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Published by: Judy Cobb 01-22-2013  |  POSTED IN: Traffic Tuesdays

Words Blog 12: Results - A New Year Check Up

 
The most critical New Year's review of your website focuses on the business results produced by your website. Businesses today require a website for simple business visibility and credibility. However, most business professionals expect their website to produce tangible business results through direct Internet purchases, inquiries or other contacts.
 
How can you assess the results your website is producing and--more importantly--how can you improve those results?
 
The success of your website begins when people who are looking for your product or service view your site. Effective use of Search Engine Optimization (SEO) can lead visitors to your website and to critical pages within it. Google Analytics and other analytical services can then provide you with information about the ranking of your website in searches and the number of visitors who go there. Once there, do people remain (or return) to buy your product or do they contact you for more information?
 
If you are selling products directly via the Internet, you can look at your actual internet sales. Sales numbers can always improve, so take a deeper look at the products you are selling and the percent of people who visit the site that actually buy your product. Tools available through Google Analytics and other vendors can tell you which products are selling well and which aren't.
 
The process of going from a viewer to a customer is called a "conversion." Google Analytics and other services also allow you to analyze your website's conversion rates: the number of visitors who actually buy your product.
 
This includes identifying the pages on the website where visitors begin the buying process. Not everyone who adds a product to a cart or begins a purchase actually completes it. You can identify how many of your visitors begin the buying process and how many of those actually complete the sale.
 
More important, you can pinpoint where people quit before completing the sale. When you find trends, you can modify those web pages to make the buying process more efficient or user friendly.
 
For those who never get as far as beginning a purchase, you can find out where visitors leave the site. Quite specific information about behavior on the website is available using a software application called a "heat map." Heat maps allow you to visualize your visitors' behavior on the site, including places where they hover the mouse and other specific data.
 
Many businesses sell services or high-end retail products and require direct customer contact. These include law firms, accounting firms, medical services and personal services like spas and salons. Measuring results for these businesses represents a greater challenge.  
 
You may already have specific data that indicates how successful your website has been at generating contacts and leads. For example, when your website went live or you upgraded the website, the number of calls may have increased. If that increased number has remained stable, you have an idea what level of business is coming from the internet.
 
When looking at your SEO and visitor data, you can also find out how many of your visitors are visiting your contact pages. If you have not already done so, include links that invite visitors to ask a question or provide a link where they can request a call or contact from you. A short online survey can also give you an idea of how likely someone is to use your product or service.
 
People who visit your website several times are more likely to become customers than those who visit only once. Blogs and other interactive features like games, trivia quizzes, or contests can also encourage return visits.
 
William Wrigley, Jr., founder of the Wrigley Company, built a chewing gum company that has survived and grown because he believed that people always like to get something free with a purchase. Discounts or bonuses available only through your website not only encourage a direct contact but also allow you to identify contacts that are coming from the web.  
 
Consider having an "800" telephone number that is only available on the web. Calls to that number would occur directly or indirectly because of your web presence.
 
For businesses like accounting firms and law firms, offering a benefit like a free analysis or report can encourage a visitor to give you a call. Even something as simple as asking new contacts how they located your business gives you an idea how many contacts your website is generating.
 
When you know how many contacts your website is generating, compare that to the number of visitors and see how satisfied you are with those results. Using the analytical tools available from Google and other vendors can allow you to pinpoint what people are doing when they visit your site and where they leave. 
 
These results should give you an idea where to work on your website's design and content. It's always a good idea to keep an eye on your competitors' websites. Changes there could affect your results.
 
Any sales process generates far more leads than sales. Selling via the Internet is no exception. However, the Internet offers unique tools for understanding your buyers' behaviors and modifying your approach to take those into account. This, in turn, can increase your sales and improve your online results. 
 
Success on the Internet is a moving target, which is always vulnerable to changes in technologies or new ventures on the web. Keeping track of your results and being proactive in responding to them can allow you to maintain a significant business presence there.
 
This week's blog has only scratched the surface of how you can understand the results you are getting. Next week's blog in this series will suggest ways to use Google Analytics to better understand the dynamics of your website. 
 
You can help us assure that every blog post in this series provides you with tangible suggestions and ideas for building or improving your website. Please share your ideas, comments, questions and suggestions with us. Feel free to leave comments below or to email Judy at [email protected].
 
Judy Cobb is an independent writer and business writing coach whose clients have included Parsons Engineering, Mattel Toys, The Los Angeles Times and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. She has specialized in developing training materials for instructor-led courses as well as interactive online courses and websites. She holds advanced degrees from Columbia University and Stanford as well as an MBA from UCLA's Anderson Graduate School of Management.
Thanks for reading. Jason.
P.S. Don't forget to subscribe below to this blog.
 
About Jason Ciment
Formerly an attorney and CPA, Jason has been working online since 1997. His columns on affiliate marketing can still be found on www.Clickz.com and his book on search engine optimization can be found at www.seotimetable.com.

This blog is published 4x per week and covers website design and SEO tips as well as a wide range of tips and advice for working and living online more efficiently and enjoyably.
 

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