The best website tool of 2006 - and it's free!
Google now offers webmasters their Analytics web stats program
for free.
Its importance lies not in the fact that it's free, but that it
provides data that most other statistics programs do not - or at
least not so directly. It
is focused on the measurement of success in achieving the webmaster
goals. That in itself forces the user to specify their goals
and so think about the steps they hope their visitors take through
the site.
Where other programs still measure 'hits' and bandwidth, that may
be of help to the techies in determining the server requirements,
Google Analytics is designed for the marketer. Which sources and
what promotions lead to a 'successful' outcome? Which
referrers bring in sales as against mere visitors? How do Pay
per Click visitors compare with those from natural listings or
direct bookmarks?
In theory, Analytics is easy to set up. In practice I have
found several complications mainly due to the variety of ways
sites can be constructed. So each stage of the setup has to be
tested to check that the information is collected as required and
thus appears in the relevant reports.
One of the obvious potential benefits is being able to include
AdWords results directly in the overall stats. Unfortunately
this too is not so easy in practice. Because Analytics and
AdWords collect their data slightly differently, comparisons lead to
some surprises. Analytics does not seem to find as many
visitors as AdWords claims! However I would expect Google to
rationalise their systems over time. It may well be that many
AdWords visitors do not complete their purchase or enquiry on the
first visit. AdWords will include in their conversion data
anyone returning in the following 30 days. But, at present it
seems Analytics would tie that same conversion to the last visit
which might well be direct from a bookmark.
So sign up now at
www.google.com/analytics/
Learn gradually how to make best use of the information and check
its accuracy before considering ditching those other programs you
are paying for.
Talk to you next month,
Stephen Orr
PS. Many thanks on behalf of the Microloan Foundation to those of
you who sponsored me on the Grand Walk along Regents Canal.
Anyone else willing to help small businesses in Malawi, can still
donate at
www.justgiving.com/StephenOrr
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