CallSource^® Aim Higher

Analyze This!

by Tom Knoop, March 18 2010

If you're a numbers guy like me, you constantly check to see if the money you spend generates some form of return on investment, because if it doesn't, why bother with it in the first place? This is a growing concern for dealers, especially with their online marketing budgets. You pay someone to build your Website, it launches, and you assume it has what consumers look for. Then you pay someone to launch a pay-per-click campaign, set aside a monthly budget, and you take their word on the results. So how do you know for sure if your online presence is helping or hurting your company? A great place to start is Google Analytics.

What is Google Analytics?
Google Analytics is a free tool that shows you important data about your Website. This includes how people find your site, where they go once they are on the site, and how they become customers. Almost every bit of information available on Analytics will help you get a better idea of how your Website is performing and how many potential customers you are reaching. More importantly, it will let you know if there is a major flaw in either your site or the medium that is directing people to your site.

How to get it on your site
If you don't have Analytics on your site currently, it's time to talk to your Web designer. Installing Google Analytics on your site is a matter of adding code so you can track every page visit. This could be a lengthy process if you have a large and complex site, but the end result is worth the time. Also remember that if you don't have Analytics installed, you cannot see any Website statistics from the past. Analytics only starts recording data after you install the code, so it will take a few days and weeks to get consistent information from Website users.

If you already have Analytics hooked up to your site, make sure you have access to the data. If you are having trouble accessing it, have your Web designer help you. Once you're connected, spend some time exploring the information to see firsthand the strengths and weaknesses of your Website.

Information overload! Where do I start?
You can easily spend hours upon hours looking at charts, numbers, and graphs on Google Analytics. For those with a little less time on their hands, however, there are three critical places that you should look at first. The first is "bounce rate." The "bounce rate" is the percentage of Website visitors who enter and exit a Website from the same page without viewing any other pages. If your site has a 90 percent bounce rate, it means that 90 percent of your Website visitors leave your site without continuing on to another page. If your bounce rate is low, then your site is directing users to content that interests them.

The second place you should look at is "traffic sources." The traffic sources tab on Google Analytics allows you to see exactly how people get to your Website, whether it's using a search engine, clicking on a paid search ad, or even just typing in your Website directly. This data is particularly important in measuring the effectiveness of online campaigns and the strength of your brand recognition.

The third place on Google Analytics that you should examine is the "keywords" being searched. Analytics can actually show you the search queries that someone types into Google, Yahoo!, or any other search engine that led them to your site. This can be split up into paid, non-paid, and total searches. Again, this will help you understand how strong your brand recognition is online and see if more people find your Website by searching for your company name or the vehicles you sell.

All of this data is out there and waiting to be harnessed. All it takes is a free piece of code on your site and you can have access to a world of information. So if you ever find yourself wondering if your Website is up to par, tell yourself, "Analyze this!"

Tom Knoop is director of search engine marketing for Stevenson Advertising. If you need help starting your own SEM campaigns, feel free to contact him at 425-787-9686 or email    TomK@StevensonAdvertising.comThis e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .