Web Analytics is Critical to Your Online Business Success

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 17:16:00 GMT

If you’re a small business owner who is selling or branding online, web analytics is critical to your website’s success. If you don’t know what web analytics is – don’t worry – you fall into the majority of new small business owners with a website.

So what is Web Analytics? It’s the art and science of gathering, tracking and analyzing key data about your website to help you run your online business better. It’s amazing how many small business owners who don’t pay attention to web analytics, which is like flying an airplane blind. Web analytics can provide you with valuable information about visitors to your website so that you can make smarter marketing decisions to increase sales, grow your brand and improve your return on investment (ROI).

While it’s a good start, knowing the total number of visitors to your website is the tip of the iceberg when it comes to web analytics. Each small business owner should identify key performance indicators to track and measure the progress of their business online. Proper web analytics takes time, but it is part of an important process that ensures that your website is optimized for conversions. A conversion is counted each time a visitor to your website takes an action you desire. This could be in the form of a sale, a download or a subscription to a newsletter.

Web analytics should be an integral part of every business with a website – big and small. You will be amazed at the amount of information you can use to make smarter decisions with your business.

Need help getting started with web analytics for your business? Contact Us Here.

5 SEO Tips for Online Businesses

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 17:18:00 GMT

There are many strategies to rank higher in Google and other major search engines. Most people don’t look beyond the first page of search results so it’s important that your website is optimized for the appropriate keywords for your business or organization. Keywords are what the search engines use to find and understand who your business is on the internet. The more relevant keywords that are on your website, the easier you make it for Google and other search engines to find you. Here are five tips to boost your search engine rankings.

Tip #1: Get Linked Up
Google search engines love Inbound links to your website. Google interprets these links much like votes and the more votes you have, the more important your website is to search engines. It’s important to know that not all links carry the same weight. Inbound links from larger and higher ranking websites will have a greater impact on your rankings than a link from a lower ranking website. The keywords used in the actual link also impact the value of the inbound link.

Tip #2: Page Titles are Key
Page titles that show up at the top of your browser and search results are weighted heavily in your ranking score. Your page titles should be relevant and include the keywords you are optimizing for. Google allows up to 70 characters in your page title, so be sure to maximize it as best you can.

Tip #3: Page Descriptions
The page description is the non-bolded text under the bold page titles in your search results. You have 155 characters to entice a potential visitor to click on your link. Make sure you incorporate your keywords in your descriptions (just like in your page titles).

Tip #4: Strong Content
Keywords are also important in the overall content of your website. Google indexes the content on your website and checks for matches between the copy, page titles and page descriptions. Write your content with keywords in mind, but it’s important not to stuff your content with repeated keywords for the sake of using them. Make sure the keywords are incorporated naturally and that your content doesn’t sound forced.

Tip #5: More Content is Better
Blogs are a great way to improve your search rankings and they also help to keep content on your website fresh. Regular blog posts are an easy way to add more content and pages that are rich with your target keywords. The more pages you have on your website, the easier it is for Google to index and find you.

Digital Marketing Blog

Web Analytics is Critical to Your Online Business Success

5 SEO Tips for Online Businesses