Using Web Analytics to Improve Content Marketing

If you have been in business for any length of time, you probably understand that it is very important for you to gather analytics on your social media marketing efforts. There are various elements that you, as the business owner, will want to concentrate on. You know that gathering analytics is important but you may not understand why.

Why is it so critical for your business to gather web analytics?

There are many answers to this particular question. The answer for one business will possibly be very different than it is for another business. One of the first things that you will pay attention to is not only how many people visit your website but, more importantly, how many people stay on your website for any length of time. 

If you find that a significant number of people are not staying on your website, you will want to analyze what you are doing and figure out why they may not be staying. There is probably something that you are doing or not doing that is causing that result. You may want to ask yourself if you are giving your visitors what they actually want and need. As a follow-up, what possible action will follow the visitor’s reading your content? This goes back to the concept of WIIFM? (What’s In It For Me?). No matter how wonderful you and your business are, if you can’t figure out a way to satisfy your visitor’s wants and needs, you won’t succeed with that person. That is the key to your success. 

Be consistent

Consistency is extremely important when it comes to content marketing and how you relate to your online visitors. When it comes to gathering analytics, you should have the same approach. That will be helpful because it allows you to keep a close eye on what is going and if something needs your attention, you will be able to fix any issues that come up very quickly. If you notice that people are paying closer attention (and reacting more positively) to certain pieces of content than others, you will definitely want to continue to gather those metrics.

Uncover the truth

It is very common for people to notice the content that comes at the top and then they forget about the content that comes at the bottom. That is a big mistake in many cases. There is a potential for a lot of  value further down the page as well. You need to evaluate if your website is organized as effectively as it can be. Your goal, of course, is to get your visitors to notice all that you have to offer and you need to make sure that they can arrive at your content in the easiest way possible. In any case, it certainly is not a bad idea to evaluate your website every few years and move the sections around (or replace content if that is what you determine is necessary). The last thing that you want is for your website to appear stale and stagnant.

Get in touch with the meaning behind your analytics choices

It is critical that you understand the meaning behind your analytics choices as well as communicating that to your visitors. On your end, it isn’t enough to pay attention only to the numbers. You need to look at what those numbers represent and figure out if you are moving in the direction in which you should be moving. If not, you will need to regroup and get onto the correct path. You and the visitor both need to concentrate on the appropriate key performance indicators (KPIs).

Set goals

All businesses should have goals. Otherwise, what are you going to work toward? In the case of analytics, your goals should include gathering intelligence and recognizing other valuable aspects of what you are doing. That applies to every aspect of your business and does not necessarily have anything to do with money.

Keep the big picture in mind

As far as the frequency of your analytics is concerned, if daily notifications work for you, great. However, if you are not able to identify trends because that frequency is too much, you may want to consider adjusting it to a few times a week. That should help you to identify trends and patterns more easily.

Conclusion

Gathering Web analytics is extremely important to your business. Your results will be different (potentially) than those of other businesses. Don’t be discouraged by that because it stand to reason and makes a lot of sense. Paying close attention to analytics means that you have the potential to bring your business to the next level. There are several available tools to help you to gather the data that you need for your business. It is a good idea to research what they are so that you can make an informed decision about which one(s) works best for your particular business.

We are pleased to provide you with the insightful comments contained herein. For a complimentary assessment of your online presence, let’s have coffee.

Let's have coffee