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web analytics basics: how it works with search engine optimization

SEO, Social Media Publishing & SEO-driven Web Design

Web Analytics: What is it?
Web analytics is a tool that analyzes website visitor behavior. Using web
analytics, you can find out:
• Where your website visitors are coming from
• What website visitors are looking for, based on the keywords they used to find
your site
• How long visitors stayed on your website
• What pages they visited
“BOUNCE RATE” is an entrance
to a web page that results in an
immediate exit of the website. web analytics basics: how it works with search engine optimization :: Rhishja Larson/bombinamedia.com

If you are serious about making data-driven marketing decisions,
then you need to sit up and take notice of web analytics.
web analytics basics: how it works with search engine optimization :: Rhishja Larson/bombinamedia.com

Consider the following scenario ...
web analytics basics: how it works with search engine optimization :: Rhishja Larson/bombinamedia.com

Why can’t this dog find her snack?
• You create a new and improved dog snack and
excitedly place it on your website for your customers.
I sure wish I could
track down my favorite
• You make sure to remove all traces of your “boring”
snack. It used to be
old dog snack.
right here on this
website ...
• Trouble is, your customers love your old dog snack.
• Your customers aren’t ready for the new dog snack.
• Your customers look all over your website for your old
dog snack.
• Your customers are entering the name of the old dog
snack (and related terms) in your search box.
web analytics basics: how it works with search engine optimization :: Rhishja Larson/bombinamedia.com

If you had looked at your analytics reports, you would have seen in your
keyword reports that your old dog snack was actually a favorite.
• You would have quickly put your customers’ beloved dog snack back on your
website.
• That way, you’d have given your customers a choice between the old dog
snack and the new dog snack.
• Your customers could compare the two side by side, and get the new dog
snack when (and if) they’re ready.
DID YOU KNOW YOUR COMPETITOR STILL OFFERS THE OLD DOG SNACK?
YOU LOST A CUSTOMER ($$) BECAUSE YOU DIDN’T ACT ON YOUR DATA.
web analytics basics: how it works with search engine optimization :: Rhishja Larson/bombinamedia.com

Part 1:
Google™ Analytics is a free tool. Let’s get started.
web analytics basics: how it works with search engine optimization :: Rhishja Larson/bombinamedia.com

First, you need to create a Google™ Webmaster account at
www.google.com/webmasters/tools/
Note: You or your webmaster must be able to access your website’s HTML to use
Google™ analytics
web analytics basics: how it works with search engine optimization :: Rhishja Larson/bombinamedia.com

Log in to your Webmaster Account and click “Analytics”
1. Enter your URL
2. Copy the tracking code
3. Paste the tracking code after the last
</div> tag and before the closing </body>
tag on each page you wish to track
4. Your data will start populating in 24 - 48
YOUR URL (http://www.yourwebsite.com)
hours.
TRACKING CODE
COPY & PASTE TRACKING CODE ON
EACH WEB PAGE YOU WISH TO TRACK
web analytics basics: how it works with search engine optimization :: Rhishja Larson/bombinamedia.com

The Dashboard is an overview of your Website Visitor Data. It will populate
24 - 48 hours after you install your tracking code.
“Dashboard”
In the following example, we
are going to take a closer
look at “Traffic Sources”
web analytics basics: how it works with search engine optimization :: Rhishja Larson/bombinamedia.com

Part 2:
Using Google™ Analytics to drive Search Engine Optimization.
web analytics basics: how it works with search engine optimization :: Rhishja Larson/bombinamedia.com

Traffic Sources Overview: 284 total visits
• Direct Traffic: Visitors who entered your site
by typing the site’s address directly into their
browser
• Referring Sites: Visitors who entered your
website using links from other websites
• Search Engines: Visitors who entered your
site using keywords and key phrases that
relate to your website using a search engine
web analytics basics: how it works with search engine optimization :: Rhishja Larson/bombinamedia.com

Taking a closer look at Traffic Sources
13.03% Direct Traffic
76.06% Search Engines
10.92% Referring Sites
web analytics basics: how it works with search engine optimization :: Rhishja Larson/bombinamedia.com

