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10.23.09 How To Correctly Use Your Analytics Data  By
Stephen Pitts
Not knowing what to expect, in some cases can be really exciting, like river rafting or hiking or exploring a reef while snorkeling, however, when it comes to your website it can be more important to have a better perspective on what to look forward to and what to look out for especially when your livelihood is on the line. Most of the pitfalls of SEO and online marketing in general come from experience, one of the biggest reasons to hire an agency or or build a team to support your online marketing efforts. One of the reasons I started this blog was to identify some of these pitfalls that can broadside you on your way up the SERPs. So, with that being said, I wanted to cover one of the most overlooked and extremely important aspects of SEO: Traffic - Wait, I know what you are saying… of course traffic is important, it's the reason for undergoing the efforts that are needed to compete and perform in search engine results, right? • Strategy Development • Keyword Research • Website Development • Technical Concerns • Content Development • Link Building
All of this for rankings and traffic, right? Oh, and I have the audacity to say that traffic is being overlooked? You have analytics, right? So, you really know where your traffic is coming from and what they are doing on your site, right? Well, well, well… so what channels are your users converting from? More importantly, what channel is your most important introducer and what channel(s) is/are your most important influencer? Most analytics software is built upon one principle, the last click before conversion. The problem with this is that it doesn't give you the whole picture of what is actually working towards the end conversion. Typically, organic or natural search is typically an introducer and a brand building channel, because users aren't associating what they are looking for with your website. This usually means that they don't know or realize that you offer something they are looking for.Organic search is also typically an introducer because a user may not be sure what they are looking for, that is why they are searching. Paid search is typically a closer because they are looking for something specific and are ready to complete the purchase. Direct traffic are your regular visitors, or at least people that already associate what they are looking for with what you have to offer.With your website, you have the opportunity to take care of your customers online, existing customers go directly to your site (direct traffic). Online advertising gives you the opportunity to find new customers, as with organic search, but paying for your traffic gives you more control and ease of entry. So, with the economic conditions being the way they are, you need to be aware that your organic and paid search efforts might cost you more if you cut your budget to save a few bucks today because it might just take out future wind in your online sails. There are a number of tools that can help you understand your attribution model, so you aren't over-estimating or under-estimating the value of your online marketing channels! Comments
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