As a digital marketer, I’ve helped hundreds of businesses create winning online strategies. Over the last several weeks, we talked about several aspects of building the most effective elements of websites.
Some of every kind of traffic will eventually lead to conversions, but are you getting enough of the right kind of traffic? Are you reaching the demographic you want to reach? Do you attract enough users who decide that your product or service fits their needs?
The most important goal for a small business’s SEO strategy is to improve leads and revenue. When you, as the business owner, look at analytics, you need to pay attention to several specific statistics above everything else.
That way, when you create your strategy, you’ll aim in the right direction and actually see the results you want!
Also Read: 3 Ways to Optimize Your Website and Google My Business to Drive Leads
Traffic Quality Matters!
Too many small business owners fail to realize that the quality of their web traffic matters more than the quantity.
Your business’s growth through online platforms depends on converting site visitors into buyers. If you have hundreds of people casually visiting your site all the time, but your leads and sales don’t increase, you’ve got a problem… because you’re not increasing your revenue.
With so much business and commerce having moved online these days, your ability to create a thriving online strategy can make or break your business. If you want to improve the amount of successful interactions through your website, you need to consider how you measure your organic traffic.
You can use Google Analytics to keep track of top metrics. But which metrics should you pay attention to? I’m listing these out below.
Also Read: Driving Your Business to Online Success
The 3 Most Important Metrics to Improve Traffic Quality
If you want to achieve the success of increased conversions and revenue, watch these metrics within your online marketing efforts:
- Engagement
When you observe your website’s engagement, look at the amount of time users spend on the site, how many different pages they view, and how many leave before making a purchase. The time on the site matters because it can indicate that you have content users want to spend time viewing. It also shows that your website has a layout that doesn’t frustrate users who end up leaving.
Keep in mind that you’re seeing averages. When you look at pages per session, you see an average from all users. You should attempt to see two pages (or more!) per session. Adjust your keywords, check the clarity of your site’s layout, and make sure you reach the right audience. If you have a blog (if not, you should!), don’t forget to include backlinks in each post. They keep traffic bouncing around your site— improving the longevity of their visit!
- Conversions
For conversion metrics, check out your conversion rate, the number of form submissions, and the contacts made through the site. These show that customers have an actual interest in your products and services that they are willing to act on and probably spend money on.
Again, evaluate your keywords. They affect how you show up in searches, so make sure you attract those quality visitors that make conversions.
Are your contact forms easy for users to find and fill out? Do you have a way to track their submission and contacts made through your site? Great news: Google Analytics can help you here, too. It will even give you a way to track your goals.
Consider offering goals like free user downloads or email lists with valuable information to increase engagement and conversions, not just purchases. You know those who download an e-book or sign up for a newsletter are there because they have more than just a casual interest, plus you can easily keep track of those analytics.
- Relevance
Also look at your relevance metrics, like recurring visits, location of user, and the bounce rate.
Keep an eye on recurring visits as you expand and grow your business. Ideally, new visits and recurring visits should grow, but if you notice that the number of return users goes down, you’ll need to figure out those reasons!
Google Analytics will let you view the locations of users—even giving you a visual on a map! This is super helpful to businesses in tourist-heavy locations. You can see where in the world your users are pursuing your site, and see where they might travel from, whether that’s another state or another country. This information will help you determine the kinds of questions you need to answer through the content on your site.
A “bounce” happens when a user doesn’t continue clicking through pages on your site. They leave before they find what they are looking for. Google counts a visit as a bounce after thirty inactive minutes on an open webpage. A high bounce rate will indicate that users either can’t find the information or item they want, or they get confused by your site’s setup and decide to try somewhere else.
A warning: Don’t be fooled by false conversions. When you have inaccurate information, it can alter your view of problems. You don’t want to have a false sense of the quality of your traffic and make bad decisions about your SEO strategy.
I’ve shared a quick overview about a topic with a lot of information and under-the-surface details. If you get bogged down or confused, reach out to us for help! Remember that we do this kind of work all the time. We have thorough information and pinpointed processes to help you make your online strategies a huge success. If you want to learn more or want help building a strategy, reach out to us today!
Further Reading: 3 Common SEO Mistakes Every Business in Hawaii Should Avoid
Photos Courtesy of Thomas Ashlock, Damian Zaleski, and Kelsey Knight