Using Web Analytics to Improve Your Site

How often do you check your web traffic status? If your answer is never, then it is time you start doing so. Measuring and analyzing your website's success is an important step which is often ignored by many website owners. Your sales might be pretty good for your website but without the knowledge of your visitors like who they are, where they go, what they are looking for, where they leave and what turns them off, you might be losing many potential customers. By analyzing your website along with your marketing efforts you can improve the overall performance. Web analytics is measuring the results against your goals and check how much success your website has been able to achieve.

Goals - Current Results = Website Success rate.

To improve your results you need to measure, understand and adjust the events that lead to the result. You need to drive targeted traffic to your site and use web analytics to analyze and measure user behavior.

There are mainly three steps you need to follow in order to improve your website traffic. The first step is to drive targeted traffic onto your site by various marketing strategies like SEO and PPC. The next step is to persuade the visitors to take desired action on your site. You can have an appealing website with newsletter subscription or software demos to download. The third step is to use web analytics to analyze customer behavior. Using web analytics to analyze your site is a new method. This helps you keep track of the end results produced by the former two steps. With the help of this you can monitor and make improvements of the previous steps. You can keep track of the website traffic by knowing where the visitors are coming from, the area where they leave the site, the keywords that were used to find your website, where they navigated your site from and keep track of the actions taken by them on your site. This information can help a great deal to improve your business.

There are two types of web analytics: on-site and offsite web analytics.

On-site web analytics: This type of web analytics measures visitor's session on your website. It means it checks the pages that encourage people to buy your product, the pages that drive them away and the ones attracting more visitors. It measures the website performance in a commercial context. The data collected from here is used to compare against the key performance and used to improve the webpage of the marketing campaign.

Off-site web analytics: You can make use of this even if u do or do not own/ maintain a website. It measures the various opportunities in the market like potential customers, the visibility of a website and other factors that affect a website promotion.

Setting Up Web Traffic Monitoring Devices:

You need to track your site users using more discrete methods. Here are some methods you can adopt to check your website visitors' status:

1. Install hit counters on your site: You can install hit counters on your site or blog to check the amount of visitors. With the help of this you can keep track of the increase of decrease in the amount of users on your site. There are number of counter providers that'll let you run their script on your website. You can paste their code on your website and keep track of the daily visitors. Few of the counter providers are Counter.com, eXTReMe Tracking, Promotion Stat.
2. Use your web host statistical package: The good thing about using a reliable hosting service is that every time someone visits your site, you web host server records the user's activities in a log file. The data in this log is usually abbreviated and cryptic making it difficult and time consuming to use. Your Web host uses a software tool to import the log-file data into a built in database which in turn transforms the data into readable and easy to understand statistical reports. Analog (analog.cx) is of the popular software tools used by Web hosts. You can visit their websites to learn more about it. Web host statistical package includes daily transmission statistics, total transfers by client domain, transfers by reversed subdomain and total transfers from each archive section.
3. Purchase a web traffic analysis software: The log file provided by your Web host is not in a user-friendly readable form. There are many web traffic analysis software applications available to collect the required data. These software applications summarize the results in an easy graphical and readable reports based on the information provided by the web host. Some of these applications work with your web ISP's web server and hence saves you time and freedom to manage the entire process. Being flexible, these applications help you control what you want to include or exclude.

In the past, web analytics used measure things like server hits, entry pages, exit pages, unique visitors, repeat visitors, first page visited and the time spent on the site. The advanced web analytics are more business specific and can show us conversion ratios, browse to buy rates and customer acquisition costs. As the technology improves web analytics are able to help us find other aspects of web as well. At present web analytics help us analyze visitor's behavior. This information could be used to improve your SEM strategies, keyword selection, site architecture and design. You can also improve the marketing methods and follow the appropriate steps to bring relevant traffic on to your site. Web analytics is the best way of improving your return on investment (ROI).

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Cost to Build a Website - Are You Paying Too Much?

It is easier than you thin to create a website. So why are you paying to have your own website designed?

Many of you want to create a website online, but their is so much information being thrown your way that it's confusing you. But, it's not that difficult to get your own website designed and created online. You have to understand what the masses are using, and follow those that are successful. Don't go with or take advice from anyone who isn't building websites and making money online.

