Category: Analytics

Tags: Richard Zwicky, analytics, business, hit, unique visitors, total visitors, pageviews, sales funnel, conversion tracking, behavior, consultant, Ralph Wilson

In this video interview, analytics and business expert Richard Zwicky explains some basics items to look at in your Google Analytics in order to better understand your customers' behavior and buying patterns. This kind of knowledge can dramtically help your sales increase. A "hit" is a fuzzy term, says Zwicky. Actually it refers to each time the server is asked for an item. So if your webpage has 50 images, the server could receive 50 "hits." Rather, look at "unique visitors" and "total visitors" to your site. "Total visitors" tells you the number of times anyone enters your site. "Unique visitors" tells you the number of individuals who enter your site, even if they come several times. When you look at "pageviews" per visitor, you can learn important things. For example, if a person is reading a blog on your site, one or two pageviews might be normal. But if your visitors are looking at sales copy on your site -- and you know that a customer must see three webpages to get into your sales funnel -- then your pageviews per visitor can tell you how effective you are in preparing people to buy. It's also important to turn on conversion / event / action tracking in your analytics package, says Zwicky. When you track conversions, you can begin to understand the user behavior that matters -- that results in a sale -- rather than being overwhelmed by the random behavior of the majority of visitors who don't buy from you. Seek to understand what is normal behavior for visitors who become your customers so you can replicate that and increase conversions. Hiring a consultant to analyze your paths to conversion can be very valuable in making your site more effective and boosting your sales. Richard Zwicky is a serial entrepreneur and founder of Eightfold Logic, an analytics firm. He also works with individuals regarding business strategies and opportunities. This interview was recorded at the Search Engine Strategies Conference in Chicago, October 2010.

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