Web Analytics - Mapi Media

Web analytics - the foundation of data-driven strategies

Our experience in auditing Google Ads accounts, implementing Google Analytics or Search Console, as well as the analysis of website visit statistics, clearly show us that many costly mistakes can be easily avoided. The key to success is implementation of web analytics, conducting systematic analyses, drawing conclusions and, as a consequence, implementing the right changes. Because after all, it’s the changes, i.e. the thorough optimisation (inspired through the analysis) which is the most important element of the whole process.

There is no point in carrying out analyses ‘for the sake it’ if the process does not go hand in hand with action.

Today, in comparison to the times of John Wanamaker, we can precisely evaluate and therefore determine what happens with each and every penny we spend on online advertising.

So . . . Do you want to learn how your money is spent and what the spending achieves? Or, maybe, you want you digital marketing campaign to work more effectively? To bring you even more success?

What constitutes web analytics?

In a technical sense, web analytics means collecting, processing and then analysing data related to incoming ‘traffic’ on your website or online store. Web analytics does not focus simply on the users' behaviour on the website itself (i.e. accounting sessions, page views, events, bounce rate etc.) - it sets a much broader context. We find out the traffic sources, distinguish variables that characterise users: demographic data (sex, age, family status), collect geographical information (country, province, city), interest specification (in accordance with Google categories) or the technology used (e.g. devices, operating systems, network provider).

So, a web analysis provides us with greater knowledge about:

Traffic sources on the website (organic, CPC, Facebook, redirections from other websites, e-mailing or banner campaigns etc.),
User behaviour on the website (what they read, how much time they spend on each webpage, considering the degree of page visits, which sections or elements of the webpage are heeded and most frequently clicked on etc.),
The users themselves, enabling us to create a demographic profile (e.g. what percentage of young residents of large cities participated in the last campaign).

Of course, each of the abovementioned categories has a number of variables and indicators hidden, which of course Google Analytics aids to reveal, evaluate and finally verify.

How does Mapi Media implement the web analytics plan into your strategy?

We identify your needs. This is an absolutely critical starting point. We ask questions, collect information. We discuss the specificity of your industry, its challenges, and the function of your website (i.e. what you want to achieve through it), in the context of achieving the goals that are of utmost importance to your business.
Strategy - measuring goals. When knowing what you want to achieve and what’s important to you, we can define the elements that will be critical during the analytical process. To summarise, we determine what aspects to measure, how and why. We decide what to do with the obtained data, and to what extent.
Audit of existing configurations. We examine the existing analytical tools, diagnose errors and shortcomings, point you in the direction of good practices and reasonable solutions that are worth keeping and developing.
Implementation. Based on the audit, we implement the required analytical tools, configure additional tracking scripts, set custom reports in Google Analytics, data visibility or special desktops tailored specially to your employees. Depending on the scope of our cooperation, we can also configure the Google Data Studio service and supply/enhance it with external data.
Verification. We test the applied solutions.
Survey, analyse, suggest. The last point involves continuous nature of cooperation. We analyse the collected data on an ongoing basis, and based on this, we signal suggestions (i.e. what needs to be implemented), we apply the modifications ourselves, or we train your employees who carry out these procedures independently, e.g. managing SEM campaigns, and/or social media activities.

Receive a quote for the web analysis of your website

Our SEO and website promotion specialists are ready for any challenge. Thus far, we’ve completed hundreds of e-marketing projects – how can we help you?

OK, but what exactly does a web analysing grant me in the context of marketing activities or online promotion?

The answer is simple. You gain the ability to squeeze even more out of your Google Ads campaigns or prevent waste of money by removing non-converting keywords. A web analysis helps you to direct campaign users to the best, most profitable landing pages or find and eliminate the so-called ‘system bottlenecks’ along the purchase process. Thanks to the analysis we can assess which mailing-list subscribers are most interested in your blog entries (e.g. what percentage of users scrolls down the blog entries to the 75% content-mark and beyond), and which users are the least likely to enter the website after your update/message had been opened. Tracing the user-path, from entering the website to completing a form is important to us. You can also gain the insight regarding the kind of offers visitors browse prior to booking their dream trip away.

These examples are plenty, and thanks to web analytics each business type and each website will benefit from finding relevant insight.

By properly systematising the implemented web analytics, you can assess the quality of:

Organic traffic,
SEO activities,
SEM campaigns (both on the search network and the Google Display Network),
Organic traffic driven by social media,
Social media campaigns,
Mailings and newsletters,
Incoming traffic from external websites.

