How to Make The Most of Google Analytics

Google Analytics is a powerful free web based software designed for website managers. The software can be used to monitor, improve, understand and restructure websites for optimal performance. Specifically, Google Analytics enables the website manager to know what works, what doesn't work, where visitors navigate from, where they navigate to and helps provide intuition as to why certain web pages and/or products perform better than others.

When combined with Google Adwords, Google Analytics tools only get better allowing the software user to obtain more information about which ads are clicked on, who clicks on the ads by location, volume of visitors to buyers etc. Making the most of a software such as Google Analytics involves making sense of the information that is provided by the software.

Making sense of Google Analytics information

It's one thing to have a tool, it's another thing to know how to use the tool well. Just as an experienced woodworker might craft a higher quality product with the same tool a less experienced woodworker uses, so to is the nature of software tools such as Google analytics. The more knowledgeable and skilled the Google Analytics tool users are, the more productive and better designed the final web product may be.

To make effective use of the Google Analytics software, one must first understand what it is, how it works, what it is used for and why. This is the first step in making the most of Goolge Analytics. This first step takes time and involves becoming acquainted with the software, it's features and tools. Once the first step is accomplished the second step can be made which involves interpreting the data the software provides.

Interpreting data from Google Analytics can be important especially if the website being operated is a business. For example, if a particular landing page yields exceptional visitor retention, Google Analytics can point a web manager in the right direction. That is to say, but showing which landing pages have the most visitors, the web manager can then learn what it is about that webpage and the webpages interaction with the visitors that make it so effective.

Advantages of Google Analytics

Knowing and utilizing the advantages of Google analytics can also help a website manager benefit from the software. One advantage of the software is it's free to create an account. Secondly, the software replaces the information gathering capacity of a web design consultant which also saves money. A few more benefits of Google Analytics when used in tandem with Google Adsense are the following:

• Tracks and reports website traffic patterns by city, state and country

• Reports which webpages are viewed the most

• Allows website hosts to find discrepancies and site design

• Records navigation trends from external sites

• Assists with "Landing page optimization"

Google analytics involves placing pre-designed "javascript code onto each page of a website" and registering for an account (www.google.com) After that the software will have a medley of illustrative, graphical and statistical options that allow the software user to be equipped with information useful in improving a websites design and traffic. The software also allows the user to attach information from the software into emails for person to person communications via email. A few of the ways the information from Google Analytics can be used to enhance a website are as listed:

• Model less visited pages in line with higher performing pages

• Improve website visits by matching keywords with market segments

• Increase visitor to client conversion through utilization of client statistics

• Understand site loyalty and statistics associates with that loyalty

• Enhance ad revenue and lower costs by reviewing and adjusting for Return on Investment (ROI) statistics.

Benefiting from supplemental information

In addition to the built in features of Google Analytics a number of web resources and help support features exist for this software. This not only assists in finding how to information and technical support but also provides further assistance on different ways to adjust website content using the information provided by Google Analytics. Visiting and reviewing the information on these supplemental sites can help one with the first step in making the most of Google Analytics mentioned above i.e. understanding what is has to offer and how it works. Some of these resources are available on the google analytics website and include those provided below:

• Conversion University: Assists with visitor acquisition, behavior analysis, and website optimization.

• Onsite and independent blogger reference and how to material

• Contrast software performance with Microsoft Analytics and SQL server analysis services

• Commentary, forums and tech news reporting on software trends and performance

Summary

In Summary, a software such as Google analytics has the potential to do a website business more good than harm. While some website visitors may object to having their information tracked, this can be avoided with proxies and specialized web browsers that also have the potential to create outlier statistics through the analytics software. However, outliers tend to be less statistically significant and may not greatly deviate the accuracy of the statistical reports provided by the Google analytics software. Such being the case and in light of aforementioned analysis of the software, Google analytics can be used to improve website performance provided a little skill and effort are applied using Google analytics application outputs.

Sources:

1. http://www.google.com/analytics/index.html
2. http://tinyurl.com/64oc4fr (Conversion Chronicles.com)
3. http://tinyurl.com/64v78qa (Wikipedia)
2. http://www.microsoft.com/sql/solutions/bi/default.mspx

How To Read an SEO Report

A Search Engine Optimization (SEO) report is a briefing that illustrates traffic aspects and effectiveness of a websites search engine optimization. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is important because search engines are structured to locate internet queries using pre-defined models. Reading SEO reports involves being able to understand what information the reports provide and why that information is useful. This article will illustrate why SEO reports are important, what is included in them, and where to find them.

Why SEO reports are important 

Search engine optimization reports are important because they can help webmasters and/or website managers determine how effective certain web pages are at driving traffic to their site. Since the SEO report statistics are broken down into key areas of website performance, the webmaster can assess which areas of web development could improve the overall traffic to a site and listings via search engine spider searches. Search engine optimization reports compile data on a number of relevant site statistics such as those listed below:

• Quantified statistics on links to a web site from multiple search engines

• Number of clicks on individual web pages

• Total number of website views

• Volume of web pages on a site that are listed on search engines

SEO reports are quite important to online business development and also allow business owners, investors and website developers determine vital aspects of online business performance such as competitive positioning, search engine listing criteria, individual webpage traffic analysis and website navigation trends from other websites, within a website and in reference to search engines themselves. All these factors can help in the online business decision-making process.

