What Are Web Analytics?

The internet is globalisation's answer to communication

. We write personal letters online, do business, sell products, share information, photos, videos, and thoughts. Social influence tools are built in to websites, so that when people shop online it's as if their friends are right there with them- revealing whether or not they "like" something.

But where should a company begin, after it decides to build an online presence? And which digital marketing tools will generate results?

Thankfully, the age of the internet has brought forth a variety of analytics tools which have made digital marketers efforts completely measurable. Google Analytics can track how many people are searching a keyword, how many of those people clicked on your PPC ad, how long they spent on your site, how many web pages they viewed, and how they got there in the first place.

If web analytics tools make online marketing transparent than why isn't everyone using them?

Possibility #1: The company has the right technology, but not the staff.

Web analytics software is still not 'smart'. It just gathers data. But the data won't amount to anything without an intelligent human there to apply it. There is an overwhelming amount of data web analytics are capable of assembling, and it takes a trained analyst to sift through it all and make decisions about what the client actually needs to know. Furthermore, a good marketer will make short and long-term suggestions based on their analysis and additional market research.

Possibility #2: The company puts too much stock into other digital marketing techniques.

Online marketing doesn't start and end with PPC and SEO. Decisions about how to manage these (and other) accounts should be based on what web analytics tell you. Digital marketing, like anything else requires a strategy, and strategy needs to be based on facts. If SEO article writing isn't improving search ranking, than perhaps your approach is wrong, or your online distributor isn't a good one. If a new PPC ad isn't generating the number of hits the old one did, then maybe the copy isn't effective, or competition has increased and so too must your maximum bid.

Most heads of business are interested in one thing- ROI. While the ROI of certain online marketing techniques are difficult to measure- such as social media, others are very straightforward. Why not impress your boss and clients with results that are tangible? Show them that your work has actually generated more sales for them and certainly more brand awareness.

Online marketing has entered a very aggressive stage, which means that a lot of people are starting to play with the available tools in a serious way. They are developing strategies that most companies don't have the time and resources to manage themselves.

by: Tamara Jacobs

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