The Web Analytics Association (WAA) defines web analytics as, “the measurement, collection, analysis and reporting of internet data for purposes of understanding and optimizing web usage”. Simply stated, web analytics is an effective means for online businesses to monitor and optimize their online presence and activities. The tracking and monitoring activities involve a combination of server side log file analysis and page tagging analysis that give an exhaustive picture of the ongoing activities on the website.
Putting things into perspective, the internet affords a very, very large audience to your business or content, without much additional effort. However, this does not obviate the pressing need for you to connect and understand with your audience. By connecting with your visitors, you engage them and make them feel more at ease, an excellent proposition as far as user experience is considered. If your audience finds a “tuning” with your website, apart from interacting more with the website itself, they are quite likely to recommend it to their friends and peers: more visitors, more revenue. This is precisely where Web analytics proves invaluable, helping you gauge your visitors across extensive parameters. Once you have a insight into how your online presence is perceived by your audience, you have better chances of improvising upon it.
The process outlined above is an iterative one, with your website adapting itself in a holistic way to move closer to perfection after every iteration. Furthermore, given the dynamic nature of online audience – with demographics and tastes evolving as you read this – it is imperative for business to continuously meliorate their web presences to maximize their bottom-line!