Metrics Matter!

 05 December 00:00   Metrics Matter!

     Recently, I talked with a apostle about her "extremely successful" Website. She based this assessment on the actuality that she was affairs several e-books every day and breeding "some calls". If I asked if she was reviewing her cartage analysis, she said "No, why should we - it s acutely alive - we can acquaint that from the sales". I didn t ask if she knew how her sales and calls compared to the absolute company numbers for the website - I doubtable that she d accept been abashed to apprentice how some added opportunities she was losing.

    Metrics Matter!!

    If you don t understand what s accident with your Website visitors, area they go, what they re searching for, what they acknowledge to, and what turns them off about your site, you can t possibly create the alotof of your online potential. Your Web cartage letters action aberrant opportunities to assay these relationships on a one-to-one basis.

    Here are some examples of using your metrics to ask able questions and create abreast adjustments to your site:

    Tracking your Promotional Efforts

    There are some means to advance your site, both online and offline. Some are chargeless and some, while not costing money, do yield up time and effort. It s important to understand the business options that accomplish the best acknowledgment on investment for all your resources.

    Joyce Weiss works with her accessible relations consultants to assay the actual appulse of her radio appearances on her Website cartage (at joyceweiss.com). She said "This way we can adjudge if the Website needs to be tweaked for radio shows, or if I charge to say something altered on the shows to get humans to assurance up."

    Following the links to your website (called "refering URL s in the reports) can be actual advantageous in creating acceptable able relationships. Often, website owners won t acquaint you that they ve quoted you so it s important to analysis that the advertence is appropriate.

    And, it s important to say acknowledge you. I already followed a hotlink to my website and begin that one of my onlinewriting was appropriate account for a advance at the University of Southern Oregon. If I alone a agenda to the Assistant cogent him how accustomed I was, he replied "Not at all, I absolutely like your account - and by the way, we re searching for a apostle for our next appointment . . ."

    Dave Paradi does this too: "I do analysis out those sites that hotlink to mine. One time I begin that the hotlink was to an old page, so I wrote to them and appropriate that they amend the link. I was aswell able to acknowledgment my additional onlinewriting that would account their visitors."

    If you re paying for traffic, create abiding that the keywords you ve selected, or the sites that you re commercial on are breeding acceptable superior leads. Abby Marks-Beale told me how she does this:

    "I ve set up separate aperture pages for those who appear to me from my pay-per-click program through Overture. This way I can see if the program is absolutely working."

    In additional words, you can make appropriate access pages for visitors from Overture, Google AdWords, e-zines that you sponsor, or additional campaigns. If a company enters through one of these pages, they can alone accept appear from this one specific source. Then you can chase area on your website these visitors after go, how they acknowledge and ultimately adjudge whether they re acceptable leads and whether your money is able-bodied spent.

    Hot Agreeable Areas

    Your cartage letters account the alotof requested pages on your site, cogent you what s hot and what s not about your content. If you re alms downloadable onlinewriting or appropriate reports, you can see which of these are alotof popular.

    Mitchell Gooze makes a point of accomplishing this: "We clue white cardboard downloads by person, and we understand absolutely who downloads which white papers. We abundance this advice in their data records. We aswell understand which capacity are alotof absorbing to visitors."

    Knowing the hot agreeable areas on your website can accord you abundant account for approaching artefact and program development. Rita Risser (FairMeasures.com) developed a accomplished set of online checklists and action guideline abstracts based about the capacity that her visitors were analytic for.

    Calls to Action

    One of my admired mantras is "Every Page of your Website Should Accept a Strategy". You should actually understand which articulation of your ambition admirers anniversary page is aimed at, what s in it for them and what you wish as a result. Accommodate bright (and clickable) calls to activity at every point in your archetype area the clairvoyant ability be accessible to create the next move - whether it s "Sign up for our newsletter", "Buy our product", or "Contact me to ask about our services".

    Sometimes this agency administering the company to the next page that you d like them to see. Dave Paradi told me:

    "I accomplished that humans were entering my website on one of two specific pages, which are a brace of my onlinewriting that now accept abundant adjustment on Google. I aswell noticed that about all of these visitors entered and exited on that page, not visiting any additional pages.

    "So how could I get them to see the blow of the website - decidedly the articles that I hoped they would buy? I included a hotlink to my articles page at the basal of anniversary article. And endure month, the articles page jumped to the additional alotof visited page, and it appears that some visitors, based on the amount of the articles, are blockage out the products."

    And he s demography this a move further:

    "It hasn t yet resulted in added orders, but I anticipate the next breadth I charge to abode is autograph added acknowledged archetype for the articles page."

    At the Accident of Repeating Myself . . .

    I like to anticipate of Web cartage assay as "market analysis that cannot lie". The letters appearance you what visitors do on your website of their own accord, after bidding or additional influence. Not to abatement focus groups, surveys and allurement your admired audience for acknowledgment - those are important accoutrement as well, but not as powerful.

    So, if you anchorage t acutely authentic the strategies, ambition markets and outcomes for your site, and if you aren t searching at your metrics to appraise the success of these, then you re cutting in the aphotic with your Web investment. The examples in this commodity appearance you just a few of the some means that you can use this advice - I achievement that you re now motivated to acquisition out added about your own site.

    (c) 2003, Philippa Gamse. All rights reserved.

    Philippa Gamse, CyberSpeaker, is a Web action adviser and able speaker. Analysis out her chargeless tipsheet for 23 account to advance your Website: CyberSpeaker.com/tipsheet.html Philippa can be accomplished at (831) 465-0317.