Sunday, July 17, 2016

Relevance and Interdependencies of Web Analytics, Social and SEO

Introduction

Today’s consumer behaviors are changing quickly in the digital and online environment. As channel and device choices proliferate, it is more challenging than ever to understand their activities and interests. Analytic approaches from the past no longer provide the depth and breadth of relevant information marketers, brands and organizations need to address the increasing customer expectations and interaction points (LaLonde, 2013). Most marketing, e-commerce and service professionals have a fragmented understanding of their customers at best, so it is often difficult to extract insights or prioritize actions that will have the fastest and most effective impact on business results.
A holistic understanding of customers is the foundation for engaging them in relevant and rewarding ways, ultimately growing share of wallet and winning customer loyalty. Optimizing today’s online customer experiences requires both quantitative and qualitative digital analytic capabilities. To effectively understand what is taking place in the digital environment there also needs to be an operative blend of art and science in an effort to build strong engagement and comprehend what consumers want. For brands and marketers the ability to manage successful campaigns requires strong data analysis through both human and technological capabilities (IBM, 2014). It also involves a level of creative value added content and communications that a brand or organizations audience desires.  

Building Insight

Digital analytics, social engagement and search engine optimization can provide quantitative insight by capturing web site and mobile interaction data. These factors provide interfaces showing visitor activity including purchase funnels, real time sales data, website traffic flow and conversion metrics and targets. Achieving digital marketing goals can maximize customer use of features and layout that drive site visits, while high value website content deepens customer engagement (DeMers, 2014). Measuring and building upon these factors can be part of a healthy digital marketing strategy as the web, social and mobile continue to evolve.  
The term Big Data is used quite often in today’s business environment. It is loosely defined across business, marketing and technology sectors as “data sets whose size is beyond the ability of commonly used software tools to capture, manage, and process the data within a tolerable elapsed time” (Hamel, 2012). The concept of web analytics, social engagements and search engine optimization can theoretically be placed in this definition and as a result need to be collated in a manner that can be collectively interpreted by marketers brands and businesses to holistically exploit their relevance and interdependencies.

Principles of Web Metrics

A strong online presence can play a significant role in the success of an organization, product or brand through improved access to consumers and a better understanding of engagement, preferences and behaviors. The web is becoming more of a factor and more of a central element in the lives of people and consumers and measuring their engagement can provide a direct impact on an organization’s on line presence and success (LaLonde, 2013)
Web analytics tools provide organizations with data that delivers additional clarity around the results of web activity. Web analytics also assist marketers in understanding their efforts and the results of marketing activities and campaigns (Reed College, 2016). Among the many factors that play a role in the success of a business is increased exposure and better communication with potential and current customers. Web analytics give businesses insights on where and when customers and prospects participate and behave as they do on an organizations website. These factors often involve gathering quantitative data on website user activity and can provide detail on visitor flow and depth of engagement (Peterson, 2008).

Reporting and Interpreting Web Traffic

Effectively using website monitoring systems can produce analytical data which can yield a wide range of information. Simply knowing how much traffic a website is generating can provide tremendous insight on the health of a website and whether it is providing value to its customers and its target audience (PA, 2016). Uncovering other data such as historical web traffic information can create benchmarks that give organizations insight on how they are performing and which direction their website may be heading. Analytical systems can tell organizations which regions and geographies visitors are originating. This sort of data can often open up important new questions and possibilities for a business. For example could the organization appeal more to these geographies with more region specific content?
There are a number of effective tools available today to track and measure website user engagement and activity.  One of the most common web analytics packages is Google Analytics. This platform is popular because of its general ease of use, comprehensive features and it is also free to all users (Kaushik, 2010). There are also a number of other website analytics platforms available in the marketplace most of which are obtainable at a cost. For the majority of small to midsized organizations, the free tools available in the marketplace are often sufficient. Most of the web analytics packages available track users in a similar manner. This is primarily accomplished by placing a piece of tracking code on each page of your chosen website. This code enables the chosen analytics package to monitor and follow visitors as they enter the site, navigate through the pages and as they exits the website. In most cases placing the tracking code on the web pages is a simple task but in other cases the website owner may need assistance from a web developer or IT provider (Kaushik, 2010).
There is a multitude of meaningful factors which can be measured on a website. Before engaging in measuring deep metrics on a website, however it is important for a brand or organization to establish goals and objectives surrounding what they are looking to accomplish (Kaushik, 2010). Depending on the site website objectives, goal measurement can be set under a wide range of criteria in most web analytics systems. For example if the website is a blog factors such as time on site, returning visitors, and new visitors can all be meaningful goals for a site designed to attract readership.
For other sites designed to sell products and services typical e-commerce goals can include page views, time on site and of course measuring conversions and goal flow with a particularly critical eye on abandon rate (Jones, 2016). In building new users and engaging with existing users on a website, particularly a blogsite, it is generally a good idea to have relevant and attainable goals to consistently build followership. By establishing goals for a website or other digital property owners can track if users are doing on the website what marketers are expecting them to do (Kaushik, 2010).

