There are so many analytics tools to analyse a business website that it becomes difficult to choose the right one for your business.
Website analytics is not a one-size-fits-all proposition. Each business has unique analytics needs and what works for one business might not work for another one.
In this article, we give you a six-step procedure to find your own effective website analytics tool that will work for your business.
Although analytics can be used on any aspect of a business, we’re going to focus on website analytics here. This is the type of traffic analysis analytics which lets you improve your business’s website in order to gain more traffic and, more importantly, conversions.
What do you need to track and monitor? It might not necessarily be what your competitors are tracking.
The crucial thing to establish is what you want the tool to deliver for you. Is the tool supposed to furnish:
Not all tracking tools are made the same, and some are more top-heavy in certain categories than others.
Look at what features you need and then find a tool that specialises in those needs. Too many people just jump to Google Analytics as their business website’s analytics solution.
This is folly because there are things which other analytics providers such as HotJar and CrazyEgg do very well which Google Analytics doesn’t, and vice versa.
You need to understand your limitations. If you’re not a technical person, then ease-of-use is essential.
It’s all great and dandy to have tons of analytics reports which only look like a bunch of jargon on charts if you can’t read them.
Either you’re going to know (or learn) how to read these tools, or you’re going to pay someone to simplify them for you.
That all depends on your limitations, whether those limitations are in the realm of:
Do your own research. Make a short-list of analytics tools that you think might have the features you need in your business.
Look through that list and study up on each tool’s offerings in relation to your needs and limitations. There’s no point in signing up for a tool that is made for scientists when your last encounter with science was in high school where you got an F on your final exam paper.
Well, if an analytics tool is too complex and you’re not that way inclined, then it’s useless to you.
The critical thing is to do your own research. Sure, look at lists that discuss various analytics offerings. But also compile your own list. Read up on each tool yourself so you know what it can do.
If the tool is not free, sign up for a trial version first. Use it for a while and see if you are able to work with it.
You need to test two things:
Reviews can be faked (quite easily, believe it or not) so proceed with caution here.
Stick to review sites with a reputation for aggressive action against fake reviews such as TrustPilot or Google Reviews.
Look at the testimonials for that product and see what people say about it.
You either have time or you have money. Few have an abundance of both.
For some people, their money is cheaper than their time.
If you are not technically inclined, then analytics tools can be pretty overwhelming, and asking for assistance becomes crucial.
The key with asking for expert help on the subject of website analytics is to get value for money, not necessarily the cheapest service.
Agencies are bound to charge higher fees. Is what they’re offering worth the larger financial burden? Will their turnaround time be fast enough when dealing with you as a result of their other commitments? Will asking for any small modification take several weeks to get done?
Freelancers are another option. Be sure to stick with freelancers who have made a point of creating a business as opposed to those who just look for “gigs”. Freelancers who are creating a business are far more likely to deliver a professional service that turns you into a regular client than “gig” freelancers.
We also offer an Analytics Service as part of our offering, and we’d be more than happy to assist you in implementing and understanding any data analytics solution that your business wants to use on its website.
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