How to Use Web Analytics to Become a Better Marketer

As a marketer, data gathered online can be a valuable tool for improving strategies, adjusting budgets and other enhancements.

5 Ways To Leverage Web Analytics to Become a Better Marketer

1)  Measure Offline Data – All offline marketing campaigns should be tracked and measured as well as online campaigns.   An example would be if your founders just wrote a book that promoted the website.  As a result, there could be an increase in traffic to that specific page.  Without marking this book as a campaign within your analytics, what would you attribute the increase in traffic too?  Having clear tracking for offline marketing like tradeshows is an important way to compare the results of your entire marketing strategy.

2) Measure Traffic Sources – Find out how your visitors are finding you.  Finding out which sources are driving the most traffic to the website will allow you to determine how well the search engines index the content on your website. Additionally it will give you the information to know if social media is actually working and which email campaigns are driving traffic.  With the sources data, you can drill down further to strategize on what types of calls-to-actions you place on specific pages.

3)  Measure Conversion Rates - Getting visitors to the website is the first step, getting them to convert into a lead or business is the next.  Offering compelling content and clear calls-to-action will help to convert more of this traffic into leads for the business. Variant or A/B testing with Landing pages and calls-to-action allow you to test which are converting at a higher average.  Determine which keywords are giving you the best top, middle, and bottom of the funnel leads.

4) Ensure the data is clear - Don’t focus on one metric.  For example you notice an increase in traffic one week, what was the cause of this increase?  First you notice there was a large increase of traffic from the blog, then after drilling down further you find that it was a specific article.  This shows you that this specific content is compelling to your audience, and it would be a great idea to create more content on this topic.  

5) Close the Loop – Most marketers are concerned about their marketing ROI , knowing where to devote more time, energy, and resources are important.  Closed loop marketing or finding out which campaigns are driving the most traffic, leads, and most importantly customers.  You want to devote your valued resources on marketing campaigns that are driving actual customers and business.

Photo Credit: Pink Sherbet Photography

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