Understanding the Basics

By adding a small amount of Javascript code to each of the Web pages you want analyzed, Google can track statistics about visits to those Web pages. The statistics are stored on the Google Analytics site indefinitely for your analysis using the Google Analytics tools. The following information is sent to Google about the page visit:

• The IP address of the computer visiting your page, which is important for information about the geographic location of the user

• The Web browser the visitor is using: Internet Explorer, Firefox, Opera, AOL, and so on

• The page request history, made possible by a cookie on the visitor’s site and telling you how long the visitor was on each page and the path he took through your site

Imagine being able to know how many of the visitors to your site used the Firefox browser. This can help Web developers decide which technologies are best used to display content. Each browser has advantages and deficiencies. Now you can take advantage of that knowledge in planning future technology decisions.

Knowing the geographic location patterns of your site’s visitors tells you whether your AdWords targets are working. When you purchase AdWords ads in Google Search, you can specify geographic locations. If you specify St. Louis but most of your visitors are from Nashville, you may have some issues to deal with. Perhaps you could take advantage of the Tennessee interest in your site and switch your advertising. Remember, it’s always easier to take something that is already working and make it work better than it is to take something not working and make it work.

It’s important to know the path the user takes through your site. You need to find out if people who purchase your products leave after visiting the Thank You page and whether they ever return, and you want to find out the time duration between visits to your site. Are people visiting every day? Do they wait six months between visits? Find out how well your attempt to get people to continue using your site after shopping is working. Learn which paths people take from your home page. You may be surprised to learn that people are landing on pages other than your home page as their first page. Often articles and important information indexed in Google causes people to visit your site. You want to know if this informational page leads them to visit the rest of your site. Answer these questions and many others by using the powerful Analytics reporting tools. But first, you need to sign up.