“Taking the Fear Out of Web Analytics for Your Small Business” is not as easy as it sounds as web analytics software such as Google Analytics can be very complex if used to its maximum capabilities. However, so can Microsoft Word, but most people only scrape the surface of possibilities.

Carrie Hill from Search Engine Watch looks at the key metrics that one should be monitoring after having set up an analytics program such as Google Analytics. She specifically looks at:

• Conversions: Are people who come to your site converting into paying customers or achieving a specific goal important to your business?
• Referring Sites & Keywords: Where are people coming from and by which keywords do they arrive?
• Bounce Rate & Time on Site: How many people exit from your site without spending long on it or clicking further into it? Can this be fixed?
• Unique Visitors: Many businesses don’t understand the difference between visitors, page views, hits & unique visitors. Which is the most important to you?

Carrie guides us through these items, explaining each thoroughly.