Web analytics tools can provide a lot of useful information about website traffic. Website analysis is the collection, measurement and interpretation of detailed data on website visits. In this article, you will learn, what is website analysis, how to run a web analysis, and its main benefits.
It is very important for the functioning of the company, to have precise website activity data. It helps you to assess whether the implemented marketing activities bring the intended effect or not. Based on the collected data, we can decide to continue, modify or stop a given project.
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What can website analysis be used for
The data we collect through website analysis, can be used in various ways. People running advertising campaigns use data analytics to grow performance and to optimize various marketing communication channels.
Information obtained through data analysis is also very widely used by the management of an organization. The results of the analyses are the basis for making decisions process. It is a very effective way of using data to improve work efficiency and better management of the company. However, you should always remember to carefully verify the information available before making any final decisions. The principle of “trust but verify” will work perfectly here.
Anyway, support in making the right decisions is not everything. Sometimes the collected data must be presented in the form of an official report. Such statements are often prepared for the needs of external entities, such as insurance companies or banks.
A website is nowadays one of the most valuable assets for many businesses. The price of websites can reach huge amounts, and their valuation is based mainly on the analysis of website traffic. Along with the development of the ICT infrastructure, we can expect further development of the digital economy and an increase in the value of popular domains.
What is website analysis and how is performed
The process of collecting and preliminary analysis of data on the website is completely automatic. The only thing a domain owner has to do is to install a special tracking code on their website, called a tag. Generating and implementing the code is very simple. Analytical tool vendors usually guide each new user through this process.
What is website analysis? It is not only about data collection. The greatest value of the data collection and analysis process is the ability to deduce the “story” behind the data. It is the logical conclusions drawn on the basis of the collected information, that are the main goal of website analytics.
The data contained in the reports will allow you to better know and understand the users of your website. Website analysis provides information on the age, location or source of the user’s visit. Thanks to this, you will learn who your audience is, and what their habits and interests are. With the help of analytical tools, it is not possible to know personal data or the exact address of the visitor to the website. However, the information available in the reports is sufficient to determine the exact profile of your statistical client.
What is website analysis and choosing right tools
On the Internet we can find many effective tools for website analysis. The undisputed market leader is Google, which offers the most widely used analytical program, Google Analytics. The basic version of the web application provided by Google is completely free. The user does not bear any registration and handling costs. Nevertheless, the program provides a lot of useful functions that will fully satisfy the needs of the average webmaster.
However, for more demanding people, Google has prepared a paid version of the analytical tool, called Google Analytics 360. According to the manufacturer, the paid tool provides even more functions and more precise reports.
Google Analytics 360 is dedicated mainly to websites with over 10 million views per month. As mentioned before, for the vast majority of web developers, the free version of Google Analytics is more than enough. Despite the large number of other tools available, most web analysts only use the free version of Google Analytics.
Below are some other examples of analytical tools. Some of them are also free, while others require a paid subscription.
- Woopra
- Adobe Analytics
- Kissmetrics
- Webtrends
- Oribi
- Piwik
Traffic analysis on mobile devices
Browsing websites is not the only way to use the Internet. Many internet users also use mobile applications which, moreover, are becoming more and more popular every year. The creators of analytical tools have also adapted to this trend. The Google Analytics SDK allows you to collect data from mobile applications.
However, this requires the implementation and configuration of additional code. When analyzing a website traffic, no special knowledge is required to enter the tracking code. It is in the case of a mobile application that the matter is not so simple and the intervention of the developer will be necessary. It is worth planning the integration of the application with the analytical tool at the stage of creating the project.
Read this article in Polish: Czym jest analiza strony internetowej.
