Not having analytics = driving with your eyes closed

Posted on | March 7, 2008 |

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SEOmoz has a report on Searchfest 2008.

I found this section to be most insightful.

About web analytics:

Analytics does not simply equal “reports”
Not having analytics = driving with your eyes closed
Search analytics = 5 step checkup:
- phrases
- page views
- time on site
- bounce rate
- conversion
The time on site combined with the number of page views is the most useful data
Conversions are slightly overrated. CEO can obsess about conversion numbers, even though conversions can happen months after someone visits a site.
Onsite search = a missed opportunity. Try to track what your users are searching for and see if you can better offer it to them.

I alway like to put a custom search box on sites, not a Google search box. This way I help visitors find what they are looking for. Even better, I can login to the Admin panel and see exactly what phrases visitors are searching for and if the search found a page or more on the site. If the search result returned empty that is a HINT to create some content on that topic [of course, only if relevant to site focus]