Website Traffic Articles

Are you a local business owner with a website targeting a specific city or region?  Increasing local web traffic to your site should be at the top your list of priorities.  Increased web traffic means more business for your site and ultimately more money in your pocket.  Here are a few things to remember when trying to attain more web traffic through geo targeted content.

You hear it all the time; content is king.  It seems like a simple task to put fresh content on your site but just any content won’t do.  It’s important to have keyword rich content that is engaging, interesting and purposeful.

Finding relevant keywords should be your first focus.  Research what keywords are good for your business and implement them into some good content.  Try to stay away from one word phrases as those make it more difficult for you to obtain a higher ranking.  Focus on what words you would like to be known for and elaborate on them until you find some highly searched combinations that will specifically target your business and its goals.

Once you have found some solid keywords that represent your business it’s time to put them into writing.  Creating good content is much more than slathering keywords all over the place as it seems as though this is what the search engines want but it’s actually the exact opposite.  Overstuffing articles with keywords does 2 things:

1.  Causes search engines to deem your articles as spam and hurts your ranking.
2.  Deters online users from reading because content is irrelevant and awkward.

It’s beneficial to find keyword phrases that are geographically specific.  For example, if you are a light bulb store in Los Angeles you have a much better chance of increasing web traffic and higher rankings if you use targeted keywords pertaining to your vicinity, such as these:

1.  Los Angeles light bulbs
2.  Los Angeles light bulb store

Simply using a keyword such as “light bulb store” to increase web site traffic will be incredibly competitive and much harder to achieve organic rankings and results.

When you start writing the article make sure you keep the most important information and keyword phrases at the top of the article.  Think of it as an upside down pyramid putting the appropriate information at the top and the less important content towards the bottom

The last thing to remember when writing content for your site is making sure your content is interesting, relevant and most importantly, legible.  When a local user comes to your site looking for information they generally tend to browse through content and if it does not spark any interest, the generally move on before the 3rd or 4th paragraph.  This is why it’s important to make sure you have quality content that is well researched and easy to read.

These are only a few of the tactics that will increase local web traffic to your site but it’s also very important information that will help your site gain rankings and long term credibility.  If you want a good site then keep it updated with good content that is written well and is informative to your readers.  Anything less will only cause your customers to move on and never look back.

Online business owners know first-hand that having a positive professional reputation on the internet can lead to more customers, more business and ultimately more money. Unfortunately, the opposite also holds true as businesses that incur bad online reputations will lose countless opportunities and may even lose respect from their current customers.

Businesses are at risk every time a person posts a negative comment, review or feedback about their services or products online. Keep in mind that anything that is posted on the internet is accessible through major search engines like Google and Yahoo! Just imagine a business prospect searching for your business and finding adverse remarks. What harmful consequences would your business incur? Would you lose a potential customer? Is there anything you can do about it?

The answer to the last question is “yes”. By using these 5 surefire reputation management tips, you may be able to prevent damaging online remarks from hindering the growth of your business and will also increase website traffic as users are much more likely to choose a company that is considered reputable.

1) Conduct a basic search on your business name. What listings are returned? Are the results positive or are they negative? If you have negative remarks posted about your business, take note of where these remarks are posted. In some cases, you can contact the webmaster or administrator of the websites and ask for the comments to be removed. If they will not grant your request, you may want use the services of a professional reputation management company. Most of these companies will be able to help you get poor user remarks removed from websites for a set fee. This will only help you on your mission to improve website traffic.

2) The majority of negative business reviews are posted on message boards and forums. Thankfully, businesses owners can conduct instant searches on their company names on sites like Boardreader or ForumFind. Search for your company’s name and see what is returned. If you find that users have posted discussions that may be harmful to your online reputation, report it to the administrator of the message board or forum.

3) Be pro-active by posting positive content about your business in Google before anyone has the chance to post anything negative. In an interview with Andy Beal, a much sought after speaker in the search industry and professional blogger, Dan Schawbel asked which reputation management tips work the best. One of the things Andy mentioned was that businesses will find it is, “much easier to build positive content for Google now–while you’re not under attack–than to wait until the negative results appear.”