Basic Website Metrics

Once an organization establishes its goals the metrics available in web analytics packages can be put to use to start measuring against those objectives. One of the basic metrics in understanding web site user behavior is the session. A session is the period of time a user is actively engaged with a website, app or other digital property. All usage data such as views, events, and e-commerce are associated with a session (Google, 2016). Another key metric in website analytics is the website user. These include all website visitors that have had at least one session within a selected date range. Users are often defined holistically and include both new and returning visitors.
The session and user metrics are critical to understanding the engagement visitors are executing on a website and can directly denote the health of a website and whether it is meeting its engagement objectives. These metrics can also delineate the number of total visitors by counting each visit to the website, even if the same person has returned more than once. Metrics surrounding users can also define unique visitors. This figure filters out repeat visits, as each person is only counted once (Google, 2016).
A pageview is triggered when any page is loaded by any visitor to a site. Pageviews are an important metric in understanding the popularity of specific pages. Inside the analytics systems pageviews are the total number of pages viewed and repeated views of a single page are included in this count as well (Oberoi, 2015). As website marketers begin to analyze pageview metrics they can develop an understanding of what users are looking for on their site as well as establish what pages may not be so popular and why. 
Other basic metrics in website analytics include pages per session or average page depth. This metrics is the average number of pages viewed during a session and also counts the number of repeated views in a single page. Average session duration is another key measure as it defines the length of time a user is spending on a site. This metric can provide a significant understanding of the depth of engagement website visitors are undertaking. Another basic metric is the bounce rate. This is the percentage of single-page visits in which the person left a website from the entrance page without interacting with any other pages (Google, 2016).
In the case of the blog site objectives and the quest to build followership there are generally multiple behaviors and pageview flow that website visitors could execute which help to create a better understanding of what visitors are looking to accomplish. From this perspective tracking how many people are executing specific actions, including understanding metrics such as referral source and measuring the page view flow provides both qualitative and quantitative factors that deliver valuable insight (Valk, 2014).

Goal Setting

Goal setting functionality in Google Analytics is designed to track a wide range of website objectives and conversions that might be considered by a website or digital property owner as a win or advancement of engagement with a site visitor. These can include micro conversions such as submitting a contact form for more information or signing up for a newsletter. These can also include primary conversion objectives such as making a purchase directly on an e-commerce platform. One of the easiest methods to set up goals is to create what is called a destination goal. This is a goal that will track every time a certain page on your site is reached. For example a “Thank You” page can be set up to populate once a user executes a micro or primary conversion activity (Google, 2016). Other simple conversion goals can include understanding factors such as average session time. As figure 1 illustrates the number of users per day who spent more than two minutes on the site is a measured goal. The depth of data also reveals the referral source and percent of two minute engagement by each source.


Figure 1 Google Analytics Conversion Goal (Session Time Greater than 2 minutes)



Web analytics tools provide organizations with data that delivers additional clarity around the results of web activity. Measuring website activity provides invaluable insight in understanding who is visiting your website, how they got there, what they did once they landed there and where they went afterward. Web analytics also assist marketers in understanding their efforts and the results of marketing activities and campaigns (Reed College, 2016). Measuring website activity gives marketers an understanding of what users like and do not like by analyzing the popularity of pages, the flow of page views visitors are executing, where site visitors might be bouncing out of a site and factors that might be preventing or hindering conversion, e-commerce or other goals a website marketer may have. These metrics also provide insight on improving site design and the user experience. With the help of website analytics, it is easier to find out how users interact with a website and gain insight on how to improve page design and functionality (Sharma, 2016).

Basic Principles of Search Engine Optimization

Search engine optimization (SEO) is the process of affecting the visibility of a website or a web page in a web search engine's unpaid results. SEO is often referred to as "natural," "organic," or "earned" results (Fleischner, 2016). SEO is a marketing discipline which is focused on improving visibility in organic non paid search engine results. SEO is also an art and a science in terms of combining technical activities with creative elements in an effort to improve a websites natural search engine results (Fishkin, 2016) Search Engine Optimization can be categorized into two major segments which include on page optimization and off page optimization.

