Numbers Count

I not a numbers guy, I need to see success and numbers are a good indicator but I would rather hear from someone they were forwarded my blog than have a bunch of people simply read my blog. This is all well and good but it does not mean much in the long run. Numbers count when it comes to the Internet and for so many things. There is no reason not to have these numbers and make the most of them.

5 questions to ask yourself:

1. How many unique visitors viewed your website last Tuesday?
2. How did
   visitors last Tuesday find your site?
3. How long does the average user spend
   on your site?
4. If a user enters your site from a search engine do they spend
   more time than if they enter your site directly?
5. How long does the average
   person read the letter that you sent them telling them about your new
   service?

All of these questions should have an easy answer for you except for question number 5.

The Internet gives us a scary level of access to the way people use our websites. Short of watching everything in our stores our websites give us the next best level of information.This makes for interesting discussions on consumer rights and for very targeted marketing from savvy marketers.These types of information are called analytics. Your website should be connected to a service like Google Analytics that collects information about the use of your website and those who visit it. This information can be used for determining the value of your website, the content you should post and figuring out how to make your website more accessible.

Most things we do on the Internet cannot be tracked with the same granularity as our web presence. Your website and your email blasts are the places where you have the best opportunity to count. Facebook pages and LinkedIn profiles also have some tools as well, but are not nearly as robust as the content we can get from our own web page. There are other tools out there for monitoring your mentions on the web but that is for another post.

Use analytics to track trends and to track success with a specific campaign. I like to look and track specific things, such as how many people visit the page I set up for my radio commercial with the Experience Pros radio show. This is something that tells me a lot of information. Other information is far more valuable over time and also far more valuable when you are ready to start a new project or thinking of adding a new feature. Remember, You Got to Know the Territory.

Talk to your web developer and make sure you are collecting this information. Make sure you know how your numbers add up.