Http://LeonardSipes.Com; a PR and social media site for government, associations and nonprofits.

It’s not often the Google Gods come down from on high and tell us what makes a great website; they just keep repeating their mantra that what’s good for search and people is good for Google.

Yep, it’s understood that websites and their objectives vary endlessly “but” we all want something from our efforts. Business wants people to buy. Charities want people to give. Associations want members and government wants interaction and guidance (no-really—don’t you believe me?).

The article below is from the Google Analytics blog. Google Analytics is a free tool that lets you know the numbers coming to your site, how long people are staying and endless information as to how they got to your site and what they did when they got there.

Google doesn’t offer this wonderful service without a motive. If you use Google Ad Words you have a method of tracking success through Google Analytics “but” you don’t have to use Ad Words to use the service.

The Google Analytics blog article not only addresses ecommerce it suggests specific components that make great websites. Note that the article uses a commercial site as an example but the lessons apply to all of us. The author encourages:

• Use of video (“I LOVE product videos”).
• The importance of e-mail signups
• Newsletter sign-ups
• Location finders (where you are)
• Subscriptions to your site via RSS (do you make it easy for people to do this?)
• A wish list of products you want (this could apply to every kind of website if you’re creative enough). I am developing http://MyLifeAudio.Com as a personal history site but readers are suggesting an array of ideas beyond family and personal histories.
• Onsite interactions through social media engagement ( visitors share material or like in Facebook)
• Tracking where people go on the site; figuring out the popular features or topics of your site
• Surveys of customer satisfaction.
• Measurements of visitor satisfaction (bounce rate-did the visitor go to one page and then leave)?
• And finally ways to measure all this and the impact of what you are trying to do (which applies equally to government, associations, nonprofits and businesses). They include:

1. Which marketing channels generate the most revenue (or accomplish goals)?
2. Which creative and messaging are most popular with consumers?
3. Which marketing activities are effective at reaching people early in the process?
4. Which marketing activities are effective at reaching people late in the buying process?
5. What time of day are certain campaigns successful?

That’s it. I understand that site creation if far more complex that the suggestions above “but” when Google suggests, I listen. So should you. The link is below. By-the-way, setting up a Google Analytics account is both free and relatively easy.

Best, Len.

Article: http://cutroni.com/blog/2012/02/09/pimping-out-google-analytics-for-ecommerce-websites/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+AnalyticsTalk+%28Ana