You cost to build a website can be overwhelming, once you get any of those professional web design services to build your website. It doesn't have to cost that much. You can learn how to build a web site online, and the best part is, design it yourself with your own website building tools. It is easier than you think, but everyone is misleading you. they are only trying to take money out of your pockets.

My frustration online comes from seeing people struggle, while the so called guru, just keeps on misleading them. Promoting high priced products that leaves you even more blinded. Stop, following the guru's, they have never designed anything in their live. they pay to have their website designed. They don't know what it feels like to be struggling, they have forgotten, they are filled with greed.

It doesn't have to be that way, all you need is to understand what it takes to build and design your own website, and you can be making money in just a couple weeks online. Who are you going to trust, a guru or someone who is actually making money online with simple website?

If you truly want to make money, you will have to learn how to design your own website, simple little HTML tricks, and how to monetize your websites. most important, you have to learn how to drive traffic to your sites.

Alexander Marlin, builds simple websites online. He can teach you exactly how to use Keyword Elite to target better keywords. He recommends using Cpanel Web Hosting to host your websites.

Three Stages of Website Management

Managing an internet business website basically consist of three main function. These are content research, development and maintenance of this content. The extent of work in any of these functions depends on the kind of website. It also depends on the amount of content your website needs to be competitive in its market. The more content your website has, the more work you will have. Equally the more unique your content, the more work you have, particularly in researching and developing.

Researching content entails determine what content to put on your site. For example a curios website may choose to inform on the culture behind particular pieces. They could detail the culture behind beaded Massai necklaces. On the other hand a book-store website could entail reviews of the books they offer for sale. All of this content has to be researched.

Developing content entails constructing the researched information into valuable information to your users. This stage include site structure design, page structure design, content format eg text, audio, video etc. It is important to note that this stage has implication on both user experience and Search Engine Optimization (SEO). Managing content basically involves keeping your content fresh and up to date. If for example an event has been passed by time or facts have changed, you need to reflect this in the website.

If you have ever tried to manage a 50 page website, you know how easily an internet business becomes a full time job; especially for small internet businesses, that outsource minimally. The process of getting content from research to website can easily take days and this does not include maintenance.

As in any business, you need to focus on growth and increasing value and revenue. This in internet business translate to mean that researching content and to some small extent developing content should be your primary work. Most of content development and nearly all maintenance should take the least of your time. Unfortunately by the time your site is hitting 100 pages, you are tied down more in maintenance, using most of your time in the least productive function. There is a primary tool that can successfully help you focus in production function, namely Content Management System (CMS). Next week we look of what CMS is and how it has become a necessity in website management.

Learn about Site Build It Software the leading All-in-One Small Online Business solution. Find out more sitebuildit reviews here.

Build a Website Fast - 90 Second Website Builder Review

Building websites can be a whole lot of fun if you know what you are doing. Personally, I take much pride in the work that I produce for each and every site that I own. However, site building can take a big chunk of your time...especially if you are an internet marketer. The internet marketing arena is brutal. If you are not on top of things from the get go, you can lose out on good money. As the saying goes - "You snooze, you lose."

As an internet marketer, it is extremely important to be able to build a website fast. Over the years, we have seen many site building programs that use 'WYSIWYG,' or 'What You See is What You Get.' This feature allows it's users to drag and drop items, add text, links, etc. in plain view, if you will, while creating a web page. You can actually see your actions before your eyes instead of viewing codes. Unfortunately, the 'WYSIWYG' feature is somewhat limited in it's use. Typically, the drag and drop areas are confined to the pre-configured layout of the page (side menus, content, footer, etc.)

What is the best web builder on the market today? Well, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but I like a program that is an absolute "What You See is What You Get." In other words, I need the ability to place images, text, and tables anywhere I want them with the simple 'drag and drop' action, with no limitations. Furthermore, the ideal website builder should be able to create menus and buttons, again, with the drag and drop utility.

The 90 Second Website Builder can handle the aforementioned tasks with ease. This program also allows you to overlap images and create Paypal icons. Learn more about 90 Second Site Builder at Michael's marketing blog.

What a Good Website Designer and a Web Developer Should Know About Web Design

So, what it is really that distinguishes a good website from a poorly designed web site? The topic is as broadly debatable as Windows over Linux is but it all boils down to the two important keywords: development and design! A good web designer offering web site design services must know the difference between the two words.

