When I had my free blog review event last week, one of the things I kept finding myself asking writers was, “Have you looked at your site with Google In-Page Analytics to see what your readers are clicking on?” I got the sense many bloggers hadn’t heard about this amazing tool.
So I put together a short video that shows you how I use Google In-Page Analytics — which is still in beta — to find out exactly how readers use my blog. You’re basically able to spy on your readers and find out what they do when they visit.
If you don’t know what readers are clicking on, you’re basically blogging in the dark. You may be annoying them with your ads, or they may be of interest to readers.
When I turned on In-Page Analytics and learned what visitors really wanted to read on my site, it was definitely an eye-opener. I made a lot of changes — deleting widgets in the sidebar, moving some things up and others down, and improving what’s on static pages readers clicked on most.
If you are not yet using Google Analytics at all, I strongly recommend getting started. Sign up with Google Analytics and submit your blog’s URL for tracking. In WordPress, installing a plug-in such as Google Analytics for WordPress will help keep your analytics flowing — otherwise, Google tends to want to disconnect them every time you make any changes to your stylesheet.
If you’re thinking, “This is too technical and hard for me!” or “Why should I care?” just take a look at what In-Page Analytics can do before you blow it off. This is a powerful tool for helping you connect with readers and better meet their needs.
What analytics do you use on your blog? Share your tools — or questions about tools — in the comments.
NOTE: Congratulations to Synolve Craft, who won yesterday’s contest and got a free copy of the ‘40 Ways to Market Your Writing’ audio recording. All other contestants — you’ll be receiving your discount code for my next Webinar on email shortly.
Photo via Flickr user Carlos Luna
