Hello everyone! I hope that all has been well lately. Have you had a chance to blog your website yet? Just a friendly reminder – it will help your search engine status! Its time for another website update – boy the time flies!
Statistically speaking….
All of you employ CCWD to either build or optimize your website. Besides the web position reports we email you monthly (if you’re doing SEO), how do you keep tabs on your website traffic? Do you keep tabs? I already know that some of you are obsessed with your stats. I also know that the other half never even bothers to check!! I would like to take 5 minutes to tell you how to check your stats, and also WHAT the heck to look for once you get to them. Since all of you host in different places, choose which option below matches your situation
Host with Advanced Access: stats are located in your virtual office.
Host through Cal Coast, or had CCWD set up your hosting: get to your stats by typing in http://www.YOURDOMAINNAME.com/stats/
Host elsewhere: your hosting company can advise you how to get to your stats. If you don’t KNOW who your hosting company is, call me, we have to talk J
Next, actually log into your stats. 5 minutes, I promise. You owe it to your site.
Now since most of your stats are different, please think conceptually with me for this part. Locate your stats navigation. It’s usually on the left. Look for a date selection section, to select the timeframe of your stats to view. I recommend the past FULL month. Why? It’s the best representation of your traffic. A week can vary too much…3 months is too broad.
After you have selected monthly, look at your chart or numbers. Does the number increase every month, or decrease? You always want to aim for more traffic than you received the previous month. If your traffic significantly increases or decreases, analyze why. Your stats can tell you a lot about what is working for your website and what is not.
The next thing to check is your page views. Which page was viewed the most? Which the least? Does your index page have more than three times as many page views as all your other pages? If so, that means you are losing 2/3 of your traffic after the homepage. If this is the case, maybe we need to move valuable information higher on your homepage so the public notices.
Last, check your referral URL section. What is a referral URL? In layman’s terms, its when someone gets to your site from another person OR search engine’s website. Referring URL’s tell you which link exchanges are the most beneficial, which search engines you are dominating in, and which pay per clicks are working for you.
Now that you have checked your stats, don’t you feel better? You have a better grip on what your website and its traffic are doing, looking for, and clicking on. Knowing your consumer will help you to better serve them, and will eventually increase your business & referrals.
Each month I revise each of your action plans according to what changes occur in the search engines. I highly recommend for you to watch your stats, and revise your personal website action plans accordingly. Remember to email us if you need any edits or changes – we are here to help 🙂
Automating Life
Just a reminder that you can now put your monthly updates and optimization on autopay with Kim in accounting. Email her if you are interested – kim@calcoastwebdesign.com . Autopay not only makes us more efficient over here.. it also gives you a good record with everything in the same place for your taxes. Whatever is better for you is fine with us – we just wanted to let you know there’s OPTIONS now – before you didn’t have any 🙁 Hope this helps!!
Well, I’m signing out…my 5 minutes are up. Cal Coast appreciates your business, your time, and most of all YOU. Take care until next time 🙂
Thanks Cal Coaster Subscribers!
Sincerely,
Cal Coast Web Design, Inc.
http://www.CalCoastWebDesign.com
