your website short and simple- One of the top 10 reasons visitors leave a site is because there is too much information, they have to dig to find what they want to know. You may have a lot of important information to say, but remember a commercial website is designed to engage and sell...quickly. You can still provide more in-depth information - just make sure the highlights hook the reader and keep them on the site wanting more.
 
For example, if your specialty is photography, the first thing a visitor would look for is your portfolio to see what you can do and how well you can do it. Immediate access to your portfolio should be obvious. You'll lose customers who have to make multiple clicks to find the information they need.  Make finding important information easy. High-traffic pages should be linked throughout your site. Low-traffic pages can be consolidated to build traffic. Omit pages that don't get reviewed.
 

As we end this 3-part series, probably the most important advice we can give you is read, study, understand and take action based on your analytics reports. In this case, knowledge really is power. If you know where the problems lie, you can fix them.

 

 Featured in APRA Global Connection, March 2009

Link to pdf article 

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