If you aren’t using Google Analytics, you’re missing out on loads of data that could help you increase traffic to your site(s) as well as overall performance.
Installing Google Analytics is an easy process. That being said, this is only the beginning. Once installed, you can spend hours on end reviewing various reports to get a better grip on how your site is performing and what changes you can make to move your business to the next level.
Traffic Sources
As the name implies, this tool within Analytics shows you where your traffic is coming from. In the screenshot below, you will see four sources:
- Search Traffic
- Referral Traffic
- Direct Traffic
- Campaigns
In addition to this “percentage breakdown” overview, you can dive into the finer details of each category. For instance, for Search Traffic you can view both organic and paid visitors. In addition to the number of visitors for the specified period, you will receive information including: pages/visit, average time on site, % new visits, and bounce rate.
Average Time on Site and Bounce Rate
As you continue to use Analytics, it is easy to focus most of your time on common statistics such as the overall number of visitors and the keywords that are driving the most traffic. While there is nothing wrong with this, don’t overlook the importance of “average time on site” and “bounce rate.”
As an affiliate, you want visitors to stay on your site for an extended period of time. Visitors who stick around must have found something they like. In turn, there is a better chance that they will click through on one of your affiliate ads.
What about bounce rate? This is the percentage of single-page visits. In other words, people who only visit one page of your site before leaving.
Exit Pages
What is the last page people are seeing before they leave your site? This information can be found in the “Exit Pages” portion of the toolbar. With this, you can get a better idea of which pages are sending people away from your site. This could be good or bad, depending on the results. You may find that your top exit pages are those promoting your best affiliate offers. There is nothing wrong with people leaving your site – as long as they are doing so as often as possible through an affiliate link.
Search Engine Optimization
How is your site performing in the search engines? Although you can get a basic idea based on the number of organic visitors, there is nothing wrong with taking a closer look at the finer details. The deeper you dig the better chance you have of finding changes that could make a big difference.
In the “Queries” section of the toolbar you will find all of the following:
- Impressions – the number of times any URL from your site appeared in search results viewed by a user, not including AdWords
- Clicks – number of clicks on your website URLs from a Google Search page, not including AdWords
- Average position – average ranking of your website URLs for a particular query
- CTR – click through rate
Demographics
It’s important that you target the proper demographic. From location to language, attracting the right players is of utmost importance.
With Analytics, you can see where your traffic is coming from based on: Country/Territory, City, Continent, or Sub Continent Region.
Are you promoting offers to players of a particular language? Again, Analytics can help ensure that you are making progress in this area. If your site is focused on Spanish speaking players, for example, be sure this is reflected in your stats.
Final Tip
As noted above, installing Google Analytics is not enough. You need to know how to use the information provided. By comparing stats, before and after changes, you can focus on the areas of your site that need the most attention.
Analytics makes it easy to study every aspect of your traffic. How are you using this high powered tool? Share your tips in our Search Engine Optimization forum.