Do your Web pages appeal to potential customers, or do they need work? Use your site-statistics server log to analyze the traffic on your site, and you’ll clearly see which pages are losing customer interest.
Site statistics show data such as the number of visitors, the pages they go to most often, how much time they spend and which page they view just before leaving. Do they ever return, or do they visit only once? Most server logs contain answers to these questions and more. They’re updated in real time so you can use the data to measure the effectiveness of marketing campaigns.
If you run ads in print magazines, check the log to see how many visitors reached your site by typing in the address (user-created URL). You can also see visitors who were referred by a search engine. Looking at which engines are used most often is a good way to determine if paid search listings work better for you than free ones.
Your Web site should offer an action you want your visitors to take, whether it’s placing an order, signing up for an appointment or more information, or joining your organization. Another goal may be to have them read articles you've written (which will, of course, link back to your shopping pages).
If your statistics show many people landing on your "Contact Us" page but only a few submitting the form, you’ll want to think about how to improve your response rate. Are you asking for too much information? Then try this:
- Cut the personal info you request to just a name and e-mail address.
- Make sure the form is easy to use and working properly
- Present a good reason to fill it out (offer free information or a discount, for example).
Server logs can tell you which site (URL) your visitors came from before they jumped to yours. You’ll see the keywords they were searching for when they found your site. To keep your site's ranking in the search engines high, make sure these words appear at the top of your page text and code.
Studying your statistics will help you determine your most and least popular pages. Poorly-performing pages need editing either to the page itself — or to the text that links to it. Try crafting a convincing reason on your home page, and use a text link to jump to the troubled page.
Re-check your statistics after a month and see if your changes have boosted your site’s search engine rankings. Hopefully, your sales will see improvement, too!
