Choosing an Effective Website Analytics Package

You know you need to monitor your website in order to determine how users interact with various elements and pages. But with all the website analytics software available, how do you know what packages will meet your needs without dipping too deeply into the company pockets?

Determine Key Performance Indicators

Every website analytics package should include some standard reports including page views, unique visitors, domains, and entry/exit pages. Beyond that, determine which service is the most capable of giving you actionable insights into improving your website. Visits to action, conversion rates, and task completion rates all give a more complete picture of user behavior than simple page hits or visitors per day.

Determine the Information You Need

Once you know your key performance indicators, you can evaluate various types of website analytics packages to determine which ones can perform the functions you need. Take a look at packages from several different categories to make sure you’re choosing one that can best meet your performance goals.

Free packages

While these can seem enticing at first glance, remember that free services often come with fewer perks and may not meet all your analytics expectations, especially as your business grows. Consider whether the option offers support, can be scaled to the size of your business, and offers flexible solutions.

Paid packages

You may be on a tight budget, but determine whether the package under consideration meets your analytics goals and can provide the key performance indicators you place highest value on. Even if a package costs a little more, it may be worth it in terms of the value it provides to your business.

Hosted packages

These solutions often come with a low price tag initially, but remember that you’ll be paying monthly fees. A hosted solution may be worth it, especially for the small business on a tight budget, especially if they can offer you expertise and excellent support.

Non-hosted packages

The biggest drawback for this option is that your business must maintain an employee who can operate and manage the tool. For small businesses, this can be cost-prohibitive. If you already have someone on staff with the know-how, however, this may be an option you want to consider.

Getting Help

As you’re installing your analytics package and getting used to the way it operates, you may need  a support person or team that can answer questions and help troubleshoot problems. If you’ve purchased an analytics solution, you can usually add installation and operating support for an additional fee.

Remember that cost should not be your most important consideration when choosing a website analytics package. It is important to set a budget, but at the same time, you need a solution that give you the insights you need to improve your conversion rate and keep people coming back to your site.

Additional Resources:

Are You Using your Key Performance Indicators (KPI’s) to Fine Tune Your Website

Do You Know Your Web Analytics Jargon?

The Five Best Free Analytics Tools