Originally Posted At Successful Thinkers Meetup
Tracking your results for greater success
Anyone doing any kind of marketing online should be using some sort of user tracking. One of the biggest keys to success is being able to measure it. You cannot become successful if you can’t measure your success, or have a way to measure your failure. By knowing your weaknesses, you can use them to strengthen your business model.
Hit Counters
There are many companies out there that offer tracking. Most of these companies are just counters, counting how many people visit the site. 
But Google Analytics provides a whole lot more for a whole lot less. They are your free hit counter and website analysis. It is important to know where your users are coming from and what they are doing on your site; and Google does all of this for free.
Training On Google Analytics
Google is now offering a free analytics training course. I would recommend this course for everyone trying to increase their online presence. CEO’s, CIO’s, IT Directors, and entrepreneurs should all have this under their belt. For $50, you can take a certification exam, which Google is backing for 18 months. However, there is no logo or branding associated with this certificate, so you can save your money and just be happy with your knowledge, unless you want to pursuing being a Google Analytics Authorized Consultant (GAAC).
In Depth Training
The Google Analytics training program, called Conversion University or Google Analytics IQ, brings the student from the beginnings of what is Google Analytics, through the fundamentals of installing and reviewing reports, all the way to the advanced reporting. Google Analytics is so powerful that you can even create custom reports, view how much each of your views is worth and track your ad campaigns. If your company requires a higher level of security, you can allow Google’s remote code to execute on your site; and then you can purchase their standalone version called Urchin. Urchin runs about $3000, which shows you the value of what you get for free, but provides you full control over the scripts and data. It is only sold through authorized consultants such as Actual Metrics.
Using The Knowledge
After completing the course you should be very comfortable navigating the reports, but this doesn’t mean that you know how to use the information. The next step is to apply this information to your business model. If you get a spike in hits on Fridays, what does this mean? If most of your traffic comes from a specific search phrase, what should you do? You will find many experts on Successful Thinkers that can help you build a better marketing campaign to elevate your web presence. Maybe some of them will post some comments below (hint, hint ;)). And if you are still stuck, feel free to contact me, or leave a comment below.
More Resources
There are a ton of resources available to help you maximize your site. Here are just a few more.
- Google Analytics - Blog
- Google Analytics Interface Tutorial
- Using Google Analytics with AdWords
- Motion Charts
- Advanced Segments
- Custom Reporting
- AdSense Reporting in Google Analytics
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Originally Posted At Successful Thinkers Meetup
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