Web traffic data and analytics may as well be a foreign language to many company decision makers. These tools have shot to the forefront of business in the last decade, though.
Old-school business leaders need to make the transition to digital commerce, with an emphasis on boosting customer conversion through promotional email campaigns, social media and website traffic. Agency marketing tactics hinge on analytics data, which can easily be misread by inexperienced business teams.
When used properly, however, analytics can give companies important insights. They enable marketing teams to focus on specific audiences, identify high traffic times and find out which strategies work best. Study these five ways to avoid common analytics mistakes.
1. Organizing data
Sloppy web infrastructures can make it extraordinarily difficult to comprehend web analytics. Marketing specialists should have open communication with web designers and developers, to ensure that popular search keywords, digital advertising and landing pages can be optimized for incoming traffic.
Make sure analytics tracking solutions are installed properly on your website. This will allow you to see how visitors are arriving at a page. Make sure that only relevant pages are live online. Remove old or inaccurate web pages to avoid losing audience because of useless content.
Companies should keep their finger on the pulse of their digital business. Monitor trends that do not work, phase them out and create fresh ads and marketing content.
2. Building the big picture
Businesses often invest in an array of analytics software, only to collide with a wall of statistics. Using multiple analytics tools will help you see the big picture.
Companies need to make sure they track subdomain traffic to get a true snapshot of conversion rates and visitor interest. As data rolls in, reporting will become even more important. Look at relevant trends and build advertisements and campaigns around what works.
3. Setting goals
What is a major goal of implementing analytics? Increasing ROI, right? This is not specific enough. Web teams, copywriters and designers need to rally around realistic and specific goals.
These goals can be built after collecting and analyzing a few weeks’ worth of traffic data. As teams work together to achieve higher conversion rates, longer visit times and more clicks, the company can grow incrementally.
There is no need to tackle analytics as a mountain. It will be far easier to achieve success in increments and adopt tactics that work.
4. Reporting relevant information
Not every visitor will become a customer. Odd keyword combinations, mistyped URLs and old subdomain links can bring traffic that may not have a positive impact on ROI and conversion rates.
Understanding which types of data to focus on will help motivate company teams and drive new goals. Key information includes how much traffic is achieved through social media networks such as Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr, along with focused email campaigns.
It just takes one popular blog post to make a website’s traffic explode, so make sure you watch content popularity trends and seek out niche markets.
5. Establishing an administrator
Assigning analytics tracking to a specialized administrator can help a company improve ad campaigns, ROI and web credibility. Many companies make the mistake of assigning a random employee to manage analytics data.
Web metrics require continual updates and attention, because the standards can change at lightning speed. Analytics code may need to be installed at very specific areas on a website, which requires someone who is savvy about web development.
Interpreting and taking action on relevant data calls for a professional who understands the intricacies of page views, bounce rates, landing pages, visit sources, data filters and social media. Your analytics administrator should have the knowledge to make the company’s digital presence soar.