4) Why not get targeted website traffic by building a credible online reputation first? There are countless ways in which this can be accomplished, but one of the most effective ways is to create a professional blog or publish informative articles about your industry that are geared toward your ideal customer demographic. This type of content will not only establish your professional integrity, but also give people the impression that you are a top authority in your industry. In the long run, this will also help you get more web traffic as search engine users and prospective customers will see that your business is associated with quality content.

5) Think about hiring a company that specializes in online brand and reputation management. Doing so will save you time, frustration and even money as these companies can get rid of any negative remarks in forums, message boards, blogs and consumer review sites. These companies can also promote positive web pages and media that pertain to companies by utilizing search engine optimization (SEO).

If you have a website, whether it is a blog or a business based, it is crucial to your online success that you know how to increase website traffic. In your search for this knowledge, you will encounter strategies that you either buy, like a PPC campaign, or that are free.

One useful, cost-saving strategy that is common amongst most website enthusiasts is natural link building. Natural link building is an important search engine optimization (SEO) technique that works most effectively when a highly-trafficked site provides an outbound link to another website. The more quality links a website has, the better the chance it has of ranking well in the major search engines like Google, Yahoo! and MSN.

While natural link building can be quite laborious, it is one of the absolute best ways to maximize website traffic. The key to saving time and to obtaining successful results when link building is to remember that it is the quality, not the quantity, that really counts. These 5 easy tips will help you create links that can effectively increase traffic to your website.

1) Write informative blogs or articles that demonstrate your professional expertise. If you are selling a service or product online, provide useful information in your article that your ideal users would find interesting. Once you’re finished writing, add the content to your website and then submit the URL to popular online directories. Unsure of which directories you should consider? Think about the topic of your article or blog. For example, if you wrote about puppies, you could submit your URL to The Dog Lover’s Online Directory. Conduct a search for online directories that are relevant to your topic and your website.

2) Get free links by leaving comments in professional blogs or by answering questions on major, traffic grossing sites like Yahoo! Answers or Google Groups . Every time you comment or answer a question, add your URL to your signature. When answering questions, stick to your area of expertise so both your answer and URL are applicable. When leaving blog comments, stick to blogs that are relevant to your website.

A word of caution, most blogs has a “no follow” attribute, which prevents comment spam. When “no follow” is present in a blog’s HTML, the search engines’ spiders will not count or follow user posted links when delegating page rank. Blogging platforms, like WordPress, automatically assign the “no follow” rule. However, there are platforms where links may be accepted by trusted users of the blog, so it is important to also establish your credibility with blog owners.

3) Submit your website to relevant online directories, like the Internet Business Directory . If you are not sure which online directories are relevant to your website, Google offers a list of internet business directories that is broken down by category. Some directories are free and others charge for inclusion, so do your research before you decide to submit your website’s URL.

4) Pay special attention to your website’s internal link structure. If you are using links within your website, make sure that all links have appropriate anchor text and avoid the words “click here”. A good rule of thumb is to link your keyword phrases to relevant pages within your site or to quality online resources. When referencing your web pages in your text, make sure that you provide an internal link.

5) Finally, as mentioned before, it is the quality of your links that matter, not the quantity. When using natural link building to increase web traffic, try to add links over time. This is especially true if you own a newer site. Adding a ton of random links to other sites may be viewed as spamming by Google and can lead to omission from the search engine.

Increase Web Traffic with Social Networking

In the ongoing quest to increase website traffic, many site owners and businesses are realizing the value of social networking and how popular, user driven sites like Facebook, MySpace and Flickr can effectively attract new users to their websites. Each day, millions of users gravitate toward social networks because these sites allow them to connect with others, to share entertaining content and to build new relationships.

Social networking can present limitless opportunities for traffic growth for people who own and operate individual or business based websites. However, before anyone takes the plunge into the evolving marketing medium that is social networking, they will want to understand why utilizing social marketing leads to more page views.

