Analytics - Understanding it all
  • DarrenDarren
     
    October 2009
    OK i have lots of lovely data but really i dont know what it all means so answers on a post card, no seriously i have looked around and i still dont understand whats good and whats bad with some stuff so some pointers would be appreciated - or some links to sites they feel actually have a decent or truthfull explaination

    to give and example i have this sort of data now a conversion rate of 0.82% looks really bad to me but is it i also have an funnel conversion rate of 20% this also looks low to me. But the biggest question is how do i improve this - the site is this one http://www.casupply.co.uk/

    * 0.82%
    Conversion Rate

    * 309
    Transactions

    * UK£291.74
    Average Order Value

    * 6,491
    Purchased Products
     
  • webDwebD
     
    October 2009
    Conversion rate isn't horrendous. Remember if you take PayPal and customer don't return to your site, then that sale won't be counted.

    The last time I looked 1.2 - 2.2 were "average" conversion rates, but that isn't specific to an industry sector.

    GA allows you to compare you sats against sites of the same size or sites within your industry. Have you had a look at that?

    Whenever I look at a sites stats I look at where the bounce rate is highest first. A quick look at the page can often show what's wrong (out of stock, glaring coding error or perhaps you're more expensive, etc).

    In the checkout funnel do you know at what stage people are dropping out?
     
  • RuralwebRuralweb
     
    October 2009
    GA is a HUGE subject on its own and I spend most my days in there (sad bastard I am).

    1 to 3% conversion rate is the standard so you are about average or below assuming you are tracking all conversions - do a quick sum of what GA shows and what sales show in Actinic just to double check. They will never match but near enough is OK.

    Once you are happy that the info you are getting is good then you can start to play with the page layout to see if you can increase conversion rates with stuff like buy button possitioning and colour etc - do a change and see what happens. If its good then keep it if its bad then ditch it - BUT only do one thing at a time.

    Bounce rate is VERY important as its used in Gs algo so you need to work to get it as low as possible - sub 1% is possible. As Rich says look at the high bounce rate pages and see if there are problems and sort them out. Lots of engaing content - you need people to look at at least 3 pages.

    Benchmarking is usefull to see what other sites in your sector are doing but treat it with a pinch of salt.

    Vistitor numbers will indicate the success levels for your SEO work and referers will show how well you are being linked to - you should aim to return any links you pick up if possible.

    I dont bother with funnels tbh

    Constantly monitor your stats as you can look for spikes in traffic and act to find the source - iphone apps are great for this.

    You can also get reports emailed to you if you want.
     
  • RuralwebRuralweb
     
    October 2009
    One other major important thing is the report which shows where your money is comming from ie how much you make on each keyord and referer.

    This info is gold and you should always know which are your big money words - is ok getting traffic for keywords but if they dont result in sales then they are not mcuh good.
     
  • DarrenDarren
     
    October 2009
    Thanks Mal & Rich for the advice

    Gives me plenty to think about and do, here are some more stats that have the details you mention

    * 37,327
    Visits

    * 152,488
    Pageviews

    * 4.09
    Pages/Visit

    * 46.80%
    Bounce Rate

    * 00:03:52
    Avg. Time on Site

    * 76.79%
    % New Visits

    The site itself is a busy site so the bounce rate is going to be the best a biggest nut to crack, i guess its time to start doing tweaks and seeing how this effects the rate. Slowly slowly to see if i can identify anything that might make a big improvement

    Thanks Again, ill let you know how i get on
     
  • DarrenDarren
     
    October 2009
    An interesting one, the top exit page is this one http://www.casupply.co.uk/acatalog/corrugated_roof_sheets.html
     
  • RuralwebRuralweb
     
    October 2009
    Time to deploy your secret weapon - the bird in the leather suit
     
  • droundingdrounding
     
    October 2009
    Ruralweb said:
    Time to deploy your secret weapon - the bird in the leather suit


    Exactly - expand on the PVC accessories :D - that'll certainly help.
     
  • RuralwebRuralweb
     
    October 2009
    An interesting one, the top exit page is this one
    To me this looks like an information page, try adding some call to action links like - find out more about xyz...., great deals on xyz..., buy xyz here...
     
  • DarrenDarren
     
    October 2009
    Ah ok that makes sense, i am currently setting up a new page to see what difference the changes make so i can add it to this new layout the new page is here http://www.casupply.co.uk/acatalog/Corrugated-Roofing.html

    so i will make some changes to prompt the user to do some (call to action)
     
  • RuralwebRuralweb
     
    October 2009
    make them big and obvious. Simple changes can have dramatic effects on conversions eg http://www.henryvacs.co.uk/acatalog/Henry_Vacuum_Cleaner_HVR200A_autosave_Red_.html

    The change from the standard actinic buy button to the big red one trippled conversions overnight.
     
  • DarrenDarren
     
    October 2009
    OK seeing as its the weekend i had a few spare moments and just added the more info button to the section layouts http://www.casupply.co.uk/acatalog/Corrugated-Roofing.html

    i will look at it in more detail tuesday when im back at work. The joys of remote connections make it easier but also means im working when not at work :rolleyes:
     
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