Late last year we did some research in the small business community in the UK.
The research which questioned 400 UK SMBs, revealed 62% of small businesses are not investing in search engine marketing. 44% of SMBs not doing search marketing think it is too time consuming; 56% think it is too expensive; and 33% too complicated.
However, 76% of SMBs promoting their website on search engines see an immediate increase in sales.
The research also revealed three common misconceptions:
Myth 1: Over a third (34%) of respondents think it would take a day or more to set up a campaign. In reality, the time taken from opening an account to it going live can take as little as 15 minutes.
Myth 2: Some 56% cite cost as a top reason why SMBs will not invest, with a quarter of all SMBs thinking the best keywords are already taken. Actually, SMBs can invest as little as 10-20 pence per click or a monthly budget of around £5.
Myth 3: Many are put off by the idea that it sounds too complicated – with the overwhelming majority (89%) thinking it was more difficult than online banking. However, SMBs can easily manage accounts from their desk and are likely to see immediate results from just a few simple keywords.
I guess if many of these website owners had visibility into their traffic through web analytics it might persuade them to spend a bit more time marketing them online.
If you’re thinking about trying to understand your website visitors a little better then ask yourself these questions:
How are people finding your site?
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Do they come direct?
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Do they come via a search engine? If so what KWs did they use?
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Are they referred by another site, maybe a link from a blog that has recommended your product or service?
Who are the people visiting your site?
What are people doing once they reach your site?
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Do they leave having only checked out the first page they landed on?
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How deep into your site do they go?
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How long did they spend on a particular page?
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Did they buy, download, or sign up for anything?
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Do they come back?
Answering these questions isn't difficult if your have your site tagged for an analytics. What's tricky is getting into the rhythm and the habit of pouring over the data, setting yourself goals and taking action.
One of my favourite time management books is called "Eat That Frog" by Brian Tracey:
"There's an old saying that if the first thing you do in the morning is to eat a live frog, you'll have the satisfaction of knowing that it's probably the worst thing you'll do all day."
Now I'm not suggesting that web analytics is wholly unappetizing, but setting aside some time to do some reporting or analysis first thing every morning will pay dividends.
You'll find that frog slowly turns into a prince (or princess!)