Where There Are Users, There Are Online Marketing Opportunities

Social networking is truly where the action is at as millions of users log into these sites on a daily basis. In 2008, Silicon Alley Insider reported that MySpace averaged 17.7 million daily users, followed by Facebook, which averaged 8.6 million daily users. With incredible and consistent numbers like this, website owners simply cannot afford to not partake in the action. Remember, you need to be where the users are.

People Use Social Networking to Target Both Larger Audiences & Niches

Social networking sites instantaneously allow you to have access to a larger audience and user base. Within minutes, you can establish your online presence by creating a profile on any highly-trafficked social site and begin posting information about yourself, your website or your business. The fun begins when you start adding friends to your profile page that share the same interests as you or who may be interested in your business. You can even go so far as zeroing in on a niche of users, which can increase targeted website traffic. In time, you will attract users to your website and gain valuable back links, both of which can lead to more page views.

Most Professionals Use Social Networking

Many online business owners have heard of social networking, but are hesitant to use it as an advertising tool because they are under the impression that these networks only cater to younger individuals. And, if their businesses aren’t interested in targeting a younger market, they feel they shouldn’t waste their time and they fail to see the value.

The truth is that this assumption is completely false as many of these sites specifically target career professionals, not teenagers. In a recent survey conducted by the Institute for Corporate Productivity, it was reported that approximately 65% of business professionals use personal and professional social networking sites. Additionally, the same online survey revealed that most professionals gravitate to social sites like LinkedIn, followed closely by MySpace and Yahoo360.

Utilizing Social Networking Tools Can Save You Money

When you have millions of users at your disposal, why would you buy web site traffic via a PPC campaign? Instead, you should add social networking strategies to your online marketing plan and save yourself some money. Numerous companies, like MasterCard, are monetizing with social networking applications, blogs and photo galleries. In fact, according to Yahoo! Senior Product Manager, Laura des Dorides, many companies who purchase micro sites (sites geared toward advertising a brand) within the Yahoo! Network now demand that their sites include social marketing tools like Facebook applications and Flickr photo galleries, as they fully understand how these tools generate website traffic.

Increasing web traffic is not that difficult if you are armed with the right knowledge. In fact, it can be quite easy if you simply remember A.B.C. The acronym A.B.C. stands for analytics , bookmarking and content . If used correctly, all three can greatly improve your web traffic over the course of time. By utilizing A.B.C., you will not only increase hits to your website, but also save money, as these methods are free to use.

Analytics

The great thing about Google Analytics is that it is a “no cost” solution for everyone. It is also a powerful internet resource that allows website owners to track things like their page views, unique visitors, and entrance keywords. Additionally, people can monitor their users’ behaviors and navigation patterns, which will allow them to gain a better sense of what is popular or engaging on their websites.
For example, if you review your monthly analytics and see that many of your users click on your “Blog” page, but very few click on your “About Us” page, you will start to get a sense of what your users find intriguing. If you are strategic, you will use this information to your advantage by adding more content to your blog. You may also take a more pro-active approach and promote your blog on your site’s homepage as it is the first thing users will see.

Tip: Use analytics to improve website traffic by paying attention to user behavior and giving users exactly what they want.

Bookmarking

Social bookmarking is a great concept that website owners are utilizing to gain a competitive advantage. A bookmark is a stored web location (URL) that can be retrieved quickly from your browser. Once website URLs are bookmarked, people can organize, search or reference web locations with ease. Bookmarks become social when posted as links on popular content sharing sites, like digg.com or del.icio.us . Once posted on websites, bookmarks can be tagged with keywords, which allow users to search and find content.

You can increase hits to your website with social bookmarks in one of two ways. You can post a link to your website on a social bookmarking site, site users will click on your link, and you will gain traffic. Or, the search engines will count the bookmark as a back link, which will improve your organic rank over time and ultimately attract more users to your site.

Tip: Use social bookmarking to reach a larger audience by posting links on highly trafficked content sharing sites like del.icio.us.