This dictates consideration of this key circumstance:

Web analytics as a process should be implemented in your company in close relation to your business goals, taking into account the aims of your business, nature of industry, the presentation of your offer or product as well as the path that the customer should undertake.

It doesn’t make sense to evaluate everything – this would be wasteful and incredibly time-consuming. As always, we focus on indicators that are fit to your standards and are key to achieving your expected result.

Conversion rate in web analytics

Web analytics allow you to measure the progress of fundamental goals for each business, called conversions. Many aspects can be accounted as conversion, for example: subscribing to the company's newsletter, filling out an order form, leaving the e-mail address on the website, registering for the gym membership, purchasing a video-editing course, shopping on the e-commerce website, downloading a PDF file with documentation showcasing an advertised apartment on the developer's website, or leaving a telephone contact for an agent who will return contact in due course. To put it simply, conversion means the customer/user fulfilling a task which matters to the business owner. A task which will, in the end, bring you profit.

So, as you can see conversions vary, in accordance to nature of the website/business.

To summarise the concept of conversion, we could say it is essentially the action performed/undertaken by the user of our website which fits our expectations. Action which positively impacts our business. A sale of a product/service tends to be the most frequent manifestation of the goal-completion.

Web analytics look at conversions primarily through the prism of traffic sourced via the conducted campaigns.

How should we comprehend this, and why it’s so important? Measuring and optimising the conversion rate.

To assess the effectiveness of a traffic source e.g. for a given campaign, we use the concept of ‘conversion rate’. It is a percentage-ratio measuring formula which aims to calculate the effectiveness of a given campaign. It can be swiftly worked out in the following way: conversion numbers from a given campaign are divided by the total number of users gained from a given campaign – this is then multiplied by 100.

Examples:
Let’s assume your website sells gym memberships. It contains all the necessary information and a registration form. You run several campaigns simultaneously; each of campaign generates 100 users per week, for example.

In campaign (A) the registration form was filled by 25 people, out of 100 entries. As such, the conversion rate equals to 25%

In campaign (B) only 8 people filled in the same form out of 100 entries, so the conversion rate sums up to 8%.

Let's propose that campaign (B) consumes twice as much funds compared to (A). The conclusions we can draw from this are fairly straightforward . . .

The design and quality of the landing page and the low conversion rate from campaigns

Every campaign you undertake will have the same aim - direct traffic to your site, and thus give rise to conversions. So, you use the campaigns to acquire potentially interested customers. The company responsible for your SEM has fulfilled its obligation (as was agreed) – but despite the correct configuration, emergence and supply of users, the conversions are still lacking or are at the very least, are rather underwhelming.

Why?

We often encounter a situation where ‘everything is correct’ from the perspective of the campaign: the choice of phrases and targeting agree, the structure of the copy itself is good. Your prices are low, CTR is high and 95% impression share. And still, despite all of this, we observe low conversion rates in Google Analytics . . . it can be puzzling, right?

Figuring this out is a big challenge for web analytics. A common problem source lies in the design of the landing page itself, i.e. the navigation between sections is flawed, or the way the offer is presented is not inciting, eye-catching or alluring enough. The issue can sometimes lie in the content e.g. vital information is evidently missing, or is inadequately expressed. At times, there are other errors which significantly impact the opinion of the user.

In such circumstance, only web analytics and an experienced specialist will be able to diagnose the source of failure. If such issue arises, your website will require immediate intervention and optimisation, preceded by vast examinations and testing.

Example:

Campaign focused on acquiring leads - financial industry.

The landing page includes an extensive option-based form which outlines and compares your offers; it contains a number of fields (e.g. a large amount of personal data) that unfortunately discourages users from completing it further. Thanks to the form optimisation – i.e. accurate limitation or condensation of the information to strictly necessary options, will result in the increase of flowing leads, and therefore rise the conversion rate.

Of course, this does not mean you should forget about the eliminated variables. You can always set the mobile number option as mandatory field. As a result, the remaining questions can be presented to the customer at a later stage, when you call them back. The most vital initial step is to attract, persuade and retain the customer. You can overwhelm them with information at a later stage, when they express true interest. At first, keep it simple.

The above example is a good indication how simple the errored aspects can be fixed. Did the problem stem from the campaign? No. Of course, each circumstance should be considered individually and in relation to what we really want to achieve.

Google Analytics - the backbone of your company's web analytics

We continuously work in Google's ‘ecosystem’. We use Google Analytics combined with other tools: Search Console, Google Ads and above all Google Tag Manager, thanks to which we can introduce the third-party tracking codes in the web analytics plan.

