On multiple occasions we have been asked why a site or web portal does not achieve the business objectives for which it was created and what can be done to correct this in a way that helps the sales and growth of the company.
The answer to this point requires the analysis of multiple aspects related both to the internal elements of said site or web portal and to the external elements that influence increasing the traffic of prospects to it.
Normally, after a website has been created (preferably with correct criteria of usability and web design as well as complying with a predetermined business strategy), efforts should be made for its proper positioning in both organic (SEO) and search engines. inorganic (SEM) (see our previous articles on the subject) for the word combinations associated with the type of business.
However, it is not enough to manage to attract traffic to the website using SEO or SEM or any other type of advertising campaign in digital or traditional media.
The goal of every business website is to increase the Conversion Rate of Visitors to Buyers, that is, what percentage of the visits received on the website perform the desired purchase or contact actions for which said site was created.
In order to improve the Conversion Rate, it is essential to measure and monitor the progress of visitors through the website so that their behavior and steps taken to reach the desired action can be known (see a specific product, fill out the form contact, place an order, telephone, etc.), or conversely, until they stepped forward and then left the website without reaching the desired action. From these measurements, it is possible to analyze the reasons for such behaviors and proceed to make adjustments to the website to improve it and thus increase the Conversion Rate.
Web Analytics is precisely in charge of making the measurements of different factors related to Internet sites and also analyzing the results to achieve the necessary corrective actions in order to achieve the desired success.
Traditionally, Web Analytics was related to the measurement at the website level of basic elements such as: General Visitors, Unique Visitors, Bandwidth or Traffic consumed, Number of Printed Pages, Number of Files Served, Browsers Used, Referring Sites, Pages Visited, Time on the Site, Countries of Visitors, Words Used to Get There, among others. However, today Web Analytics is much more than that and can be applied to different layers of Online Marketing or eMarketing.
Before proceeding with any step corresponding to Web Analytics, it is essential to know exactly the objectives for which the website has been created and define conversion goals. These objectives are defined based on the market to be served and the design and content of the website must have been specifically created taking into account said bases.
In Web Analytics we must know how Conversion Funnels behave (Funnel). For this we must first define the main stages of the website. For example, an e-commerce portal or online store should have the following stages: a) Cover page, b) Product Catalog, c) Specific Product Page, d) Shopping Cart and e) Order Issuance. In each of these stages we must place measurement elements that allow us to know what percentage of the total visitors who arrive at the cover pass through them. This must be accompanied by the definition of quantitative objectives in stages so that we achieve the desired conversion goals.
Once the measurements have been made for a certain period of time, we can generate graphics that represent the Funnels and that will indicate the behavior of the users.
For example, if there are thousands of visits entering stage "a) Cover" but very few advance to stage "b) Product Catalog", it could be concluded that the site is attracting the wrong audience since they are not really interested in the products, thus generating a large number of "bounces". This should be corrected with promotional campaigns better tailored to the target audience or by reviewing the content versus promotions, download time, applying the AIDA technique, among others, so that visitors can be retained.
If large numbers of visitors actually decide to enter stage "b) Product Catalog" but fail to visit stage "c) Specific Product Pages", then promotional campaigns to attract traffic are fine but not being followed. successful in facilitating the location of products of interest to visitors, which leads us to check if we have the appropriate tools such as a good internal search engine, featured products section, novelty products section, cross-selling products, offers, filters search, among others.
If stages "a", "b" and "c" are not inconvenient, that is, if large numbers of visitors come to review "c) Specific Product Pages" but do not go to stage "d) Shopping Cart Buy ”to acquire the products, so the Funnel tells us that we must work more on the levels of clarity and confidence about the products and we as a supplier. In this case, it is essential to highlight, in addition to the characteristics, the advantages and benefits of the products (good photographs and descriptions, good price) as well as the guarantees and support that we will provide to the client (the seriousness and trajectory of the company), accompanying this with the testimonies of other clients and attention tools via Online Chat or our telephone numbers to clarify doubts,in such a way that confidence to buy products is increased.
On the other hand, if the Funnel behaves well for the first four stages but it is still not possible to receive enough orders in stage "e) Issuance of the Order", then we should focus on reviewing the process of the Shopping Cart and ease of placement of orders, including forms of payment and dispatches.
Finally, to achieve the success of your site or web portal, we recommend contacting the experts in online marketing and web analytics now as they will be your best investment for the business goals that you have set for yourself.
Success for all…