Content

For site owners, one of the best ways to increase website traffic is through the use of informational content that incorporates targeted keyword phrases. You must provide your users with content that is engaging, entertaining, well-researched and most importantly, relevant to the users that you are hoping to attract. It has been said over and over again, on the internet “Content is King.” If you are hoping to improve the quantity and quality of your traffic, you will need to add content to your web pages that will not only rank in the search engines, but that will also captivate user interest. If you are unsure of how to write good content to increase website traffic, there are tons of internet resources that can provide you with helpful suggestions.

Tip: Use informative, relevant content to increase your organic SEO rank and to attract users to your site.

A depressed economy brings with it a whole new set of challenges and questions which don’t seem to have answers. There is one question,however,which we must confront as both online and offline entrepreneur’s Should I reduce my marketing budget?

This is undoubtedly a rather tough call. The underlying premise is that we need to go back to the drawing boards, reallocate our resources and identify innovative strategies to increase website traffic during a recession so that we can tide over until such a phase when the past becomes a fleeting moment in the history of time.

Calling all Offline Entrepreneur’s

If your brick-and-mortar business is currently experiencing a serious downturn (and who isn’t), the Internet can eventually prove to be your best bet to sustain yourself during this period. You can do this in two ways:

• By leveraging the power of Internet marketing and website optimization to promote your existing offline business

• Using the Internet to sell your product or service if your business model permits

Online Marketing to the Rescue

If you have created a website merely to showcase your brick-and-mortar company on the Internet, it is time to use your website to drive customers to your store by exploring some of the ways in which you can increase website traffic during recession. Hire a competent search engine optimization company with an affordable pricing model to list your company on Google Local. When submitted correctly, your store listing will appear complete with a map and directions on the first page of Google’s search results when someone searches Google for the product or service you provide in your store. There are a number of ways in which your SEO can drive website traffic to your website which will in turn drive customers to your store. They include:

• Article marketing

• Blog and forum marketing

• e-mail and newsletter marketing

• Press release submissions

• Social media optimization through sites such as FaceBook, MySpace and Linked In

• Organic website optimization also known as on-page SEO

• News story submissions

• Video optimization

• Social bookmarking

• Many more low cost and affordable choices

The Winning Strategy

Since you have already built your core competency in your domain or industry vertical as a store owner or offline service provider, it might be worth your while to hire a reliable SEO company to offer these services to you rather than your trying to do this yourself. Adopt these strategies to increase website traffic during recession and watch your customers beat a path to your door an economic downturn not withstanding.

About the Author

James Thill Vice President of Business Development at Blue SEO, a Los Angeles based search engine optimization (SEO) and search engine marketing (SEM) company which believes that an educated client is a long-term client. Visit him at: www.blueseolosangeles.com

Billionaire investor Warren Buffet once put it rightly when he said that “It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it. Preserving and managing the online reputation of an individual or a corporate entity is one of the most daunting tasks in an age of the ubiquitous Internet.

Incidentally, cross the magical access figure of one billion documented users in January 2009. If the Internet has provided millions with a way to boost their private and public reputation, it has also made it possible for millions more to damage the online reputation of others. It has therefore become necessary for many individuals and companies to seek professional consulting assistance not only to sustain a positive online reputation usually reflected in the results pages of the major search engines but also to resolve those issues which result in online negativity. Regardless of whether the Internet is used for slander or for adulation, it invariably generates back links which in turn gently propels search engine placement and most importantly helps you to increase website traffic. Here are a few effective ways to preserve a positive momentum on the Internet through strategic reputation management that will maximize website traffic for you and your organization.

A Comment and a Link

Consider developing the practice of searching your name and your company name on the major search engines including the blog search engines like Google Blog Search and Technorati at least once a week. Each time you spot a blog entry or a forum posting which features you or your company, be sure to respond to it with a comment, a forum post plus a link back to your website. The Web 2.0 model, currently in vogue, offers plenty of opportunities for you to go on record with either an affirmation or a rebuttal. Never ignore an online remark about you or your company. If it happens to be a positive recognition of your capabilities and achievements, thank the author for it. If it is a negatively charged ion, respond with dignity and clarity. Remember, you have the right to present your point of view at all times with a link to your website of course!

