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Without Google Analytics, Your Sites Running Blind

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If you ask most small business owners if they’re happy with the number of visitors coming to their website? or

How long were they on their site or,

What action they took?

You could say over 90% wouldn’t have clue, because they have no way of tracking and monitoring their websites. You see out of the 11 websites i review last week only 1 had installed Google Analytics.

Why you install Google Analytics

The blurb from Google Analytics Enterprise-class web analytics made smarter, friendlier and free.

Google Anaytics dashboard

“Google Analytics is the enterprise-class web analytics solution that gives you rich insights into your website traffic and marketing effectiveness. Powerful, flexible and easy-to-use features now let you see and analyze your traffic data in an entirely new way. With Google Analytics, you’re more prepared to write better-targeted ads, strengthen your marketing initiatives and create higher converting websites.”

So 1 out 11 sites  had the tools to analyses their site performance for the rest it just a guess.

Google provides this tool for free so you can understand how your visitors arrive at your site.

  • Isolate and analyze subsets of your traffic. Select from predefined custom segments such as “Paid Traffic” and “Visits with Conversions”
  • Track sales and conversions. Measure your site engagement goals against: threshhold levels that you define.
  • Optimize your AdWords performance with post-click data on your keywords, search queries, match type and more.
  • Trace transactions to campaigns and keywords, get loyalty and latency metrics, and identify your best revenue sources.
  • Understand visitor intent, find out what your customers are really looking for and speed up time to conversion.

Google Analytics is aimed at marketers as opposed to webmasters

Here a video by Google http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3KK7i084W2w

A brief overview of how to use the Google Analytics interface. If you are new to Google Analytics or you’d like to pick up a few tips on how to use some of the different features, this video is a good place to start

I remember having a discussion with a lady who told me she  was getting 10,000 visitors a month to her jewellery site. The only trouble no one was buying any of her jewellery.

I know it pretty exciting checking your logs on the server and seeing 10,000 visitors per month.

It’s a tragedy if you do all the work to get them to your site, then they just leave and don’t come back. It’s all for nothing

Once we installed Google Analytics, it was pretty obvious where the leakage was occurring. (it’s simply to do, just add a line of code to your website, or if you’re using WordPress, add the code to Google Analytics Plugin)  Most of her visitors were leaving from the same place.

The problem was twofold, her marketing efforts pulled in heaps of people, unfortunately these people were not buyers. It’s a bit like advertising Ferrari cars in an unemployment magazine, they love the cars, but they have no capacity pay for the Ferrari.

You see her marketing attracted people looking for free jewelery, suddenly these people landed on her site and were bombarded with expensive high jewellery ads.

Her marketing was not congruent with her website. She failed the no 1 rule of marketing Give the right message to the right people.

Now may not making a sale no big deal, accept she was buying the traffic from Google Adwords, so for 5 months she been handing over a bag of money to Google, with nothing to show for it.

Google did it’s job, showing her ads to her poorly chosen keywords. Now let’s be clear  Google Adwords is powerful marketing tool, if it’s set up properly. You only pay when someone clicks on your ad, the ultimate direct response marketing tool. Google has a built in defaults ,what you might call a Stupid Tax, unless you know how to fine tunes. Not a game for beginners, as it can cost  you a fortune.  ,

So why was her Google Adwords campaign such an expensive money suck

Her site was confusing and slow to load

All her traffic was sent to her home page, which did not match her marketing message.

Once on the site they had no idea what action to take

Almost impossible to find the Cosmetic Jewellery section of website, so they just left.

Her Google analytics told us, most of the visitors used the term cosmetic jewellery, but site tried to  push Cartier diamonds and other exclusive brands, so most people gave up because they weren’t directed to cosmetic jewelry section when they landed on her site.

It amazes me it took her 5 months to realise, there was something wrong with her website. And If I hadn’t suggested using Google Analytics, she could still be donating money to Google or would of gone broke.

As a direct response copywriter, I know if I can’t measure it then i can’t manage it

Can you afford to waste 5 months wondering how your sites performing . Go over to Google Analytics and set up account http://www.google.com/analytics/

So what’s the lesson here. It’s not how much traffic you get, it’s how it converts to your goals, whether that’s measured in sales or leads.

Don’t let your website suffer from not knowing what’s going on.

Don’t miss Part 3 of lessons learnt from reviewing websites How find your ideal clients

Share your tips for using Google Analytics

Search Engines, Does Your Website Show Up Part 1

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How do you get found in the Search Engines

Last Week I spent a couple of hours reviewing websites, for people who requested feedback on their websites.

Does your Website show up?
Does your Website show up?

Lets Start with SEO Search Engine Optimisation

Some managed to discover Meta tags (Title, Description, & keywords). In most cases, these were left blank. Why not give your site the best opportunity to get found in the search engines. Now before you jump up and down, I know these aren’t the only things Google looks at, but it certainly going to help – rather than leaving the meta tags empty.

Where are the Meta tags?

It still amazes me that people still build sites using flash, (yeah I know the techies love it and it looks pretty) here’s the deal Google and the other search engines can’t read it, and for that matter they read JavaScript either.

The search engines can only read the words on the page, they store these words in their database and using complicated math algorithms. They match these to the words typed in the search engine and the links to the page, to find the best fit, for the search.

