Once you have created a website, no matter how successful it is, there are always ways to improve upon it.
Using Google Analytics, webmasters can pinpoint areas that can increase traffic and conversion rates to a site.
The three largest areas that websites can benefit from these analytic tools are in pay per click (PPC) ad creation, search engine optimization (SEO) and the content that is offered on the website.
1. Look at Success and Failures of PPC Ads
One of the first ways that you can use Google Analytics to improve the traffic to your website is to look at the success and failures of your PPC ads.
In addition to being able to track the ads that people follow to get to your site, Google Analytics can also track the bounce rate of these ads and if the visitors from a particular ad have a good or a bad conversion rate.
This can let you know which of your PPC ad campaigns is the most successful and stop paying for ads that have a low conversion rate.
Since data is updated on the fly, you can see the results of an ad campaign immediately.
2. Find Keywords
Another way that Google Analytics can be used to improve your website strategy is to create custom reports that show the keywords that visitors search for to reach your site.
This helps let you know which keywords to create SEO content for while allowing you to fine tune the exact wording of your SEO content.
Additionally, you can find the keywords that people use most frequently to access your site, and this allows you to focus on creating SEO content that relates to those keywords.
3. Identify Your Bounce Rate
Bounce rate is another important thing to track as it has a direct and negative effect on the conversion rate of a site.
If a visitor follows a search result or an ad to a website and then leaves it without visiting any other page the reason is that the customer didn’t find what they expected.
If that is the case, then either the PPC ads need to be adjusted or that the keywords or content do not match the expectation of the visitor.
While almost any link will generate some bounce rate, a high bounce rate for a particular page or ad indicates a large problem.
4. Monitor Conversions
Another way that using Google Analytics reports can help a website is by ensuring that the copy on the website improves its conversion rate.
The SEO keywords and PPC ads that you use will generate expectations about your website to visitors even before they arrive.
If they are expecting an online store, but your website is focused on feedback and not sales, this will reflect in a poor conversion rate.
Ensuring that keywords and SEO content relate to the focus of your site will ensure that your visitors have a good idea of what they are going to see when they arrive.
5. Identify Traffic Sources
Google Analytics can also produce reports about which search engines send the most visitors to your website and what keywords people are searching for to find it.
If you are trying to improve your ranking with a particular search engine, this information is invaluable.
Additionally, knowing popular keyword searches can help you focus on developing SEO content for these keywords and that will keep your search engine ranking high.
If you are looking to ensure that your website has the highest number of visitors and the best conversion rate possible, be sure that you are using your Google Analytics reports to the fullest.
Sam is an Internet marketer who enjoys learning all he can about conversion optimization and SEO techniques. He believes that once you figure out your average site conversion rate you can begin testing new ways to increase the amount of customers who will complete an order on your site.
"You’re such a smart boy!" were his first accolades heard. So, it’s no wonder that this phrase became the title of his business, Smart Boy Designs.