You need some kind of website analytics package in order to know who is visiting your site - there is no other way of knowing!

If you want to make more sales, get more leads or sell more advertising (who doesn’t?) then you need to get more visits from the right people - analytics packages can tell you what you need to know about what actually happens on your website so that you can make informed decisions and grow your business.

BUT not all website analytics packages tell you what you need to know.

You might have a free package with your hosting - webaliser is a common one, so too is AWStats but there are many more.  If you have a package available already take a look as it should show you some interesting things about what has been happening on your site up until now.

If you are serious about improving your website then you would benefit from packages that are a little more sophisticated - there are many out there, from free to mega bucks but it really does depend on your needs and most importantly what you plan to use the information for.  Don’t get caught in an information overload as there are stats available enough to drive you insane even on a tiny site!  As with all data analysis ask your self…. “WHAT do I need to know” and also “WHY do I need to know it”.

Some people like visuals so look for the charts and graphs that you like, others want detailed visitor paths, others want to be able to tag search behaviour and interact with the data…. there is no one perfect package but there are lots of options and I suggest you check some out for yourself before you invest in buying a package.

If you want to learn more about your website then an excellent freebie is Google Analytics - there are lots of graphs, charts and tables and many options to look at the data in ways that will help you improve your business.  Its a good place to cut your teeth and probably find some surprising results…

Here are some results that we have highlighted to website owners:

• 90% of your search traffic comes from the middle east because your business name is the same as their local stock exchange (lots of traffic but all irrelevant).
• the only search terms used to find your site include your company name (very common)
• the .com version of your site is pointing to a devil worship site! (make sure you know who controls your domains)
• an article written 12 months ago brings significant relevant traffic (write more articles).
• several people are blogging about your website which is boosting your rankings AND bringing you traffic (this is great).
• 80% of search traffic comes from Google, the next most popular source is AOL (why not Yahoo or MSN?)

The list of leassons learned is endless and you will soon learn what helps you the most.  Your website is a marketing tool and no matter the size or type of business you have it is possible to get more business through the web - it COULD BE your most successful channel so learn to understand your website, make informed decisions about improvements and make your business more successful.

If you don’t have the time or inclination to get down and dirty with your website analytics we can help you as traffic analysis and continuous improvement of client’s websites is integral to our approach.  Check out how Strategy Internet Marketing can help you make more of your online business by driving more traffic to your website and increasing your conversions.