Web analytics allows us to know the active users of a site.
Web analytics is a discipline that specializes in the recording, measurement and analysis of data linked to a website . In this way, it is possible to know in depth the characteristics of web traffic.
Web analytics is considered essential for carrying out content analysis , developing an SEO (Search Engine Optimization) strategy and exploiting online advertising. There are various resources and tools that make the collection and processing of information viable.
Introduction to web analytics
Web analytics is a concept that refers to different processes and actions that are developed to understand the performance of an online publication . Thanks to trackers and cookies, everything that visitors to a site do is recorded and thus the so-called web metrics arise.
These metrics are quantitative data: number of unique users, page views, average session duration, CTR (click-through rate), etc. The most important variables are called KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) .
Through web analytics, therefore, data is collected and examined. Customized reports are also generated according to the needs of the site manager.
These data are vital for the design and implementation of advertising campaigns . Based on relevant analytics, decisions can be made regarding paid ads , programmatic advertising , and other issues.
It is interesting to mention that many platforms offer their own web analytics and advertising resources. Google Ads (formerly AdWords ), Facebook Pixel (today Meta ) and LinkedIn Insights (or LinkedIn Talent Insights ) serve to develop this type of task.
There are data visualization tools that capture web analytics records.
Your link with SEO
It is common to link web analytics to SEO . It should be taken into account that the idea of SEO refers to the optimization of a website so that it is well positioned in a search engine (that is, so that the site appears in the first places on the results pages when a user performs a related search. with the contents offered).
Web analytics, in this framework, contributes to executing a technical SEO analysis . The data obtained makes it possible to diagram a content strategy so that the site is well positioned, whether in organic searches or paid searches .
By investigating traffic sources and performing a trend analysis , to name two options, you can discover how to boost your site and make the most of SEO tools .
Knowing interaction metrics is possible thanks to web analytics.
Examples of web analytics
Suppose that a company dedicated to the sale of tires aspires to promote electronic commerce . In this way, its managers consider a series of objectives and goals that they intend to achieve with their website.
By doing a keyword analysis with Google Analytics , they discover that most visitors come to the site searching for “tires for sale in San Jorge” and “car tires in San Jorge” . Given this behavior of the average user, they begin to develop content that includes those keywords and, in turn, contains sales links in said texts.
Web analytics also helps them study interactions per visit, perform audience segmentation and conduct other inquiries. They pour all that knowledge into strategies to promote online sales .
Take the case of a digital sports newspaper. Those responsible apply web analytics to have details about the origin of the traffic they receive. Thus they warn that visitors usually arrive through Google and not through social networks, and that football articles are the most popular.
With this panorama, they choose to maintain their SEO strategy and emphasize more intense work on Facebook , X (formerly Twitter ), Instagram and TikTok : The purpose is to increase traffic from the networks. They also propose to increase the number of football articles they publish by 25% each month.
The advantages
The advantages of web analytics, as we have already seen, are numerous and varied. In summary we can indicate that web analytics:
- It allows you to know the visitors of a website : The metrics indicate everything from how many unique users access per day to the number of pages per session they visit, including the time they stay on the site and other data.
- Helps optimize the site : Knowledge of visitors gives way to the implementation of actions to improve the UX (User Experience) .
- It is useful for making forecasts : Trend analysis helps to anticipate what the future behavior of users will be like.
- Optimize marketing investment : Your data is very important to precisely guide how to invest in marketing campaigns.
Importance of web analytics
Web analytics is important in various aspects of online marketing and advertising . It can be indicated that its tools and resources are useful to achieve four major goals:
- Attraction : The analysis and proper interpretation of metrics is essential to attract visitors.
- Activation : Knowing the behavior of users can incentivize certain actions.
- Conversion : Web analytics also helps to encourage website users to complete the steps that constitute a business for the enterprise (making a purchase, subscribing to a service, etc.).
- Retention : We must not forget that, once the user has been attracted, activated and converted, it is essential to retain them. Web analytics allows you to know if the effort dedicated to loyalty is paying off.