Speaking of the technical aspects of web analytics implementation – will my team be heavily burdened by this process?

In this case, it’s very good news! Your team will barely be burdened. Thanks to the free solution supplied by the Mountain View giant - Google Tag Manager, we are currently able to implement the necessary marketing codes on your website or online store without the involvement of programmers or your IT team.

It is worth to emphasise further that Google Tag Manager allows you to quickly add codes - not only those written by Google, but also those coming from external, third-parties (e.g. Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIN etc.). The implementation of GTM should always be the responsibility of a certified Google Analytics and Google Tag Manager specialist, who has the necessary knowledge in the field of web analytics. Thanks to this expertise and a reliable launch, you will sleep easily at night, with the knowledge that the data collected, and the subsequent conclusions based on it, will be reliable and consistent.

According to the GIGO (Garbage In, Garbage Out) principle - we ought to be extremely vigilant when it comes to the correctness of the data analysed. Reliable data makes it possible for us to draw reliable conclusions, and on that basis alone we can make effective decisions.

Which tracking tags can we implement by using the Google Tag Manager?

Presently, Google Tag Manager has over 50 predefined tags, including:
Google Analytics
Google Ads
Crazy Egg
Hotjar,
LinkedIN statistics,
Bing Ads,
Pinterest,
Twitter,
and many, many others.

If no tag is available in the ‘ready-made solutions’ list, of course, we can always use the ‘custom HTML code’ option and thus embed, for example, the Facebook tracking pixel or any other necessary script in the established web analytics strategy.

F.A.Q Web Analytics

How much does it cost to implement web analytics into a marketing strategy?

There is no definitive answer to this question. It all depends on the scope of implementation, which is derived from working hours of the specialists. Feel free to contact us. We can take into consideration you website, requirements and goals, and based on this propose terms of cooperation + costs for the service.
How long does it take to complete a successful implementation?

This, unfortunately, also depends on the scope of our workload, which is a derivative of your, or your organisation’s, needs. If your expectations are high, we will divide our work into smaller stages and assign the prioritisation to certain tasks. Focusing on the most important, critical elements will help us to complete the process at a quicker pace, but by no means will it indicate that the whole procedure is finished.
Is the implementation of web analytics a one-time task/order?

Yes and no. Again – this can be determined when we complete our findings and organise the scope of workload. If own resources and manpower are supplied, e.g. in the form of a marketing and service department with a relatively simple structure and functions - we will be able to carry out the technical implementation itself (starting, of course, with outlining all possibilities, solutions, suggestions etc.), and thereafter train internal departments, and entrust them subsequent tasks related to web analytics. It’s often the case that we implement certain solutions and then analyse and finally optimise them cyclically, in the form of a prolonged process. So, everything really depends on what you aim to gain from our service, and the scenario you, as our client, adopt.
Will you train me/us to use the software?

Yes, as part of the implementation scheme, we conduct training with e.g. Google Analytics or Google Data Studio. We also help to translate the analysed data into readable indicators that facilitate with making later decisions.
Are the analytics based on solely personal data analysis?

No, web analytics are based solely on cookies. We do not use your customers/users’ personal data such as email addresses and identification data.

Is the information collected during the analysis reliable?

Yes, although it’s not perfect 1:1 reflection of the traffic on your website. Some internet users use browser add-ons that block the work of tracking scripts. To what extent? There are no official statistics. So, the data we collect should be treated with a general trend perspective.
What if additional questions and suggestions from your employees arise during/after the implementation?

We are flexible and can always expand the scope of our cooperation.
Can we calculate the clicks on specific page elements e.g. email addresses?

Of course, using Google Tag Manager, we can calculate interaction with vast elements on your website – this includes pageviews or clicks on email addresses, phone numbers, scrolling via forms or clicking individual tabs on given subpages.
I have a website on a dedicated CMS system, can you implement analytics within this system?

Yes, thanks to the Google Tag Manager tool, we can - without any interference in the source code - modify the tracking scripts on an ongoing basis. What's more, all changes are versioned, so if need arises, we can return to any of the past iterations.
How often will I receive your commentary reports?

Most of the time, we send our summary reports once or twice a month, and we send critical information on a regular basis. Whichever option you opt for is entirely up to you; the same goes for our contact. All formalities can be determined when our cooperation commences. We are open to suggestions and our mindset is flexible.

Did you struggle to find the answers to questions of your interest?