Setting actionable goals for your web analytics

I was doing some research recently on marketing strategy and tactics and came across an article by inc.com called “Time to Fix Your Marketing Strategy.” The last paragraph in the article really hit home – signs of good writer! – which said: “the next time you go to spend some bucks on your next great digital marketing tactic, make sure you can articulate why you’re doing it and what your goals are.” If you’ve recently started using Google Analytics, make sure you’re setting up real life goals and ones that will lead to success. Checking Google Analytics once a day, in order to see how many people are coming to your site, is not an actionable goal. In saying this, I’ve put together some tips and tricks to help you properly formulate your web analytics goals in order for you to start seeing an increase in your inbound leads.

• Ensure you are measuring and comparing the same time frame. In the upper right hand corner of your analytics page, you will see two dates – select the time frame for which you wish to measure, and stick with it. You can measure on a monthly or quarterly basis, depending on the time frame for which you’ve set your goals.
• Look at your page views and the average amount of time spent on your website. Set goals based on the increase you’d like your website to see. i.e. 20% increase every quarter. Then ask yourself, what are you doing during that time to your website to make people want to view more pages and stay on your site. Nothing? Well, you have some work to do.
• Traffic Sources. Take a look at how people are coming to your website. Are they finding you through organic searches? Are they going directly to your website because they know your company? Take a look at where you’re falling short and find ways to turn this around. Ask yourself, if I’m using Linkedin for my company, why aren’t I seeing any traffic come from Linkedin?
• Are you having a problem converting website visits into inbound leads? An inbound lead can be anything from someone downloading a whitepaper, to someone emailing you directly for help. Take a look at your Landing Page (Content – Site Content – Landing Pages). Where are people going when they visit your website? If it’s your blogs, take a look at the call to actions on your blog page. Add in a call to action if one doesn’t already exist, or consider editing/re-formatting the ones you do have so they are more apparent.

Remember to start with what you know and then build off that. I’ve found it extremely helpful to learn what I don’t know through others, reading blogs and attending events build around the subject matter. If you’re looking for some more guidance, we’d be happy to help. Reach out to Mark Elliott to find out how VA Partners can help you get started.