Web development in itself is a broad term for any activities related to website, web application, web solution, e-commerce development, web content development, client-side / server-side coding, web solutions and web database system. Web development usually refers only to the technical aspects of building a website.

Web design on the other hand is perceived as the artistic side of creating a website that involves the visual styles, layout coherence, color theme considerations and all other factors that has something to do with the general appearance of the site, vis-à-vis its functions.

Therefore, we may conclude that web development equates to a programmer's logic craftsmanship while website design is a product of an artist's imaginative and creative ideas. If this is true which I'm sure most website design firms and individual web designers in the Philippines would agree that a good website must be a combination of digital landscape and well planned programming logic. The dilemma however is that majority of web designers falls short of these two important aspects. Worst, most website developers do not realized these qualifications. I don't have anything against talented and enterprising individual with knowledge on web design and development but there is more than simply knowing the basic of html and image editing to come up with a commercial grade website. We must put in mind that a website is our business or personal identity online. It is the sum total of our being and our business that is accessible to clients and prospective clients. It means therefore that a website is our front line to the information age and that should be well planned and designed in order for it to serve its purpose.

There are however rampant offering on "create your own website in minutes" application and other template-based website. I'm baffled by these ideas simply because it directly contradicts to what I have just discussed above. Choosing to publish a website from a template equates to buying a white cardboard box in the department store and stamping it with your product's name, no branding, no image building, no identity! It's like the usual "Special Patis (Fish Sauce) label you see all over the wet market. All of them claim to be special but the sad truth is that non of them are.

As I have mentioned already, there are two important keywords in the subject, they are Website development and Web site design. Development is of course straight forward and can be learned in school. However, design is a rather different zone in the battlefield of web design. As the word design implies, it has something to do with creative ideas carefully woven by an artist - a full fledge designer who is there to collate the meaning of symbols, colors, sizes and positioning of every element in a website. It is ironic though that most web design firms out there offers template based website that are available in many template stores, worst many of them are available for free. So to say, if you have your prestigious business website made from templates, chances are that you have a twin website somewhere in the internet with only its mole and hair different from yours - the logo and text content, but they are visual replica of each other.

So if you happened to be reading this in search of a good website design firm, check out if the firm has a certified graphic artist and not just a programmer who read a crash course in image editing offering templates and who promised to create your website in minutes. Web site design and development involves careful planning, collaborating of design ideas, and putting together appropriate contents to capture the visitor's attention and to properly reflect your business' image or professional reputation..

for more visit: iConcept

Earn More Profits With Effective Website Design

The main purpose of website design is to give a unique identity to your company's business. Thus, it becomes very important to attract more number of customers by designing user friendly and interactive websites so that it increases the demand for your products.

Good content management, designing skills, easy navigation, excellent layout and storyboarding are some of the pre-requisites required for a successful website design.

Understanding the customer psychology

It is vital for website design to create a lasting impression on the customers to improve your website traffic and visibility on the internet. A good website design draws the attention of your customer and induces him to take a certain action. Hence, it becomes necessary to design the website from the customer's point of view.

If you have been to shopping in the supermarket, you might have observed, how each product is displayed there to attract the customers and entice them to buy the product.

Similarly, you should be able to apply the same principles to your website design by understanding what features of your website is most likely to draw maximum attention of the customers.

5 Powerful website design principles

-Content is the King

It is more desirable to have websites with rich content than which are simply attractive to look. Visitors measure the quality and effectiveness of your website based on the content that you provide on your website. Therefore, it is important to give them interesting and informative information that can prove useful to them.

-Eye catching visual images

Images have a high possibility of creating greater impact on the minds of the visitor. Always try to use more visual images that look more appealing and have the ability to capture the attention of your audience with your message using your website. Thus, it makes good sense to incorporate a fine balance of text and graphics in your website design.

-Self-explanatory web pages

Many a times, websites are not be able to provide an effective solution to the problems faced by the customers and leave them in a state of dilemma. One of the main principles of good website design is to give a clear picture of your website so that they do not have to delve into details. In short, your website should be self-explanatory and guide them easily by providing quick solutions to all their queries.

-Keep it as simple as possible

You main aim must to give all the required information to the visitors through your website which provides easy and simple navigation. Keep the layout of the website as simple as possible without creating undue distractions in the form of ads that pop up every time the user is browsing on your website. Try to give them a more customer friendly experience by designing a simple user interface.