Now why do I say this, these sites with Flash are slow to load, and you only have 8 -15 seconds to get their attention, and their gone. Bye Bye their not coming back. Do you really want your visitors watching a spinning hourglass while it tries to load., I don’t think so. If that’s not bad enough Google has build in to their Algorithm a punishment for slow sites , by downgrading the search because there to slow to load. Ouch. So site might be pushed to page  4 or 5. (there goes the visitor)

If you don’t believe me check your Google Analytic Stats, then you’ll see how long they stayed on your site.

Having a pretty site, that no one stays longer than 15 seconds, it’s like my Dad’s old saying “ their spinning their wheels, but their going nowhere”

To make it worst some of these sites had an intro page with only a Flash video, with the only text on the page saying “Enter Here”. That should really help you in the search engines, if you hoping to get found for “Enter Here, (not very likely)

It’s like having a nice new shinny brochure, then sticking it with a billion other brochures, hoping someone finds your brochure and reads it. Not good odds.

So why do some many websites suck, because most of these websites are built by geeks, who love spinning, twirling flashing things. It makes you feel good, having a so called expert, who knows PHP and javascript and 7 other impressive computer languages.

The only trouble, is these guys, seem to be inept when it comes to marketing and the purpose of the website.

Their doesn’t seem to be much point in having a website, if no one finds your site.

Sure, it looks good.

So far, we looked at your On Page SEO, this certainly can’t do any harm and you might be surprised, by getting more visitors.

This is of course if have, Google Analytic to monitor your visitors

Keep an eye for Part 2, Using Google Analytic

Taking the Voodoo out SEO

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Taking the Voodoo out SEO (Web Marketing Search Engine Optimization)

SEO seems like Voodoo, add some magic potion, whisper a couple incantations and tricked the search engines into find you. That’s how the SEO experts sell their secret magic SEO services, to get your site found in Google.

Taking the Voodoo out SEO (Search Engine Optimisation)
Taking the Voodoo out SEO (Search Engine Optimisation)

SEO is a science. Google employs the smartest math people to create complex algorithms, to rank and index billions of WebPages for the Keyword being searched.

If you want rank in the search engines, then write good content, people want to read. Make it useful and educate people, on how your product or service solves their problem.

The more relevant content you have on your site, the more people will link to you.

The easiest way to get high search engine rankings is get more links. If other sites are linking to you then the search engines believe you must have something to say on the keywords typed in.

Social Media allows you to get exposure and links from sites, which have a high Page Rank and a carries, a lot of authority. Facebook is the no 1 site visited on the Web.

Make sure you’ve got your On Page SEO under control.

On Page SEO – Your in charge here, it’s what you put on each page

So take Control

Title Tags Title tags are displayed at the top of the browser and can be found in your header of your page code. They look this <title>   </title> Google displays 64 characters, try to have your keywords in, tell what the page is about. This usually shows up as the first line in a Search listing.
Words on Page Make your pages, so people can read them, have relevant and useful content. Sprinkle keywords or phrases, that suitable for the content. Don’t stuff it with Keywords as looks like spam, usually doesn’t make sense to a reader. If people like content, then it will rank higher the search engines.
Domain Name When purchasing a Domain Name try to get your Keyword in the Domain. Keep short and easy to spell, don’t use hyphens as they’re hard to remember. Try to get a .com, seems to higher trust factor, better known. This does not play a big part in SEO, but people are more likely to click on a domain that contains keyword there looking for.
URL A URL(uniform resource locator) is the Internet address of a particular site or document available via the World Wide Web. Keep these clean as search engines have difficultly reading “& “?”, so if you’re using these characters your pages almost invisible.
XML Sitemaps A XML Sitemaps is like roadmap of your site making it easy for the search engines to follow how your sites connected. This shows where your pages are and how they linked together, so they can be index in the search engines. Google offers a free Sitemap Generator http://www.xml-sitemaps.com/
Internal links Create internal links throughout your website, using keywords as the anchor text. Don’t get all fancy using graphics links as the search engines struggle to follow them. The web is built on linking pages and sites together, make it easy for people and Search engines to follow your ideas.

Off Page SEO – It’s All about the links

This is mainly controlled by People linking to you

Incoming Links Google Search Algorithms are based links, its structure and anchor text. When someone searches, Google looks at your site to see how many incoming links you have. The more relevant links you have to the search phrase, the higher you will rank. Google assume you must be Authority site on the subject.
Anchor text Links

Google doesn’t just accept your links on face value, it looks at in context to the words around the link. Do the links tell the person something about where they’re going or their purpose.

So how should you write a link

a href=”http://www.rowanshead.com/”>Cashflow Copywriting  and Marketing</a>

The link would look like Cashflow Copywriting and Marketing

PageRank on sites linking to you PageRank reflects Google view of the importance of a web pages. Pages that Google believe are important pages receive a higher PageRank and are more likely to appear at the top of the search results. The Google PageRank formula consists more than 500 million variables and 2 billion terms, so you’re talking High-level maths.
Authority Sites

Authority Site are regarded has expert in their field because they have lots of links and they have a high page rank. Authority sites generally have more content and more pages than other sites.