Become an Opinion Maker and Set the Trend

You can be proactive and help to build the reputation of your company too. This exercise is made possible with little or no expense through press releases, articles, case studies and white papers on your website, business networking profiles, a corporate blog and even a forum for your customers. If content generation, which is key to reputation building, poses time restraints, consider hiring a professional content development firm to generate and post your content on the Internet. Remind them to validate your back links periodically.

Online Reputation Management through e-newsletters

Online newsletters have emerged as an outstanding vehicle to build and preserve a loyal customer base. The articles and features you publish in your newsletter to build your company’s reputation and brand power should remain copyright free so that webmasters can repost this content on their websites complete with a link to your site. Back links which qualify in this category are known to boost qualified and targeted traffic on your website.

Close Encounters on the Internet

If you believe that an article, forum post or blog entry has seriously compromised your online reputation for no fault of yours and your pleas are going unheeded, it is time to call in the professionals. They are trained to work closely with the originators of such potentially damaging content and eventually eliminate it permanently. The best strategy, however, is to remain proactive at all times and assign the responsibility of managing your online reputation to seasoned professionals who can achieve results much sooner than you can.

About the Author

James Thill Vice President of Business Development at Blue SEO, a Los Angeles based search engine optimization (SEO) and search engine marketing (SEM) company which believes that an educated client is a long-term client. Visit him at: www.blueseolosangeles.com

Millions of entrepreneurs are actively pursuing the promise of affiliate marketing to ring in the much needed profits critical for sustenance today. You too can become a trend setter by carefully planning to leverage a piece of the action either by becoming an advertiser or an affiliate?or both!.

Generate Affiliate Sales as an Advertiser

If you own an Internet commerce company which sells products or services in the online space, it is perhaps time to consider launching your affiliate sales operation. IN your context, the term affiliate denotes a reseller. Companies you authorize will be able to sell your product line to their existing customers or site visitors for which you would pay them a commission or a referral fee. These sales are tracked using advanced sales tracking technologies to register and record the sale, facilitate the transaction and transfer the commission amounts from you to your resellers or affiliates as they are known in the industry. The entire process has reached such an advanced level of automation and transparency that little or no effort is required on your part to conduct the transaction or even monitor the sales activity. The adage make money while you sleep? is no longer a myth but a reality in the affiliate marketing realm because your website continues to clock sales 24X7X365 from geographical regions and time zones so remote that you haven?t even heard their names.

Unparalleled Benefits of Establishing an Affiliate Program

The only reason why many brand name companies such as Apple, Sony and HP have hit the ground running with affiliate marketing and set up their own affiliate programs is because the potential of profitability is very real. With little or no investment, you too can launch your affiliate network and reach an untapped market which numbers in the millions. Other benefits of affiliate marketing include:

* · Near-instant set up with no waiting period
* · 100% transparent with very little room for unethical activity
* · Super-accurate calculation of sales, commissions and profits
* · A new fraternity goes to work for you to drive your sales
* · Limitless scope for global expansion
* · Earn more respect from your banker!

Professional Internet Marketing Company to Help you with your Affiliate Business

It is a good idea to use the services of a professional Internet marketing or web marketing company to jumpstart your affiliate marketing operation. These companies charge a nominal amount and are highly affordable. They will not only design, develop and implement your affiliate website but will also streamline your supply chain, test the model with multiple dry runs, ensure legal compliance and coordinate the entire process with major affiliate networks such as Click Bank, Commission Junction and Clix Galore. We will explore the scenario from the other side of the fence in our next article and show website owners and owners of content networks how easy it is to become an affiliate of dozens of advertisers and earn rich commissions through targeted affiliate sales.

About the Author

Mark Deming is the President at Blue SEO, a Los Angeles based search engine optimization (SEO) and search engine marketing (SEM) company which believes that an educated client is a long-term client. Visit him at: www.blueseolosangeles.com

In your continuous marathon toward the finishing line of top search engine rankings, positioning and tons of qualified traffic, you need to focus on things you can do to increase website traffic with a high quality score so that your banker always smiles at you when you go to meet with her.