What else is included in an SEO report

In addition to all the above statistics, items and information, Search engine optimization reports may also include suggested tips and advice to improve a website's traffic. For example, an SEO report may indicate the number of keywords on a webpage is insufficient to achieve high web page ranking via search engines. 

SEO reports can also include useful advertising related information such as which search engines pay the best rates if pay per click advertising included on a website. Pay per click advertising rates are also different for various search item topics and an SEO report may also include these varying pay per click raters per volume and specific search requests. Pay per click advertising is a useful way to fund a website's operation.

SEO reports can also include search statistics that enable adjustments to web content to match the most optimal search terms. For example, a search on SEO reports may be performed more than a web query for SEO. If this is the case, the SEO report may indicate this, consequently assisting the webmaster in deciding which search terms to place in meta tags such as titles, descriptors and keywords.

In other words, the Search engine optimization report can help optimize a websites visitation volume by pointing out ways to improve probability of being included in high ranked web search listings. Also, an item called 'paid inclusion' can be listed on SEO reports which is like a preference service for website listings. The benefits of such premium services may outweigh the cost if the revenue generation created by preferential listing is higher than the cost and the profit from not utilizing the service.

What companies offer SEO reports 

Several companies offer SEO reports and these reports may be included as a part of online software packages. These reports are offered by what are known as "Search Engine Optimization providers", and naturally shopping around for a good one can be worthwhile as the cost, analytical capacity, accuracy and thoroughness of the reports are relevant to online business performance. SEO reports may also be included in software packages as Google analytics, Microsoft analytics, WebTrends, ClickTraks, and Urchin software among others.

Search engine optimization reports that include a lot of information such as that included in this article and present that information in an efficient and easy to comprehend fashion might be preferred over less complete SEO reports depending on a webmaster's needs. The cost should also be as low as possible if not free if the intention is to minimize costs and maximize website efficiency. Some of the references included at the bottom of this article provide additional information on SEO reports, what to look for in them and why they are useful.

Summary

Reading Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Reports involves understanding the usefulness of the information provided in the report and how to apply that information in developing a more optimized website in terms of web traffic. The reports themselves include a breakdown of statistics such as total visits, most searched for phrases, web search engine traffic, advertising rates for search terms via pay per click advertising and more. 

The information and sources in this article provide information on SEO reports, what to look for in them and how to interpret them. Several companies offer SEO reports and studying each individual service can help in the decision of choosing which SEO provider will best or most competitively help a website achieve it is online, business and revenue generation goals.

Sources:

1. http://www.globalpromote.com/report2.htm
2. http://www.seoconsultants.com/articles/2588/seo-providers.asp
3. http://www.discoverseo.co.za/google_analytics/SEO_reports.htm
4. http://www.searchengineguide.com/andy-beal/what-exactly-are-meta-tags.php
5. http://www.actualmetrics.com/compare/google-analytics/urchin-5-software/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paid_inclusion

Why Quality is More Important than Quantity When Writing Web Content

Quality web content endures by remaining a useful source of information, whereas quantity obscures by manipulating short-term market trends for a quick gain. In other words, when writing web content, the quantity of that content might perform well with high Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and no quality. However, after time, competing websites that utilize just quality will garner stronger support through viral rather than optimized traffic growth. This does not mean marketing is not needed though.

• Quality Web-writing addresses visitor motives

In Volume 11, number 3 of the Journal of Electronic Publication, Gary Hanson and Paul Haridakis indicate the ability of a website to meet the needs and motives of its visitors is a key factor in the importance of the content on the website. The example used is the dissemination of media via You Tube rather than traditional sources of media which doesn't beg the question of why quality is partially defined by how well that particular website is suited for its most likely audience.

• Achieving global value through web content

To further illustrate the above principle with an example, consider the website http://www.conduit.com. In September of 2010, this website had an Alexa traffic rank of 71 within the United States and 33 globally. This website is a software application provider that is hugely successful but with only 140 employees, is much smaller in size than sites such as Yahoo with over 13,000 employees. Thus size or quantity, does not appear to be as important as quality of 'written' software because it doesn't provide an in demand service, and evidently the apps at Conduit Ltd. are good enough to drive a huge amount of traffic to its website.

• Search engines assess quality

Another reason why quality is more important than quantity is that web content with low quality and high quantity will sooner or later be weeded out by search engines and web searchers as less useful, full of bugs. or ill equipped to handle web visitors. For example, a website may have the best marketing plan on the planet, but without a product or service at the website to back it up, that marketing plan has gone to waste.

• Repeat visitors value web content

The principle that quality is more important than quantity when writing web content can also be demonstrated using side by side contrasts of websites within the news publishing industry. There's a reason why the New York Times is ranked more than three times higher than the Washington Post, and that reason is at least partially due to quality. Web visitors might simply appreciate the writing more or the website may better facilitate web visitors needs better.

In summary, quality is more important than quantity when writing website content because it provides something of value, and is favored by its target market. Quantity alone does neither of at little of these things for a websites clients but rather the website itself. Quantity driver web content runs the risk of incurring website traffic erosion and can drive the need for new and creative ways to drive traffic to the content rather than allowing the content to do that itself.

Sources:
1. http://bit.ly/6gz0he      (Alexa)
2. http://bit.ly/bPQRlY     (Journal of Electronic Publishing)
3. http://yhoo.it/9cWZn9 (Yahoo Finance)