Crucial Metrics for Success with a Local Business Website
There is no dearth of content indicating how local business websites can be more effective. However, what is missing is content that details how important analytics is in providing insights into which content, flow, and functions are working and which are not. Such information vacuum is detrimental to any small business.
As is well known small businesses are unique in that they offer niche products and services to a wide array of customers and as such social media strategies and advertising strategies vary from business to business. Almost all individual websites are unique in this sense.
Success of a small business depends on attracting its target customer and providing them with relevant information they are searching for before they make the purchase. It is here that analytics can play a crucial role in improving the performance of a website. Most businesses generally rely on Google Analytics or similar tools for web analytics.
Here are some of the key metrics local businesses should evaluate their website on so that they continuously improve their performance on a month on month basis.
Attract and engage
The first thing you need to look at is: number of visits and the number of unique visitors on your website. The more the better approach is good to a certain point, but it is not all as they provide a limited perspective. What is crucial is determining how many people visited your website and then engaged with the business.
Demographics
This is another key area you need to look at. You have to strive to attract local visitors. Visitors from far off places are unlikely to buy your product or service. If you are getting visitors from far off places then you need to rethink your SEO and SEM strategy.
Returning Vs new customers
Some businesses like building contractors will prefer new customers while online stores will prefer new as well as returning customer. The same is true for a local store that has an online presence. A mix of both would be ideal. In case you are not getting return customers, it is time you implemented some tactics that encourages your customers to come back to you. Sales promotions and incentives can do the trick.
Engagement
The amount of time a visitor spends on your website is a clear indication of whether the website excites the visitor or not. If the visitor exits the website within the first 10 seconds there is something wrong that needs to be corrected.
Bounce rate
The number of visitors that visit the home page, but do not visit your other pages indicates that your content is not engaging the visitor. This should be addressed as fast as you can.
Technology
Your website should function well irrespective of the browser the visitor is using. Therefore optimize your website so that it performs optimally across all platforms.
Mobile
The website should function well whether the visitor is accessing it on a PC, laptop, tablet, mobile, or any other handheld device. Optimize your website for all devices. Just reformatting content to suit small display screens will not do any good.
Visitor flow
This metric indicates visitor behavior on the website. How a visitor navigates your website is one of the key indicators of your website’s functionality.
These are just some metrics regarding attracting and engaging your audience. Next time we will discuss issues like traffic sources and relevant content.
