[RemodelingGuy]

Is there some way to have ONE on-going thread for analytics idiots like me?

Just an on-going discussion about topics such as " What can you REALLY do with it? "

How can you use it to increase revenue?

Which options are worth the time and effort to track?

Which ones are USELESS?

I track my bounce rate every day, because that's what is really important to me...

Tough enough to attract visitors...

I hate to lose them in a click or two..

But that's about all of the time and brain power I have left to start on new projects that I know will help my bottom line, like utilizing a good analytics program will do.

I'm so behind on my TO-DO list, that I find it hard to concentrate on some very important things.

Any short-cuts from those In the Know would be a powerful pick me up!

[Kevin]

As an affiliate, the most important thing for you to do is find a way to track click outs. Either with Javascript in Google Analytics, or some sort of re-direct, or whatever. Without that info, almost everything else you track becomes sort of an exercise in futility.

Some merchants might let you place conversion code tracking on their websites as well, if you're doing well enough with them.

[Kevin]

Actually, let me add something to that. Short of finding a way to truly track click throughs, and depending on the type of site you have (content driven, datafeed driven, etc), you might want to consider setting up Goal Funnels in google analytics to watch traffic moves towards whatever pages you consider to be your "true sales pages".

If you're driving PPC to a landing page that you want the visitor to immediately click through to the merchant, it won't work. However, if you have a 2 or 3 page "funnel" that you are using as a presell, definitely set up a goal for that, and add the pages you want people to read on the way through. Then you'll see where you are losing eyeballs during that process, and can work to improve the offending page.

[WordWaves]

Originally Posted by Kevin

However, if you have a 2 or 3 page "funnel" that you are using as a presell, definitely set up a goal for that, and add the pages you want people to read on the way through. Then you'll see where you are losing eyeballs during that process, and can work to improve the offending page.

This is a very logical approach to the problem. I just started with analytics, but I find that the tools it provides are surprisingly powerful.

[RemodelingGuy]

Kev,

4 months since I posted this and I've put some work into GA.

My freaking numbers are all over the place....

It's got me re-designing some important parts of my sites...

Just when I get somewhere I can live with

( bounce rate is still my #1 - trying to qualify and keep the traffic that I have)

POOF!

Numbers go to hell again...

Is it normal for bounce rates and exit pages to jump all over the place?

[Kevin]

"It depends".

If you change page content, it can change rapidly, that's for sure. It also is a factor of where the traffic is coming from.

Give the free version of Woopra a try, and watch some visits. I find you get a better feel for web page effectiveness if you "live the experience" with the user.

Looking at stats is one thing, but watching live page progressions might give you additional insights. Woopra isn't a a tool that lets you watch mouse movements, etc, but it will show you live navigation, and outbound link clicks.

Give it a whirl!

[Rhia7]

Originally Posted by Kevin

As an affiliate, the most important thing for you to do is find a way to track click outs.

Kevin has an interesting point about realizing patterns of "click outs" whereas the typical webmaster will often concentrate on the "click-ins" in the attempt to figure out what is attracting an audience into the site and what is specifically drawing the viewer's attention.

I noticed a "real-time traffic widget" on someone's site called Feedjit.
feedjit.com/join/about/
There are a few free widgets to choose from each with its own FAQ.

I noticed that the widget the site in question was using stated my exit click-through and that may or may not be a problem: the details are shown at the side in the widget on the page. Nevertheless, you might want to check this out.

[CathyM]

Kevin, thanks for the tip on Woopra, I just installed the free version. It is fascinating to watch visitors come through with their navigation through the site and actual clicks on affiliate links.

[Kevin]

Originally Posted by CathyM

Kevin, thanks for the tip on Woopra, I just installed the free version. It is fascinating to watch visitors come through with their navigation through the site and actual clicks on affiliate links.

Missed this post originally.

Yeah, Woopra is powerful stuff, especially for being free up to 10k pageviews per month. And really affordable after that if you find value in it.

I haven't noticed any slow down because of the Javascript either, though there's bound to be some.

[CathyM]

I've had Woopra a week now and will be moving to the paid version soon. I have learned a lot watching visitors navigate through the site.

[calebtheredwood]

Woopra is crazy. I installed it and am now super obsessing and micro managing everything. IDK if I can handle having all this info.

Google Analytics has been good to me too. Learning to manage and mine that type of information is something that can really payout for an affiliate marketer.

[Kevin]

Originally Posted by calebtheredwood

Woopra is crazy. I installed it and am now super obsessing and micro managing everything. IDK if I can handle having all this info.

Google Analytics has been good to me too. Learning to manage and mine that type of information is something that can really payout for an affiliate marketer.

Yeah, i generally use Google to "read it", and Woopra to "experience it".

Another great use of Woopra is watching traffic on days when you have a big sale or advertising campaign going. Allows you to make tweaks quickly, so you don't burn the traffic you've got coming in.

[Decorative Ceiling Tiles]

I am craving for woopra too, but first I would like to ask you a question. Do you know if I have to put Analytics code on every page or just home page?

[Kevin]

Originally Posted by Decorative Ceiling Tiles

I am craving for woopra too, but first I would like to ask you a question. Do you know if I have to put Analytics code on every page or just home page?

Woopra, like Google Analytics, has to be installed on every page in order to function.

[Decorative Ceiling Tiles]

Originally Posted by Kevin

Woopra, like Google Analytics, has to be installed on every page in order to function.

I have installed woopra in the footer and it seems to work pretty good. That is what they recommend. It is an amazing experience to watch my visitors to leave without leaving their info.

[Kevin]

Well, yes. But learn from it

[Lanny]

I have Google's Analytics and Google's Webmaster Tools installed on my web sites. Interesting information available from Webmaster Tools, and also, some control. For example, if your web site is targeted at a specific country, you can tell Google which country to target.

[cmunns]

One thing to note is that a lot of people assume that with a bounce rate they must make changes, but if you're site is getting referrals from whacky sources or something like that it's not necessarily reflective of copy or site architecture than it is of users genuinely not being interested.

Just remember bounce rate can be cause by any number of things. Anyone here try CrazyEgg yet for clickmaps?

[Kevin]

On Bounce Rate: If you have an 800 number on your landing page, check length of visit for those bounces. Might indicate it's driving phone calls (if you're a merchant/service)

On Google Webmaster tools: Great way to check to see if your Meta Title and Description are working and well written. Shows you Total Times your pages appeared in Search vs. the clicks they receive.

[Adarsh]

Originally Posted by RemodelingGuy

Which ones are USELESS?

Google Analytics!

[Adarsh]

I seriously don't understand why are you all hugging Google Analytics? Please, don't take me wrong, no bad intentions, no intentions of offending anyone. But why are you handing over your business to Google? This has been discussed in hundreds (may be thousands) of threads that three things webmasters should avoid:

Google Analytics.
Google Search (Button on your site).
Google Feedburner.

There may be more Google services that we all should avoid. But anyway, this is just my opinion. I try my BEST not to handover any information to Google. There are some old blogs where I used Feedburner and I wish I could kick off Feedburner just like that but don't wish to lose readers. I will do it when I'm a little strong financially.

Regards.

[meadowmufn]

Originally Posted by Kevin

Looking at stats is one thing, but watching live page progressions might give you additional insights. Woopra isn't a a tool that lets you watch mouse movements, etc, but it will show you live navigation, and outbound link clicks.

Give it a whirl!

I did that last night on a few of my sites. It was awesome to be able to "follow along" to see where my visitors went. I even set up notifications for clickouts. That little feature even helped me identify and remove a dead link. I think I'm in love. LOL.