Whereas
SEO concerns itself largely with generating traffic, website
optimisation
refers to improving the
performance of a website once it has attracted a visitor. That is, the
way a website converts organic rankings or paid search clicks into
events or actions that
ultimately yield enquiries, revenue and margins. Is is the most
important tool for understanding and improving return on expenditure or
ROI.
Depending on the nature of your business model, the key
website event may be a direct e-commerce sales transaction or some
other interim stage
in the sales
and marketing process. This could be generating a phone call or e-mail
enquiry,
capturing a lead or being placed onto a pitch list by a
B2B customer.
Web Analytics
Web
analytics, is
the process of analysing the behaviour of site visitors. This can be
done at the
aggregate
or
individual
visitor level. Used
in conjunction with data from the
search engine results pages and pay per click reports a complete
picture of the sources and behaviour of site visitors can be
established. Using analytics we
can firstly determine the marketing effectiveness of each search
marketing tool and search term. Secondly we can improve the role of
each individual
web page in generating business. Website analytics is
therefore a key tool in improving marketing return on expenditure or
campaign ROI.
Top
Level Aggregate Measures
- Page loads - The
number of pages viewed.
- Unique
visitors - The number of individual visits.
- First
time visitors - New visitors to the site.
- Returning
visitors - Visitors making a second or subsequent visit.
Mid
Level Aggregate Measures
- Keywords
Analysis - The keywords entered into a search box when used to find
your site.
- Came From - The page where a
visitor found a link to your site. Could be a search engine.
- Search
Engines - The search engine used to find your site. Can be analysed at
the brand name level i.e. Google vs. Yahoo vs. MSN or at the host level
e.g. Google.co.uk.
- Visit Length - The time a
visitors stays at the site.
- Country/State/ISP
of Origin - The location of the site visitor.
- Browser
- Firefox, Internet Explorer,
Safari, Netscape, Opera etc.
- System Stats -
Operating system, screen resolution.
Page
Analysis
- Entry Pages - Indicates which
pages perform best in search engines.
- Popular
Pages - Indicates which pages are most popular once the visitor is on
the site.
- Exit Pages - Indicates which pages may
encourage the visitor to leave the site.
Visitor
Analysis
A
key theme in website optimisation is to work back from the sale. At the
top level this means understanding why a website visit has been
successful and attempting to replicate that event as many times as
possible. Rather then thinking which keyword terms and search engines
yield the most traffic, think which ones yield the highest sales and
margins.
- Individual Visitor Path Analysis