-Good communication medium

It is vital to communicate effectively with your customer; this can be made possible only with a good website design. Always try to use language that is more customer-friendly and avoid using technical terms as far as possible. Make sure that you are able to put across your ideas and suggestions along with the message in such a manner that it gets across to the customer. Thus, your website design must be able to create more familiarity about your company and its products.

John Mahoney is a freelance author who writes about various technology related subjects including business card printing. For more information about John visit his website: http://www.techstore.ie

Tips For Proper Web Design

Welcome to the web site design tutorial section. These tutorials are easy to follow and fun to do! From website design tips and ideas to CSS Styles, Dreamweaver, Flash and Fireworks and you'll find all you need to know about web design right here!

This is the number 1 tip that every web designer should follow. You might design a web site that looks fantastic but few people are going to see it if it takes a long time to load. Your designs should be optimized for the web and should not take more than 15 seconds to load. Remember, you might have a great design but very few people are going to see it if it takes a long time to load. Click here to for 10 tips to fast-loading web pages.

There's only one way to learn HTML, and that?s to roll up your sleeves and get your hands dirty with some actual code. But fear not: HTML has one of the easiest learning curves you?ll ever come across and you can create a basic web page with only a couple of lines. Writing code by hand also ensures that you write the leanest code possible, which is the ultimate aim of all HTML geeks.

The placement of the navigation buttons or links of a website are usually placed in one of 3 different areas of the page. Across the top of each page or down the left or right side. Regardless of where you choose to put them try to keep the text on the buttons or in the links as short as possible. Anything longer than one or two words will cause that part of your layout to be too wide and crowd your content area.

Topics in this huge subject cover tutorials on online marketing, Internet marketing in general, Internet PPC (pay-per-click) advertising campaigns, marketing plans and strategies, and much more. You'll also find a section on top-notch Internet marketing resources, such as online marketing newsletters, Web sites, and marketing blogs. Visit Google AdWords Resources for insightful AdWords tutorials, tools, newsletters, Web sites & blogs, and much more. Visit Google AdSense Resources for helpful AdSense tutorials, tips, blogs, and more.

Can't find a website you really like? Another option is to choose a template. There are many templates or pre-set designs. These come as part of your web design software (such as FrontPage) or you can check out some websites that specialise in designing templates.

The time for a page to load. It is most critical for the most eye-catching elements of the website design to load first and near the top of a page. Website designs therefore need to first-of-all have loading principles in mind.

Make sure your site is browser compatible. Your web site should look good in Netscape as well as in Internet Explorer. Don't stop designing your site as soon as you find that it looks great on IE. Usually Netscape gives some problems, especially when you try doing complicated HTML designs. But don't give up too soon, usually with patience these problems can be easily fixed.

Website designs evolve over time. A website needs to be thought of as a living entity as it is never in a state of stagnation but rather in continuous growth. There are four stages which need to be considered in the process of website design. These can be used as website design tips to ultimately improve a website with increased sales and traffic resulting.

A site that is easy-to-use always encourages visitors to stay and read your content. For site with long pages of content this is very crucial as the amount of scrolling required is reduced. Suppose your site doesn't look good for a particular resolution it is very probable that the visitor will close the browser window feeling that the web page is not for their viewing. Designing stretch layouts that fit any screen resolution ensures that you know all your visitors see a visually appealing and professional site.

Finding a particular Web site is like finding someone's telephone number. Every Web server in the Universe has a unique number that identifies it, called an IP address. For obvious reasons, nobody wants to have to remember numbers like this, so early in the development of the Web, the system of domain names was devised.

Keep your site simple but neat. Don't clutter your page with big, bulky images that take ages to load. Instead use tables creatively and design eye - catching icons that will draw a visitor's attention to a particular section of your site. Tip - Visitors are usually more interested in content than in design.

Ensure Web site scalability: Make sure your code and design is scalable. As technology advances and configuration of computers & their monitors keep increasing and varying it is impossible to test your site in all screen sizes and platforms.

Have you ever tried to put up a web page with photos or images using Nvu or KompoZer, only to find that when you publish the page, the pictures don't show? This guide tells you why it happens and shows you how you can fix the problem.

Benjamin K is a search engine optimization specialist in Milwaukee Wisconsin. You can visit his site at http://www.everykeyword.com