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Measuring Success: SES London 2007
An Introduction to Web Analytics
● Types of Tracking
● Why You Need Analytics
● How to Employ Tracking Data
● Specific ExamplesIndextools Data for SEOmoz.org
The Two Types of Web Analytics
Measuring Success: SES London 2007
The Two Types of Web Analytics
Log Files Analysis
● Inaccurate (spiders, bots, corporate ISPs, proxies, caching, et al.)
● Data already available (on the server)
● Shows failed requests
Script-Based Tracking
● Greater accuracy (for visitors)
● Easier to segment and record specific actions
● Often does not show non-human activity or server errors
Measuring Success: SES London 2007
Log Files & Log File Analysis
● Easy to Use● Free● Inaccurate● Lacks advanced
tracking abilities
AWStats, a popular log file tool
Measuring Success: SES London 2007
Script-Based Visitor Tracking
● Javascript allows for greater accuracy (usually) and greater customization
● Script-use enables segmentation and action tracking
Why Do I Need Web Analytics?
Measuring Success: SES London 2007
Why Do I Need Web Analytics?
● To Answer These Basic Questions:– How many people visit my site?– What pages are getting visited?– How do visitors reach my site?
● Or Some More Advanced Ones:– Where do my best visitors come from?– How much do I earn on average per visitor?– Which pages help to convert visitors into buyers?
Measuring Success: SES London 2007
Record Progress & Popularity
● Unique Visits● Return Visits● Visits / User
– Page Views
– Pg View / User
– Search Traffic
– Referral Traffic
– Regions / Languages
– Browsers
Measuring Success: SES London 2007
Analyze the Sources of Traffic
● Search Engines● Referral Traffic
(links)● Direct Type-Ins● RSS Feeds● Paid Search● Specific Campaigns
(using tracking code)
Measuring Success: SES London 2007
Determine the Success of Your Site
● Bounce Rate● Browse Rate● Return Visits● Visitor Loyalty● Pg Views / Visit● Traffic Growth● Advanced
Metrics (using action tracking)
How Should I EmployAnalytics Data?
Measuring Success: SES London 2007
How Should I Employ Analytics Data
● Find Specific Metrics that are applicable to your site:– Problems that need to be addressed– Weaknesses in your site's offerings– Opportunities for new content or marketing
● Create a Dashboard to Show you the Most Important Data Daily
Measuring Success: SES London 2007
An Example of SEOmoz's Dashboard
Measuring Success: SES London 2007
Identify Basic Problems & Opportunities
● Where are Visitors Exiting Your Site?
● Has Search Traffic Dropped Off or Skyrocketed?
● What Sources of Traffic Provide High vs. Low Quality Traffic?
● What Content Helps Convert Visitors?
Measuring Success: SES London 2007
Launch, Collect Data, Refine, Repeat
● Identify a Problem – e.g. Bounce rates for blog posts are very high.
● Brainstorm Ideas on How to Address - e.g.Add “Related Posts” links in the sidebar.
● Make Changes to the Site/Page - e.g.Create Universal “Related Posts” links.
● Track Improvements, Refine, & Repeat - e.g.Watch Statistics for Bounce Rates from Blog Entry Pages
The Miracle of Action Tracking
Measuring Success: SES London 2007
The Huge Impact of Action Tracking● Action Tracking is the Holy Grail of Analytics
– See what searches, referrers & pages are sending you the highest quality visitors
Measuring Success: SES London 2007
Segmenting Proclivity to Convert
● Using Action Tracking You Can Determine Which Visitors Convert (and at what rate):
– By Search Terms & Phrases– By Referring URLs and Domains– By Advertising Clicks– By Region, Language, or Other Demographics– By Pages Visited (or Click-Path)
More Stats That Matter
Measuring Success: SES London 2007
The “Linkbait Bump”
● After a “BIG” bump in traffic from media attention or referring links, a site will “retain” some of that traffic on a permanent basis, resulting in increased average traffic levels. This is one of the reasons I love linkbait :)
Measuring Success: SES London 2007
Inbound Links & Reputation Management
Measuring Success: SES London 2007
A Few of My Favorites
● Browse Rate by Referring DomainShows how interested an audience from a given website is in your content.
● Conversion Rate by Search PhrasesShows which search terms bring the best traffic.
● First Time vs. Returning VisitorsWatch activity from loyalists vs. first-timers.
Measuring Success: SES London 2007
More Resources on Analytics
● blog.mindvalleylabs.com– Test Ad Copy, Style, Landing Pages & Results
● www.optimizeandprophesize.com– Jon Mendez on SEM & Analytics
● ww.stonetemple.com/blog/– Eric Enge Covers Analytics, look for his
comprehensive report coming in May.● www.seomoz.org/blog/category/10
– We Write About Analytics on SEOmoz, too.
This Presentation Available Online at
www.seomoz.org/2007/
