Use Web Analytics correctly

Website analysis, also called Web Analytics or traffic analysis, consists of collecting, measuring and analyzing data related to user behavior on a website or web application. The information obtained represents a key success factor for your business.

With Web Analytics, it is possible to measure the success of advertising campaigns and content strategies. To do this, we first establish an inventory by precisely following the user behavior on the website. The tools collect and analyze information about individuals or groups of users and then present the results as metrics. These metrics, called KPIs or key performance indicators, are then used to define appropriate actions which, according to the objectives set, should promote business growth.

In the case of an online store, one can examine, for example, by which search query the users arrived. If a person accesses the site via the keyword « women's shoes », even though it is a men's store, the analysis highlights gaps in keyword optimization. By observing how visitors navigate the site and what detours they take, it is possible to optimize the navigation and internal links to facilitate access to the desired product.

Thanks to the important data volumewe can also spot which sections of the site are working particularly well and deserve strengthening, such as widely read blog posts offering style advice. Conversely, we also identify exit points where users leave the site, thus revealing optimization needs, for example in the shopping cart, when choosing the payment method.

What are the objectives of Web Analytics?

The main goal of Web Analytics is to ensure the long-term success of a website. In the short term, however, different specific objectives may be a priority depending on the company, for example:

• Acquire new customers
• Retain existing customers
• Increase the number of visitors
• Improve conversion rate
• Optimize ergonomics
• Evaluate the effectiveness of advertising actions

Depending on the objectives sought, certain KPIs become particularly relevant. The data obtained makes it possible to define recommendations concrete measures, in order to quickly improve efficiency or strengthen the ergonomics of the site.

Web Analytics key indicators (KPI)

A website's KPIs are determined using various analytics tools like Google Analytics. Among the main performance indicators, we find:

• Number of visitors
• Traffic Sources
• Average visit duration
• Pages per session
• Conversions
• Conversion rate
• Bounce rate
• Most frequent navigation paths, etc.

These indicators only take on their full meaning in the good context. They must be compared to historical or sector-specific data and defined collection period adequate. To distinguish a temporary fluctuation from a lasting trend, it is necessary to observe a sufficiently long period. Furthermore, regular analyzes are essential to react quickly to the emergence of negative trends.

Data collection and analysis tools

Behind website analytics are complex data sets collected on the server and client side. To exploit this volume of data in a relevant way, it is necessary to organize, analyze and above all graphically represent this data in order to make it readable. This is precisely the role of Web Analytics tools.

The market offers a wide range of solutions for different budgets and areas of application : from free software, intended for non-commercial use, to paid solutions intended for large projects. Technically, these programs work either based on .log files, cookies, or a combination of both. The best-known analysis tool remains Google Analytics. However, there are also many alternatives to Google Analytics, which, for example, prioritize data protection and confidentiality.

What are the advantages of Web Analytics?

Web Analytics answers two essential questions: who are my customers and how can I better target them to adapt my marketing actions to their needs? As mentioned previously, knowing your potential customers constitutes the basis of any successful marketing planning.

By identifying the origin of visitors and the products or information they are looking for, it becomes possible to better target them and communicate with them in a more relevant way. Thanks to the traffic sourcesto keywords used in searches, sales generated by clicks and other quantitative data provided by Web Analytics tools, we can infer the interests, habits and preferences of potential customers.

The analysis of reactions to different marketing actions also provides actionable information on your targets. For example, by measuring how many people opened a newsletter, clicked on specific articles or made a purchase after reading content, it is possible to determine what appeals to the target audience and what, on the contrary, produces no effect.