by Scott Buresh
Most companies that have web sites have access to
traffic statistics, usually provided by their web
host. Those that don't look at these files (or
use a bargain-basement web hosting company that
doesn't provide them) don't know what they are
missing -- there is a wealth of information to be
found, and reacting to this information can have
a positive impact on a company's bottom line.
What follows are some of the most basic stats
that are typically available, followed by brief
suggestions on how to use the information.
The myth of "hits"
Most web surfers have come across sites that
boast about "20,000 hits per day" or something
similar. But what does this mean? To an Internet
marketer -- unfortunately, not much.
"Hits" actually refers to the number of requests
for information the web server receives. To use
an oversimplified example, if your company
homepage has 20 separate graphics on it, each
visitor to that page will account for 20 hits. If
you were boasting of 20,000 hits per day, you
would really only be talking about 1,000
visitors. Obviously, this statistic is not a fair
indication of actual site visitors, and shouldn't
be figured into your traffic analysis.
Average Visitors (daily, weekly, monthly)
This is the true measure of website activity. Of
course, more traffic is desirable in most
circumstances (provided it is at least somewhat
targeted). Without access to this data and the
ability to look at visitor history, it is
impossible to tell if your traffic building
initiatives, whether online or offline, are
working. The more your traffic increases, the
more accurate the rest of your data becomes. This
is simply because trends in a larger sample are
more telling than trends in a smaller sample
where a small number of atypical users can skew the results.
Average time spent on site and average page views per visitor
This data can be very useful in determining how
your site is connecting with visitors. If the
average time that people spend on the site is
small (for example less than a minute), or the
average visitor only visits one or two pages, it
may indicate some sort of problem.
Perhaps your site is attracting the wrong
traffic, with visitors abandoning the site
quickly when they realize it isn't what they were
seeking. Perhaps visitors are confused by the
navigation and decide to look elsewhere. Maybe
your site, even though you love it, gives off an inexplicable bad vibe.
Whatever the case, an awareness of the time
people spend on your site and the number of pages
they view can bring a potential problem to your
attention, and help you gauge how effective your solution is.
Most/least requested pages
This information is helpful in determining the
"hot" and "cold" areas of your site. If you
notice that a page that you think is important is
not getting any attention, perhaps the link to
this page should be made more prominent or enticing.
On the other hand, if there are areas of the site
that you deem less important that are attracting
a great deal of your traffic, you can shift some
of your sales/marketing focus to those pages.
Whatever you find in these stats, you can bet
that it will give you valuable insight into the
interests and motivations of your visitors.
Top exit pages
There are probably certain pages of your site
where you don't mind visitors leaving (after all,
they can't stay forever). A confirmation page
after they fill out a request for more
information might be one example of a reasonable
exit point. A contact page that tells visitors
how to get in touch with your company might also be acceptable.
Unfortunately, it is unrealistic to assume that
each of your visitors is going to find exactly
what they are looking for on your company site,
so it is normal to see a wide range of exit
pages. However, if a high percentage of visitors
are leaving on any particular page, it bears some
close scrutiny. Sometimes minor modifications in
content can have a positive impact on visitor retention.
Top search phrases
This data can be very useful in understanding
what type of traffic is coming to your site. If
you see relevant phrases that bring you
consistent traffic, you can assume that you are
getting some targeted traffic. On the other hand,
if there are predominant phrases people are using
to find your site that are unrelated to your
business, you know that at least some of your traffic is of a lesser quality.
In addition, if you notice that people find your
site by typing in the name of your company, you
should be pleased to know that you have achieved
some level of brand awareness. By examining the
search phrases that your visitors are using, you
gain a better understanding of your visitor.
Finally… Some people are intimidated by these
reports (mostly because of the sheer volume of
data available), but they shouldn't be.
While there are many highly specialized
statistics that can be used for more in-depth
analysis of site traffic, the above areas alone
can provide invaluable information on site visitors and website performance.
Remember: This data is available for a reason.
It's up to your company to use it!
Scott Buresh (scott@mediumblue.com) is co-founder
and principal of Medium Blue Internet Marketing (www.mediumblue.com).
