Every successful business needs a consistent content strategy that produces and distributes solid content for maximum consumer engagement. If you have that down pat, congratulations! You have solved one major part of the equation. However, the next part is equally important—this involves extensive analysis. You need to know how well your content is performing (on all channels!), the type of users who are visiting your website, and what other tactics can continue to help in attracting more traffic.
According to MonsterInsights, website analytics is a key component of business growth, writing that “website analytics provide you with the actual reports and analytics on how your site visitors behave once on your website; who they are by their age, gender, location, etc.; how they landed on your site (traffic source); the most popular content on your site; your total conversions; and so on.” All of this information becomes the foundation for the development (or enhancement) of your business strategy.
Of course, the research can be time-consuming without the right tools. There are many website analytics tools that perform the work you are looking for. Of all the choices available out there, here are 10 that stand out above the rest.
1. Google Analytics. Google Analytics is the go-to analysis tool for many businesses. It’s entirely free, includes a large array of useful features, and has the advantage of Google’s brand name. The service measures your necessary objectives, such as page clicks, the length of time a user stays, and their overall behavior on your website. Google records every conversion made onto the analytics report when a goal is reached. It also provides a report of important keywords that users search to find your website, the browsers and devices they use, and what pages on the website drive the most traffic. If you want to track how a certain campaign is performing, you can customize your data by choosing metrics and setting up alerts so that you’re updated on the results. Google Analytics also has a feature called a Goal Funnel, which allows you to see how many users are making purchasing decisions on your website. It even lets you know how many users are abandoning their purchasing process. This is highly crucial information for a business as it can help you adjust your strategy accordingly.
2. Bitly. Although generally known for its link shortening feature, Bitly provides you with the necessary tools that share the links and analyze their performance. Once you share a link, for instance, Bitly will let you know the amount of clicks your link gets and what platforms your audience used to share the link. This helps you find out where you’re receiving most of your traffic. Bitly’s report also includes the locations of where the clicks come from, which can be useful when you optimize future content. Of course, Bitly isn’t as detailed as Google Analytics, but if you’re looking for a free link shortener with extra perks, Bitly has exactly what you need.
3. SEMrush. SEMrush gives you a boost ahead of your competitors by providing you with an extensive library of useful insights. By entering a keyword, URL, or domain, SEMrush helps break down all data, including organic and paid search, backlinks, and display ads. You will also be able to view live updates of organic keywords and competitors, ads, and more. Each report on SEMrush includes the amount of organic keywords that leads users to your website, an analysis of your competitors, and the pricing of organic keywords on Google AdWords. You can use the tool to access a few of its features for free. If you would like to receive full access, you will need to register for any of its premium plan options.
4. Open Web Analytics. Open Web Analytics is a free, open-source analytics tool that allows you to store and measure an unlimited amount of data and websites through its program. Open Web Analytics provides and evaluates important information, such as page views, user location, and unique visits. The tool also tracks where each user clicks on your website. One of the most unique features of Open Web Analytics is its ability to track mouse movements. This means you can have a first-hand view of how your website’s visitors navigate through your website. Open Web Analytics also alerts you when users click on specific links or pages.
5. Pingdom. Pingdom evaluates and monitors both your website and server. Its main purpose is to find out what performance issues your website has, especially if it’s loading slowly. Remember that in these days, consumers expect fast, easily digestible information at all times. And according to Browserstack, 40% of people abandon a website that takes more than 3 seconds to load. Apart from website performance, Pingdom also monitors uptime and user interactions. To use Pingdom, the tool offers a 14-day free trial before pricing begins at $11.95 per month.
6. SimilarWeb. Have you ever wanted to take a look at what your competitors are up to? SimilarWeb might help you. The tool lets you search any website you want, and provides you with various insights, including its ranking on a global, national and categorical scale. You can also view the total desktop and mobile visits the website receives, which is organized by page visits, bounce rates, and more. Other features on SimilarWeb include referral sites, organic and paid search traffic, social media traffic, rankings of other websites, and possible categories that may engage your consumers.
7. Matomo. Matomo is one of the most widely used tracking tools. Even websites like NASA use Matomo. Previously known as Piwik, Matomo is a paid web analytics tool that delivers a wide variety of website analytics for businesses. Many of its comprehensive features give you complete insight of your competitors, including visitor profiles, search engine reporting, enhanced SEO, custom reporting conversion optimization, and more. If you’re curious about what Matomo can do for your business, you can start a free 30-day trial.
8. Moz Keyword Explorer. Moz Keyword Explorer is lauded as a full-scale keyword search tool—more so than SEMrush! The tool is designed to make keyword research less complicated by building a detailed list, filtering keywords, and prioritizing high-performing ones. When you search a keyword, Moz gives you an overview of its analysis and metrics that help you decide whether the keyword is valuable for your content. You can also review the Google search result for any keyword you choose, such as content, images, and even AdWords ads. If you want to save your research progress, you can add the keywords on a list, which gives you a chance to compare them to other keywords or rank them.
9. Cyfe. Cyfe is a full-service analytics tool that tracks data across numerous websites, such as Google AdWords and WordPress.Through Cyfe’s services, you can easily navigate and visualize your business on a dashboard with unique widgets. If Cyfe’s widgets aren’t enough for you, you may customize your own widgets based on your preferences. Once you create your dashboard, you can access data reports for whatever platform you’d like to measure. You can also connect Cyfe to your TV and manage your dashboards on the screen.
10. Kissmetrics. Kissmetrics increases your business reach by improving user engagement, retention rates, and conversions. And while it works towards your business growth, it also works to maintain your current consumers. Some of the services Kissmetrics offers to its users include:
- Organizing a list of audiences for social media ads
- Tracking user engagement
- Evaluating buyer journeys
- Converting leads into paying customers
- Identifying your best customers
- Determining the most viewed pages on your website
Kissmetrics easily integrates with various different platforms, such as Shopify so you can make the most of your marketing efforts.
Depending on your objectives, you may use a combination of these tools for a complete analytics experience. If you can, be sure to try the free trials before upgrading so that you can test out the right website analytics tool for your brand. Remember website analytics are a crucial part of your marketing efforts. According to SEOptimer, “the average website conversion rate is just 2.35%, which means that for every 100 visitors that land on your site, only 2 of them will convert.” Therefore, you need to make sure you’re tracking the most important stats so that you can create a pleasant user shopping experience for your customers. With enough data, research, and effort, you will be able to achieve significant business growth.