On Page Optimization

One of the most important aspects to understand about on page optimization is website marketers are in control of the on page factors that can improve a websites position in search engine rankings. From a technical perspective this can include organizing the sites content, link structure, title and headings, Meta tags, images and keywords (Fleischner, 2016).
Keywords are a critical element in developing on page website optimization and often introduce the effectiveness of creativity. To identify effective keywords website marketers should develop a comprehensive selection method. Keyword research is often an effective method to identify and refine effective words and phrases for a website. Keyword research teaches marketers that one phrase or a very small group of related phrases can represent high volume, high relevancy for a websites primary keywords. One method many marketers use to identify and extract effective keywords is by utilizing the keyword planning functionality on the Google AdWords platform (Fleischner, 2016). Using this tool provides an understanding of high frequency, high value keywords and keyword phrases. It also helps identify the most valuable words and phrases to include in your website and how other competitors might be using them.
Other technical aspects of on page optimization include Meta tags. Meta tags are snippets of text that describe a page’s content. This text does not appear on the page itself, but only in the page’s code (Fleischner, 2016). Description Meta tags are important because search engines such as Google might use them as snippets from the websites pages. Titles are also a key component in on page optimization. Titles can identify the key themes surrounding the page and can appear as a highlighted title directly in search engine results (Google SEO, 2010).
Website content and format can also play a significant role in website on page optimization. Structuring a websites pages is an important component in how effective a search engine can crawl a website to find the relevant content that helps a website rise in search engine rankings. Effectively placing site navigation and other page framework enables search engines to more easily find relevant content (Fleischner, 2016).   Other factors such as sitemaps, an effective URL, image tags and internal linking all assist in helping search engines in indexing a website of its organic content to better identify its purpose and ranking it effectively.

Off Page Optimization

Off page optimization can be concisely defined as building and increasing a websites authority. Off page optimization provides a website with the opportunity to build its following and increasing its position in web search engine rankings. One of the major differences between on page and off page optimization is the control in which the site owner has over each. Off page optimization is manipulated to a much lesser degree by the site owner than their ability to influence on page optimization.  One of the keys to building off page optimization is building links to your website from other sites (Fleischner, 2016). Link building provides a website a key attribute search engines look for when calculating their rank algorithms.

Site Authority

Site authority focuses on websites that have established a substantial degree of trust and denotes expertise with search engines as a result of elements such as its age, quality, and size. Within this premise one of the primary success factors of off page optimization is building inbound links from sites that have as good or better website authority than your own (Fleischner, 2016). An authority site is a very high quality website that is respected by knowledgeable people in its industry. It is a website that has content on it that is of high quality and makes the site users almost grateful they found it (Google, 2016). Authority sites publish trustworthy information and link to other trustworthy places on the web. Their audience implicitly trusts them to share high quality links, which is why obtaining links from authority websites has positive influence on your website’s traffic.

The Future of SEO

Now that Facebook.com has overtaken Google.com as the most used website on the Internet, there are now questions surrounding the significance of whether search engine optimization will be relevant in the future (Ingram, 2015). As users become more immersed in their social channels the question centers on the use of social networks to find news, information and referrals and whether this use will serve to displace search engines as the primary source for digital news and information. As the dynamics continue to change and evolve in the digital environment marketers need to stay abreast of trends and phenomenon. Marketers also need to be nimble and open minded about strategies and objectives surrounding their digital properties and be willing to adjust when conditions change.

Social Channels in Marketing

The social media environment provides brands, businesses and organizations with an opportunity to engage with their customers, prospects and their target audience. Social media's potential for customer interaction and customer retention is also significant. Today's consumers are now engaging directly with brands and businesses openly on a multitude of social media channels. Customers and prospects are also consuming and sharing content, information and opinions in new and unprecedented ways. The traditional notion of consuming content directly on the creator’s website has morphed as social media and the ability of users to share and post content directly in the digital environment has been extended through social media platforms (Kaushik, 2011).
One of the factors to consider when operating in the social media environment is the rate of engagement and dialog a brand or business may expect and its relationship to the amount of generated posts and communications an organization may anticipate.  In social media both of these factors are important and a business can and should expect to be active in both (Brown, 2014). Along with these engagements social media marketing offers opportunity to improve search engine optimization through factors such as posts, comments, likes and shares. These interactions and engagements create an opportunity for search engines to pick up social signals surrounding a brand, product or website. These signals indicate chatter around an organization and that engagement is active (Zadro, 2015). Search engines incorporate these signals into their search algorithms and often reward websites, brands or businesses with improved search engine optimization and the ability to rise in the search rankings.
Along with the ability to improve search engine optimization brands and businesses can also take advantage of directly marketing on social platforms. For example Facebook presents a robust Pay-per-click marketing program. With a global audience over 1.5 billion monthly active users Facebook presents a massive audience opportunity (Chris, 2015). Users on social sites often provide information about their personal characteristics including age, geography, education and other demographic features. The platform also collects psychographic data through user posts, likes and shares. As a result this environment delivers massive data insight which provides a highly targeted platform in which marketers can deeply segment to reach their exact target audience. 
When an organization becomes active on social media it can provide a significant opportunity to establish brand identity and build a breadth and depth of awareness (Keller, 2011). Effective social media engagements build affinity, following and loyalty for a brand or product and acting effectively in this environment can be a significant part of a balanced marketing communication program.
The key to success however is understanding and harnessing the interdependencies of the most effective digital segments. Optimizing and leveraging web activity and analytics together with social media engagements and measurement along with building and maximizing search engine optimization can greatly assist marketers in gaining insight on the customer journey, improve the customer experience and deliver improved revenue and retention.



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