Analyze Your Website

To make the most of your website, you need to measure its effectiveness. Knowledge of things like what’s working, where your visitors are coming from, and what they view, can help you maximize your return on investment, writes Mikal E. Belicove in “Analyzing the Analytics.”

Web analytics -- applications that collect site data and present information in an easy-to-understand format -- provide valuable insight. In particular, Belicove says you can use web analytics to identify and fix any obstacles to converting visitors into actual customers.

He offers the following tips to help you start using web analytics to improve your website ROI:

Set Site Goals You Can Track: These can include tracking how many visitors register for services such as email updates or newsletters, place orders, contact your business or other interactions.

Evaluate Your ROI forTraffic Sources: It’s not enough to simply set up a Facebook page, write a blog or launch an online marketing campaign. You need to measure the return you’re getting from the time and money you put into these potential customer sources. Once you understand what works and what doesn’t, you can make adjustments.

Tweak Your Site: Are your product photos too small (or too big)? Is it easy to navigate your site? Make changes that will improve usability and your ability to turn a browser into a buyer.

Keep Track: Watch your traffic and conversion rates (the percentage of visitors who take a desired action, like buying a piece of jewelry online, setting up a wish list or visiting your store) and fine-tune your promotions to improve results.

Take The Tip:
The free analytics service from Google is an excellent way to get started. Ask your web developer to set up analytics for you. If they haven't, Google makes it easy for you to start collecting data on your website. Click here for more information.