Data-driven business improvements start here
Knowledge is power – especially when it comes to your website. If you know how people are using your website, where they are from, which pages make them leave and other useful data, you can easily identify areas for improvement. Even small improvements can make a huge difference to your bottom line over time.
Monitoring website traffic isn’t just about watching your numbers grow. It’s about utilising the information to make your numbers grow.
Get in touch with WEBPRO if you need help understanding how to analyse web traffic with Google Analytics, or if you want a team of web experts to analyse your site’s performance and suggest changes.
What is Google Analytics?
Google Analytics is the most common tool used to track website traffic data. It must be installed and is free to download. There are other tools that can also provide in-depth insights, such as Adobe Analytics, Clicky and Matomo. Yet, Google Analytics still sets the bar highest when it comes to tracking website traffic data.
How does Google Analytics work?
Google Analytics works by using a JavaScript code on each web page to calculate traffic data and send it to Google servers. Every time an internet user visits a website that has Google Analytics installed, the website visitor’s computer downloads some JavaScript instructions. The user’s browser then sends information to Google’s servers about their website behaviour.
For example, your browser may tell the server what page you are on and what page you came from to get there. This information is recorded on the website’s Google Analytics account.
What website traffic data can be tracked?
Google Analytics is able to capture a lot of useful data about your website visitors. It can:
- Tell you how many website visitors you have over specific timeframes and where they came from
- Tell you how many people visited individual pages of your website, i.e., which ones are popular and which ones are not so popular
- It can divide the above by location, device type and other useful data
- Tell you navigation routes used by website visitors (e.g., homepage > service pages > about page)
- Calculate the length of time visitors spend on your site
- Provide your website bounce rate (how fast they leave and look for another website from the SERPs)
- Show how many people are currently on your site
Why should you track website traffic?
Keeping tabs on your website traffic doesn’t just tell you how website visitors are behaving on your site and the people visiting. It also tells you what you are doing well and where you can improve.
For example, if you can see users read a service page and then go to your contact page to make an enquiry but suddenly disappear, it suggests there is something about your content page that is putting them off. Is your business not offering a preferred contact method? Do you have too many required fields on contact forms? Is the contact page slow to respond?
This is just one example of how tracking traffic can be used to improve your website and increase conversion rates.
Website performance services from WEBPRO
WEBPRO can track your website’s performance using Google Analytics whether we developed your website or you had it made elsewhere. We’ll let the numbers identify areas of improvement to your website or content, and we can provide additional services to solve your website weaknesses. Everything you need is under one creative roof!
Recap: Google Analytics remains the best option for tracking website traffic, and it is completely free to install. Using Google Analytics will allow you to track a wide range of metrics and access detailed reports about website user behaviours and journeys. This data can be used to help identify weaknesses in your website and where your site can be improved for better conversions. This is why Google Analytics and website traffic analysis is so valuable to every business.
P.S. If your content is the problem, why not let our SEO copywriters create new winning web content that converts?
