Measuring Website Traffic

Assuming you have a website and FTP access or a Content Management System (CMS) such as Wordpress or Joomla with a Google Analytics extension then setting up Google Analytics should be a fairly straightforward process.

Going into detail on the actual implementation of the code is beyond the scope of this blog but using Google to find instructions for your particular set up shouldn’t be an issue. Or, if you happen to have a web developer simply delegate the task to them.

What we’ll discuss briefly are the benefits of using Google Analytics. For a more detailed breakdown of how to use the various features of this incredible free service go to http://google.com/analytics and set up an account.

As you start integrating the tools we’ve discussed into your ongoing marketing efforts you will need constant, detailed feedback and data to determine what’s working and what’s not.  So how do you know when something is working?  In the most simple terms you know your marketing efforts are succeeding when you see an increase in traffic to your website and more importantly an increase in conversions.

What are conversions? Every marketing effort (and the action plan we’re detailing in this series) is designed around a marketing funnel - which consists of the different steps you want leads to follow as they encounter your Calls-to-Action online.  For example, you could have a Twitter page for your brand which links to a specific landing page that has a Call-to-Action button encouraging people to sign up for your email newsletter or other special offer such as a free ebook or white paper.  

Since the point of online marketing is to increase sales, conversion funnels are the trail of breadcrumbs you leave for potential leads to arrive at your offer and hopefully take action by making a purchase or placing an order.

Google Analytics helps you design, monitor and track these conversion funnels among other things so setting one up before launching your campaign is essential.

Here is an example of a Twitter Marketing Funnel from HubSpot.com (http://blog.hubspot.com/blog/tabid/6307/bid/4780/Don-t-Work-for-Free-Track-Conversions.aspx):