
by Brent Jackson
AcrobatAnt Director of Website Development
People often say that first impressions are the most important. That saying is just as true in today’s digital age, where a website is often the first interaction a business has with its customers. In fact, according to Linearity.io, 88% of online consumers are less likely to return to a website after a bad experience.
I’ll be the first to admit that I have “rage-closed” a fair share of websites after having to wait on the page to load. So, how do you know if your site is effectively meeting your users’ needs? How can you avoid being victim to the dreaded rage-close?
Enter website analytics—powerful tools that provide insights into who your visitors are, what they do on your site, and how you can improve their experience.
What are Website Analytics?
“Website analytics” is a catch-all term that involves using applications to collect and analyze data about your site’s performance and user behavior. Tools like Google Analytics, Hotjar, Lighthouse, and others track key metrics such as traffic sources, user demographics, bounce rates, and conversion rates. These metrics reveal how users interact with your site, allowing you to make informed decisions about its design and functionality. A crucial part of the AcrobatAnt web-development process is the review and interpretation of any existing website analytics. By reviewing the user data of your existing website, AcrobatAnt can design your website around what is working, what isn’t working, and what your users need.
The Benefits of Website Analytics
1. Understanding Audience Behavior
Website analytics help you understand who visits your site, how they find it, and what pages they engage with the most. For example, you might discover that most of your traffic comes from social media, prompting you to focus more on those channels. Taking the time to analyze traffic sources and user engagement can save your marketing team money by preventing you from dumping budget into channels and web pages that just don’t work for your user base.
2. Optimizing User Experience
Data can pinpoint areas where users struggle, such as confusing navigation or slow-loading pages. Addressing these issues can reduce bounce rates and make your site more enjoyable to use. A powerful tool in this area is a heatmap, which can show you exactly where users click on your pages, how far they scroll, and if they experience any “frustration-clicks,” i.e., when the user clicks in quick succession expecting something to happen.
3. Measuring Success
Analytics allow you to track key performance indicators (KPIs) such as lead generation, sales, or content engagement. This helps you see what’s working and what needs improvement in real time. A popular strategy is to A/B test landing pages. In A/B testing, two versions (versions A and B) of a landing page are launched, with users randomly receiving one of the pages. Without website analytics, we would not be able to accurately decide which version of the page is more successful.
4. Driving Strategic Decisions
Data-driven decisions outperform guesstimations—period. Analytics reveal trends and user preferences that a decision-maker might be blind to otherwise. Thinking that extra spend on Meta display was a waste of budget? You won’t find a definitive answer unless you are accurately tracking data. It is important to review the data often throughout a campaign to see if it is time to adapt your strategy. The best part about website analytics is that most data is available in real time.
Implementing Analytics
From simple plugins to scripts and pixels, there are several methods to track user behavior on your site in varying levels of complexity. At AcrobatAnt, we prefer using Google Tag Manager, as it allows our team to track clicks down to a specific HTML element and seamlessly reports the data to Google Analytics. However, adding the tracking scripts to your site is only one small piece of the implementation process. By determining what user actions are the most valuable to the website stakeholder, we can track nearly any user behavior on your website.
Wrap-up
Website analytics involve more than just numbers—they’re the key to understanding and connecting with your audience. By leveraging this data, you can guarantee that you have the best insights into what your users are experiencing and how best to spend your marketing dollars.
Want to make sure that your website is tracking everything you need?
The AcrobatAnt team can audit your site and analytics setup, then provide tailored recommendations and solutions. Contact us via our contact form to get started! Or email Angela to start the conversation directly.