Home
>
Web Development
>
Have You Got Your Ear To The Ground Or Your Head In The Sand?

Have You Got Your Ear To The Ground Or Your Head In The Sand?

What happened on your website yesterday? What about last week or last month? How about in the past hour? How many visitors come to your website as a result of using a search engine? How long do people stay on your website for on average? Which pages do your visitors go to?

If you don't know the answer to some or all of these questions you are effectively operating a website blind.

This is like riding a bike blindfolded and expecting to arrive at the right destination. It's impossible and the likelihood is that you will crash, wreck the bike, lose pride and get left behind.

If you don't know what's happening with your website or how people are using it and how they are finding it how can you hope to ever improve the site? Sure - you can rely on second-guessing or asking the opinion of a handful of people but that's hardly going to give you accurate information on which to base a decision is it?

"Mike - I know what you're saying. It's true that I need to track what's happening but I don't have the X"

X = Money?
X = Time?
X = Knowledge of where to start?
X = Need, as I already do this?

If you answered "Money" - this would seem to be a valid reason but you can get your hands on the basic information about how your site is performing for nothing (ask your developer or web hosting company for starters and they'll be able to point you in the right direction or check out the resources below)

If you answered "Time" - I'm sorry but if that's the case why do you even have a website if you don't have the time to measure how it's performing? Would you behave the same way with your business? Thought not..

If you answered "Knowledge of where to start" then this is fair enough. To get started try these resources that will help you:

If you answered "I don't have the need, as I already do this" - congratulations - you get a week's free pass to the Smug Club. But seriously though - you might already get all the statistics about how your website is performing but do you spend time viewing them, interpreting them and most importantly - USING them? When was the last time you used the statistics about your website's performance to implement a change on your site and then track the results on subsequent statistics to see what effect it had? It's all gone quiet in the Smug corner...

Feeling uncomfortable with all these questions yet? You should be. If you're not happy with your website you need to dig a little deeper and ask what it is exactly that you're not happy with. Did you set definite, time-linked and realistic expectations for the website's performance prior to starting out? If you're not getting the leads or sales you had hoped for you need to work out why this is the case - scratching your head won't do it. Tracking the performance of your site and viewing detailed statistics on how people use it won't give you definitive answers either - but it will propel you several miles in the right direction.

You are the doctor and your website is the patient - you need to connect it to an ECG and start monitoring and recording everything. How else can you work out how to make the patient better? Or maybe you have the perfect patient who doesn't actually have anything wrong with them?

Mike Cheney
http://www.cryer.co.uk/resources/websitetracking.htm

About The Author

You can get free access to lots more articles that will help you to improve your website's performance plus a Free Bonus Special Report "How To Turn Your Website Into A Customer Magnet" worth a value of ?47 ($85) here: http://www.cryer.co.uk/resources/websitetracking.htm

Benton shuttle to Midway .. Lockport Chicago limo O’Hare

In The News:

Just two months into 2025 there have been numerous Mac malware threats targeting Apple laptops, ranging from infostealers to malicious software.

A self-driving electric bus powered by artificial intelligence has an electric powertrain for zero-emission operation and an automated drive system.

SpaceX is slated to launch its Starship for the eighth time from Boca Chica, Texas, Friday, though plans could be thwarted if the FAA fails to give the green light.

Stay up to date on the latest AI technology advancements and learn about the challenges and opportunities AI presents now and for the future.

Kurt the CyberGuy offers tips on how you can protect your devices against infostealer malware, which was used to infect 4.3 million machines last year.

Motional is developing autonomous vehicles capable of handling a wide range of real-world scenarios. Its high-speed robotaxi testing reached speeds of 75 mph.

Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson explores whether there is artificial intelligence bias involved with the iPhone's voice-to-text conversion in the message app.

Apple's iPhone voice-to-text periodically flashes "Trump" when a user speaks the word "racist." Fox News Digital reached out to Apple about the flaw but did not hear back.

Tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson presents five secret shortcuts: Adjust sound/vibration, share YouTube moments, fix tabs and tweak brightness.

VR transforms senior care: Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson says immersive tech helps older adults explore and connect via virtual experiences.

Tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson says DNA tests pose privacy risks like shared genetic information, inaccuracies and hard data deletion.

Tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson says this enormous airship revolutionizes cargo transport by flying to remote areas.

Understanding the language of the internet can help you protect your personal information from bad actors. Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson explains.

Woven City is Toyota's experimental city that is a fully functional environment for people to live, work and play while doing research.

The line between spam and scams is thin. Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson details his tips for identifying and avoiding phone scams, robocalls and unwanted solicitations.

Stay up to date on the latest AI technology advancements and learn about the challenges and opportunities AI presents

Kurt the CyberGuy takes you through the steps to easily set your preferred web browser whether you're using a Mac, Windows PC, iPhone or Android.

Google, Instagram, Facebook and weather apps can track your location and use that data to serve you ads; here's what you can do to protect your privacy.

A new debate has emerged about whether airlines should charge passengers based on their weight to help reduce fuel consumption and lower emissions.

Tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson says Hipshipper, which is used by eBay, Shopify and Amazon sellers, exposed millions of shipping labels.

Boxabl’s Baby Box is a 120-square-foot foldable home that can be set up in 60 minutes and has off-grid features. Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson says it's designed to maximize functionality.

Stay up to date on the latest AI technology advancements and learn about the challenges and opportunities AI presents now and for the future.

Major IoT data breach: Mars Hydro database with 2.7 billion records exposed. Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson says the breach is a reminder of the risks that come with using IoT devices.

Unitree H1 robots dance at gala, blending AI and tradition. Tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson examines the convergence of cutting-edge technology and traditional culture.

For the first time ever, SpaceX launched a rocket into space from Florida and landed the booster the Bahamas, allowing for future polar-orbit spaceflight missions.

Have You Got Your Ear To The Ground Or Your Head In The Sand?

Web Development