Web Analytics, a broad term referring to the measurement, collection, analysis and reporting of web data, allows you to both measure your web traffic and create in-depth reports concerning your website.
Given the prevalence of Web Analytics use in the marketing efforts of businesses worldwide, it is especially important that you are sure of the metrics, measurements and features you should be monitoring to ensure that you are able to compete with those also utilising analytics platforms. As a result, in this short blog we outline three specifics you should be paying attention to.
Bounce Rate
A bounce rate refers to the percentage of single page visits on a website. For instance, when someone visits your web page yet fails to interact before leaving. Generally speaking, a lower bounce rate suggests that your content is engaging enough to encourage users to further navigate through the site.
It can, however, be argued that a high bounce rate is positive, suggesting users are quick to find what it is they are searching for. Such ambiguity supports our viewpoint that your bounce rates should be measured and monitored as part of an overall, holistic assessment of your website’s effectiveness that takes context into consideration. They are, nonetheless, a very important aspect to be measured, especially when you consider indicators such as the length of time spent on each page, as a frame of reference for deciding whether the bounce rate is positive or negative.
Average Session Duration
Referring to the amount of time spent on the site in one sitting, the average session duration is often related to the user satisfaction. Although again subject to context, generally speaking, the more time spent on your site, the more content the user will be consuming – great news.
Conversely, short duration sessions suggest disengagement – unless they have performed tangible steps (e.g. filled out a landing page form), you need to address this and use other insights as the basis for improvement.
We suggest you analyse your own results and conduct research on industry averages where possible so that you have a frame of reference for comparing the performance of your own site.
Traffic Source
Traffic sources show where and, perhaps more importantly, who your traffic is coming from. By providing you with an overview of the exact sources (such as social media or referrals), traffic source data allows you to adjust your marketing accordingly, whether focussing on the best channels or investing more resources into generating traffic from poorly performing sources.
At Catalyst, much of our success is predicated on our collective expertise as an agency. What this means is that we are just as well-equipped to create successful inbound marketing campaigns as we are to create websites that truly deliver the results that you’re missing.