Quality traffic reports can give you the information you need to improve your Web site, your conversion rate, and your bottom line.
Each time a person or search engine spider visits your site, your server tracks their behavior in your site log. These logs offer a boatload of data, but are hard to follow for mere mortals.
Traffic report software generates human-friendly reports from these logs. Just recently, flyte began using and offering Urchin, a powerful traffic reporting application.
A good traffic report program can measure many things, including:
- number of visits
- page views per visit
- most popular pages
- entrance and exit pages
- most popular paths visitors take
- depth and length of each visit
- where visitors are coming from
- what search engines visitors are using
- which search terms visitors are using
- as well as which browsers, operating systems, and robots are visiting your site.
While it’s important to have quality traffic reports at your disposal, it’s essential to actually read and use them! By reviewing your reports you may be able to uncover parts of your Web site that can be improved.
For example, if your home page is your number one exit page, then your conversion rate probably needs some help. Perhaps you’re not giving your visitors a compelling reason to take action: to stay on your site, to subscribe to your email newsletter, to contact you, to buy your product.
Recently, a client of mine who runs a high-end lodge in Maine was reviewing his traffic reports. He discovered that most people were going from his home page to his rates page and then exiting.
While it’s possible they were calling to book a room at that point, he felt his rates might be scaring off some visitors. He had us add some text to that page, explaining that the rates included all meals and activities…a fact that makes the rates much more reasonable (especially if you’ve ever tasted their food.)
Traffic reports also provide you with information on where your visitors are coming from. You can see which search engines and which search terms are delivering traffic to your site. By reviewing these search terms you can uncover new topics to write about and even new services to offer.
Traffic reports are fascinating snapshots of visitor behavior and can provide you with the information you need to improve your site and do more business online. Take some time today to review your traffic reports and see what you uncover.
