The majority of business owners now know that a professional and mobile optimised website is essential for satisfying today’s consumer demands. However, many firms are failing to recognise that their website can also be an important means of business intelligence for them. The way in which website visitors interact with a website can reveal not only whether a website is functioning properly, but also who the online audience is and where exactly their interest in your business lies.
Research of 750 UK small firms, commissioned by 1&1, has found that the average business owner only checks their web stats every two weeks. Only one in five analyse them on a daily basis, and one in five firms have never looked at them. Many hosting providers and website building packages provide a website analytics tool within their control panel. I would recommend you check the web stats everyday as the habit can be as useful to you as checking your bank balance or your sales figures.
The first benefit of website statistics is the ability to show you how popular your website is and which website pages are most used or perhaps losing you traffic. This allows you to respond to issues with design and functionality. Knowing which sections of your site are most popular will allow you to optimise your communication and offers in response to the visitors you are getting.
Secondly, web statistics show you where your online audience is originating from. You can see which websites they are referred from, such as Google, allowing you to better measure your online marketing, and also check out the geographical origin too.
Checking your website statistics everyday can be really rewarding. Being able to see what content on your website is the most interesting to visitors is so useful. It is also important to see how well a website is doing on search engines.
Websites in minutes
Today there are website packages aimed specifically at helping small businesses launch a compelling and effective website that can be optimised easily for your needs. In particular, there are packages from around £10 a month that provide a choice of industry-specific templates and content, such as those for dentists.
Within such packages, there will be tools for social media and mobile functionality, and features like feedback forms, relevant image library and location, news and weather content, as well as shop functionality. The packages are designed to be used by any level of computer user and include everything that a dental practitioner needs to launch and maintain an online strategy – including a site analytics tool.
As most Britons are now searching the web to find small local businesses and professionals, no such enterprise can afford to neglect the web. Every dental professional would be wise to ensure that their website grows and improves even modestly each and every month – and checking their web statistics can be a real help. All dentists can achieve a website that does them proud.