For this example, let’s examine our search engine traffic more closely by
looking at the Keyword Segment.
E KEY
RE ARE TH
HE
HAT
PHRASES T
VISITORS
BROUGHT
EBSITE
TO THIS W
1. how to help rhinos
2. save the rhino
3. 5 rhino species
4. rhino conservation
5. javan rhino ecosystem
6. savingrhinos.org
7. diceros bicornis
8. javan rhino
9. javan rhino organization
10. javan rhino+role in ecosystem
web analytics basics: how it works with search engine optimization :: Rhishja Larson/bombinamedia.com

Identifying a trend.
The keywords (key phrases) look like research, education or information-gathering.
Let’s see how many schools visited this site by performing a search for the keyword
“school” within the Network Location Segment.
LOOKS
WOW! THIS
JUICY
LIKE SOME
TA!
VISITOR DA
web analytics basics: how it works with search engine optimization :: Rhishja Larson/bombinamedia.com

Using web analytics, what have we learned by identifying a segment of our
site visitors?
• We know what visitors are looking for
• We know where they are coming from
• We know how long each school visitor stayed on our
site and how many pages were visited
• We know they are using search engines to locate
their information
The top content for our time period was “Rhino-Species.html”, surpassing even the home
page. It was visited 7 times by our “school” segment. Note the low bounce rate of 28.57%
(44.67% lower than the site’s average of 51.63%).
web analytics basics: how it works with search engine optimization :: Rhishja Larson/bombinamedia.com

How can we modify our site’s navigation and content based on our data?
• Create customized sections of the website
for school projects, research, classroom re-
sources
• Feature “how to help” and “rhino species”
more prominently on the home page
• Create additional content for the “how to
help” and “rhino species” sections
• Optimize the new pages
“How-to-help-Rhinos.html”, was visited 4 times by our “school” segment. Note the low
bounce rate of 25% (51.58% lower than the site’s average of 51.63%).
web analytics basics: how it works with search engine optimization :: Rhishja Larson/bombinamedia.com

Original navigation
• Links to individual species are included, but below the
fold
• No sections set aside for schools (didn’t have the data
at first)
• Visitors looking for information on rhinos are not
likely to click “rhino shirts” without knowing it’s tied to
conservation
web analytics basics: how it works with search engine optimization :: Rhishja Larson/bombinamedia.com

Revised Navigation
• “Shop”, “Meet”, “Learn” - calls to action
• “Proceeds benefit rhinos” above the fold (ATF) &
individual products included in navigation bar
• All 5 rhino species ATF & “Rhino Species”
included in navigation bar
• New school section ATF & under “Education” in
navigation bar
web analytics basics: how it works with search engine optimization :: Rhishja Larson/bombinamedia.com

Traffic Sources Overview One Year Later: 1,129 total visits (+334.49%)
web analytics basics: how it works with search engine optimization :: Rhishja Larson/bombinamedia.com

About
SEO, Social Media Publishing & SEO-driven Web Design
bombina media is the love child of organic SEO and clutter-free web design. We provide SEO services, social
media publishing, and affordable content-driven web design to small businesses in the San Francisco North Bay.
bombina media’s SEO Analyst & Online Production Manager
Rhishja Larson is a seventh generation entrepreneur. She started writing content for websites as
a side job in 2000, and has been designing and optimizing websites as a full-time freelancer since
2006. Rhishja launched bombina media in March 2009.
Rhishja’s educational background includes the Stanford Project Management Certification from the
Stanford Center for Professional Development at Stanford University. She also received a BA in
Government from CSU Sacramento, and has a certification in Digital Arts from Sessions.edu.
Bombina orientalis (Oriental Fire-bellied Toad)
... our color inspiration.

PO Box 750144
Petaluma, CA 94975-0144
707.765.9999
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Questions?
Please contact Rhishja Larson
rhishja (at) bombinamedia (dot) com
707.765.9999
http://www.linkedin.com/in/rhishja