Not every action plan to increase website traffic is as effective as the other. Moreover, there is no guarantee that a proven strategy will work for you because one size surely does not fit all in this bewildering business of page ranks, SERPs and back links. There are, however, a few rather simple things you can do to beat your competition and rise to the top.

The Right Keyword in the Right Place

Internet searchers are a highly unpredictable lot. But since they are your prospects, they have to be taken seriously. There are essentially two types of keywords online searchers use to find you and your competition. The first category comprises those keywords that are not only obvious but are also used extensively. For example, if you are looking for a French bistro in New York city, chances are that you will type French bistro in New York city.So will just about everyone else looking for a fine continental style dining experience in the Big Apple. Since this is obvious knowledge, just about every French bistro owner in New York City will direct the webmaster to target this and other obvious keywords. The smart ones, however, will do things a tad differently. They will seek out keywords and key phrases that describe their French restaurants a little differently. These include French dining New York City,French cuisine in New York City and even nice French restaurant in New York. The smartest restaurateurs of the French cuisine persuasion will go even a step further and super target their audience for improved results with targeted keywords such as Manhattan French bistro,Queens French bistro and perhaps Long Island French bistro.

PPC campaigns and web content in your niche that others haven’t located yet. Use premium keyword research tools such as Keyword Discovery and Word Tracker to find them. If you are simply trying things out and don’t want to hit your pocket book too hard, try the free versions of these services. They all have one. You can also use the Google AdWords Keyword Suggestion Tool in order to increase website traffic on your Internet property. All the major keyword research services including Google, which is free, provide the ability to locate synonyms which you can test in your optimization campaigns. They can be a valuable and reliable source of secondary keywords for your web pages. This happens to be your second keyword category. You do not need more than two or three secondary keywords to support your primary keyword. Test before you rest. Check these secondary keywords as thoroughly as you have analyzed your potential primary keywords.

Increase Website Traffic with Detective Work

By using your existing analytics software, you can easily determine which web pages on your website are not performing as well as the others. Analyze the existing keywords on these pages. Closely Check for the following:

Keyword density

Not more than 6% of your content should feature your primary and secondary keywords. For instance, if your web pages contain 500 words, limit your keywords to less than twelve. You can check your web page keyword density in our tools section.

The right primary keyword

Your main or primary keyword should be one that is searched often but not targeted as often by web masters. The keyword research tools we have recommended will help you arrive at the Golden Mean as Aristotle might put it. Dig them up from the deep abyss of human vocabulary. They are worth their weight in gold.

Second level headings

Use the primary keyword you have chosen in your second level headings as we have done here. However, remember to preserve the frequency balance.

Keyword in the URL

One of the ways in which search engines intuitively sense the context and subject of a web page is by examining the URL. Therefore, weave the keyword into the page URL. This will work wonders for your search engine position.

Increase Web Traffic with Caution

It is always tempting to become over-enthusiastic and jump overboard with keyword research. It is a good idea, therefore, to exercise judgment and optimize your web pages slowly, steadily but surely. Implement your keyword strategy judiciously and Mr. Google’s friendly spider will come knocking on your door in less time than you think!

About the Author

Naveen Kapur is a senior SEO and SEM consultant with more than ten years of core experience in multimedia and graphic design, website optimization and Internet marketing. He helps organizations achieve their corporate objectives by building an online presence on the Internet.

Web analytics provide a powerhouse of valuable data which can be harnessed by you to propel your website traffic figures in no time.

Do you know who is visiting your web site? Wouldn’t it be great if you also knew from where they were arriving, how much time they were spending on your site, and most significantly, from which page they were departing from your web site and why?

Web analytics tools and real time web site tracking solutions have now made it possible for web masters as well as for those companies for whom a robust Internet presence is critical to success, to use this form of dynamic data to review performance, correct pitfalls and plan highly successful online marketing strategy.

Let us begin by first exploring site tracking and analysis terminology. Like every knowledge domain, site analytics has its own buzz words. It is important to understand these terms if you are looking at ways of increasing web site traffic to your piece of Internet property.

