If you rely primarily on web traffic for revenue, then it’s essential that you know how to check website traffic. This might come naturally to some, but for others, they have no idea where to begin.
There are many different tools and platforms you can use to review and analyze web traffic. But accessing web traffic and knowing what to look for are two different things. So, if you want to get savvier about your website traffic, this is what you need to know.
Why is Checking Web Traffic Important?
If you don’t know where your traffic stands, you won’t have the right insight to improve.
Improvement starts with data. There are a few data points you want to pay attention to when checking your traffic. They include:
- Where your traffic is coming from
- How your visitors engage with your site
Answering these two questions will help you move forward with how to be competitive in the space. So, what’s the best tool to analyze traffic?
Google Analytics
You’ve probably already heard of Google Analytics. If you’re a step ahead, hopefully, you’ve used it in the past. Google Analytics is a tool you can connect to your website and track everything from keywords to unique visitors, and bounce rate.
The bonus here is that it’s free. All you have to do is create an account and start watching your traffic grow.
But to use the tool wisely, you still need to know what to look for.
Important Google Analytics Metrics
So, what metrics are critical to your web traffic? Let’s take a look.
- Unique Visitors – This tells you how many unique individuals have come to your website. You can look at this by day, week, month, or even year.
- Pageviews – When a visitor comes to your site, how many pages are they looking at? This is an important engagement piece that can help you adjust content.
- Search Traffic – Taking a look at what keywords visitors are using to find your site can help you start to grow an SEO strategy that works.
Of course, Google Analytics has tons of metrics and goals you can dive into. These three are a great starting point when you’re first getting to know the platform.
Where to Go From There
Once you’ve started to analyze your traffic, hopefully on a daily or weekly basis, you’ll gain knowledge of where you can focus your energy. From keyword research to sites and opportunities to do pay-per-click advertising, understanding web traffic is the beginning of a great digital marketing campaign.
For example, if the majority of your traffic is coming from social media, it might be worth investing in some money for your marketing budget for a social campaign. The same can be said if you notice a mention in the media generating a lot of traffic for you.
Whatever the case may be, knowing how to check website traffic gives you the insight needed to grow your business and generate more revenue. If you need help navigating analytics and digital marketing, it might be time to reach out to an SEO service or digital marketing company.
With the right tools and info at your fingertips, anything is possible!