As online communications become more complex and businesses lean on data more than ever before, merely being present on the web is not enough for a competitive advantage anymore. To stay a step ahead of their rivals, businesses have to analyse the quantitative data related to every aspect of their operations. To this end, it’s now standard practice to track online traffic, evaluate the performance of each page, social media post or internet banner, and periodically adjust strategic objectives to better fit the situation. All those activities can be described as part of web analytics, so it makes sense to first understand this term a little better before engaging in any of them.
What is the meaning of web analytics?
Web analytics is a wide area that comprises numerous statistical and analytical techniques. In essence it is the practice of gathering and analysing data from your website which in turn allows you to keep on track of your website’s performance and optimise content to ensure your users become leads or customers quicker or more often.
You can also use web analytics to track the performance of your digital marketing. You can easily attribute website visits, sales and leads to specific marketing channels (such as Paid Search, Organic Search, Email and Display campaigns). This is particularly useful for ensuring that wastage is minimised and Return On Investment (ROI) is improved.
How to perform web analytics?
There are two ways to approach the issue of web analytics, and the correct choice depends on the specific situation in each organization. Smaller companies typically opt to perform the analytic tasks with their own resources, assigning those duties to a community manager or head of the marketing team.
Alternatively, it’s possible to enlist a specialist provider to oversee the technical side and handle day-to-day management of large data loads. In this scenario, top management remains responsible for interpretation of the observed data trends and translation of statistical conclusions into actionable real-world directives.
What are the most popular web analytics tools?
- Google Analytics
- Google Analytics 360
- Adobe Analytics
- Webtrends
A wide range of high-quality tools can be used to conduct web analytics, and some of those tools are free of charge and very easy to learn. This makes it possible even for the smallest of organisations to have access to professional-grade data analytics tools and derive business insights from the raw statistics. Google Analytics is probably the most widely used software tool for digital marketing analytics, while advanced analytics platforms like Adobe Analytics are becoming popular with larger businesses. It’s crucial to choose the right tool for the job at hand – it’s a bad idea to spend a fortune on a powerful software suite that won’t be fully utilised.
With this said, all organisations big or small should be monitoring the performance of their websites with Google Analytics.