Improving Visitor Counts through Page Views

You have probably noticed this phrase in online marketing brochures where web sites proudly proclaim the large quantum of visitor traffic they have experienced on their sites. A Page View refers to the total views of every page on your web site. A Unique Page View is a page view by a unique person within a twenty-four hour period. Where as page view counts are site specific, unique page views are visitor specific. Both communicate important information about visitor behavior patterns and provide valuable insights into your search engine ranking– parameters that are critical to increasing web site traffic.

Gauging Site Popularity through Hits

The reason why there is some confusion about this term is because it emanates from server technology and not from the art and science of visitor tracking and web analytics. A Hit merely refers to the number of information requests received by a hosting server. The number of hits is determined by the number of objects on a page. For example, if your home page has twenty-one objects, your site hosting server will record the page access as twenty-one hits. A word to the wise… It is best to use this statistic cautiously for what it is worth and not to be misled by inflated hit counts when implementing your online marketing plan designed at increasing web site traffic to your site.

Referrer or Visitor Source

A Referrer or Referring Link also known as the Visitor Source is a page which links to your web site. By looking at your referrers, it is possible to accurately identify the pages from where your site visitors are arriving. Visitors usually arrive from one of these three sources:

* From another web site that has linked to your site
* A search engine results page
* Directly from a browser launch

Referral data is a gold mine of information to increase web site traffic because it clearly pinpoints the keywords or key phrases being used by searchers to arrive at your web site and the search engines that are sending you the traffic. You can use this data to conduct more targeted and meaningful keyword analysis, refine existing keywords and submit your site to search engines and directories where you are not listed. This data can also be used to further optimize the content of your web pages for improved search engine rankings (SERs).

If you are listed on a search engine such as MSN and begin to notice that you are receiving little or no traffic from that search engine, you can re-examine your web site to see if all the submission requirements are being fulfilled, make the changes and then re-submit to MSN. This method can go a long way towards increasing web site traffic from search engines with low traffic origins.

User Agent and Site Traffic Stats

A User Agent is the software that is used by site visitors to access your web site. A User Agent could be a:
* Browser such as Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox or Safari
* PHP script pasted on a web page that points to your site
* Search engine spider programmed to index your site

This valuable data can be leveraged to precisely identify the last time a search bot visited your web site to index it. You can also view the cache of your web site on search engine results to see how recently your site was indexed by that search engine. You can also use this data to map traffic trends, spot site abuse and trigger corrective action.

Geographical Location and Mission-Critical Statistics

Many web analytics packages and hosted services provide this information using IP look-up technology. They compile data about the geographical location of site visitors as well as the time of the day during which they visit your web site. You can deploy this data to fine-tune your marketing strategy specially in those regions of the world from where site traffic is below
average. You may also wish to consider using a mash-up by overlaying this data on Google Earth for a more fulfilling experience with an enhanced visual orientation.

There are still other types of traffic intelligence web analytics systems can provide. They include:
* The length of time a site visitor stayed on your web site
* The URL of the page on which site visitors land and exit your web site
* The operating system (Windows XP, Vista etc.) and browser resolution settings on the
monitors of site visitors

Web Analytics and Improved Customer Service

Increasing web site traffic, in and of itself, does not lead to increased conversions. The manner in which you use web analytics data depends largely on your site’s functionality and its purpose. For instance, if your site has a customer service orientation and provides live chat support for your customers, web analytics data is critical since it enables you to further tweak the type and nature of your customer service. This key aspect of the overall customer service delivery process is of paramount importance because customer surveys continue to reveal the general level of dissatisfaction among customers regarding the quality of service on Internet e-transaction sites.

According to a Harris Interactive survey conducted in August 2007, nine out of ten customers were unhappy with the type of customer service they received when shopping online. The Harris survey polled 2,430 US consumers aged 18 and older and concluded that most online shopping customers were experiencing significant problems when trying to interact with customer service personnel– a problem that a live chat solution can augment and effortlessly remedy.

About the Author

Naveen Kapur is a senior SEO and SEM consultant with more than ten years of core experience in multimedia and graphic design, website optimization and Internet marketing. He helps organizations achieve their corporate objectives by building an online presence on the Internet.