Just had an interesting conversation at lunch about web site statistics for small local businesses. I thought you might find the key takeaways from that conversation interesting when you consider your own local business or small business web site traffic statistics:

1. Google Analytics and other widely used script-based analytics services typically do not capture true page load and unique visitor numbers. Why? Because if someone views your site via a smartphone or in a browser with cookies and scripts cut off, then that view won’t register.

2. The true number (for unique visitors and for page loads) is the one that your server can provide you. This is a great reason to host with a local but robust web hosting provider with whom you can have a personal relationship to give you and explain to you the true server traffic numbers for your small business. I happen to know someone who can help you with that sort of thing (link to a company we own).

3. If Google Analytics and other analytics packages aren’t capturing all the traffic numbers, what good are they? They are extremely valuable to you as a business because they give you customer and potential customer intelligence. Here are some areas of intelligence that might interest you:

a. See what content, products, etc. are creating a lot of interest among visitors overall or within a specific geographical area.

b. Test headlines and navigation titles to see which get clicked more often.

c. Measure the success and behaviors of customers during campaigns like e-mail, social media, online and off-line advertising campaigns.

d. Learn geographical data about your web customers.

e. Measure conversion rates from visitor to customer ratios.

f. Learn how long visitors stay on your site.

g. Learn what search terms are bringing folks to your site – and if they’re not relevant, change your content. If they are relevant, produce more content along those same keywords.

There is a LOT more to discuss in this conversation, but the bottom line is that for those of you who are selling advertising or competing in some way on traffic – the true server numbers are where you want to be looking. But don’t throw the baby out with the bath water – those Analytics numbers tell you things about your customers that you never would have known otherwise. Get to know that information, track it, make changes, measure some more and take action to improve your small business based on this free intelligence. Your success depends on it.

Have you taken action in your business based on information you learned from web site analytics? Why or why not?

Photo Credit: edkohler

This week, I spoke to a lot of downtown redevelopment types at the National Main Streets Conference in Oklahoma City. We talked about how to tell your story in this modern world (whether community, business district or small business). Social media plays a big part in that. But it’s not the central element…

In my presentation, I pointed out that to tell your story well, you must play by four basic rules. Without repeating my speech here, I do want to share the first rule and most important rule with you, because strategically, everything else will crumble if this rule isn’t followed:

Rule #1: You Must Have a Strong Home Base for Your Business or Community

That home base should most likely be your web site. In nearly all marketing models, it works for the web site to be the epicenter of the marketing universe. (It doesn’t HAVE to be that way, and I’m more than open to creative thinking on this subject depending on goals and budgets. But in most cases, it works for it to be the web site.)

Is your web site working as the epicenter? Are all roads leading back to your domain name…to your web site?

How can you make your HOMEBASE stronger?

1. Make sure it’s easy and quick to update. If you can’t update your own web site, you’ve got a big problem in today’s fast paced world. We love the WordPress platform because it takes me moments to make major updates to my own web site. It’s as simple as sending an e-mail.

2. If it’s easy to update…are you updating it? Are you adding new and interesting photos, educational content, employee and owner profiles, product and vendor information, demonstration videos and how-to lists… Are you making your web site and interesting and valuable resource for your customers and prospects?

3. Is your domain name appearing everywhere, even if your logo can’t? This includes audio communications (like radio, word of mouth, etc.), store signage (yes, including the front door and front window of your store), shopping bags (you never can tell where those bags will go), t-shirts, postcards, advertisements of every sort and at every opportunity.

4. Are you actively seeking to create traffic TO your web site through interesting posts on social media, links from vendor or organizational web sites, etc.? Remember that valuable content you created? Now it’s time to tell folks about it through Facebook wall posts, encouraging folks to share that information on Facebook, Facebook advertising, Twitter posts, LinkedIn posts, e-mail marketing and many more new media traffic drivers.

5. How does your site appear on search engine results? Does it even appear at all? Keep an eye on this, and ask your web guy for help if necessary.

6. Do you have Google Analytics and other robust web site analytics packages installed on your web site that are set to send you daily or weekly reports? Are those reports summarizing how much web traffic you are getting and from where (both geographically and by keyword topics)? Do you know who and why your customers are visiting your web site (keywords, inbound links, etc.)? Are they finding what they’re looking for – and so much more (bounce rate, number of actions per visit, time per visit). You might be surprised at what you learn, but you certainly need to know. And you need to correct course with the web site if it’s not delivering the desired results.

P.S. Interestingly enough, on my trip home, I was catching up on some reading and found that Chris Brogan had an interesting post on this same subject. His post has cool screen shots demonstrating how confusing it can be to customers if you do NOT have a strong home base. I hope you’ll enjoy his post as well.

Also, if you’re also just home from the National Main Streets Conference, you might enjoy our conference wrap-up of conference tweeters to follow and other good resources.

What say you? What results is your home base providing for your business?

As a small business owner, have you ever felt threatened by a new business entering your market – or by increased marketing by a competing business? If so, I challenge you to reconsider that perspective – and look for ways to benefit from the increased competition.

Case Study from the Internet Browser market posted at Slashdot this morning:

There is a basic concept known as the "cluster concept" that says that groups of similar businesses usually perform better as a group (ie. everyone benefits from the power of the group) than businesses operating in a vaccum.

What can you do to "ride the coattails" of the marketing budget, increased awareness, or initial shopper curiosity that occurs when a new business moves to your neighborhood? Turn the competitive threat into an opportunity.

Also, check out Laura Ries thoughts on this basic subject today on her very thorough blog post "How and When to Attack."

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