Google Analytics

What essentials should be included with every website?

Posted on 06/08/2017

When you buy expensive items like houses, cars, and electronics, you expect certain things to be included with your purchase. Ample storage space and speed should come with a computer so that it can perform fundamental duties. Dwellings should be up to code with heating and plumbing. And new automobiles should include climate control, airbags and a quartet of tires.

What about when you purchase a new website? Just like above, you should expect specific features to come with it, especially since the internet is always adapting. At Hub & Spoke, a marketing agency and web design firm, here’s some of what you can expect. Continue Reading

The Long and Short of Effective Search Engine Optimization

Posted on 10/07/2013

By now, you should have a basic understanding of the main components involved in successful search engine optimization (SEO) if you have read the previous two articles we covered. The long and short of effective SEO is proper on-site protocols so search engine crawlers can index your site, optimized content with natural keyword placement, and engaging content that captures your target audience and increases sharing and reputable link-building. Continue Reading

Trends Web Design

Understanding the Power of Google Analytics

Posted on 08/12/2013

With a bricks and mortar store front, it is easy to determine how many people come to your shop in a given period and how interested they are in purchasing your offerings. When trying to determine a Website’s success however, it is not as easy since you cannot physically see your clientele and monitor their browsing and purchasing tendencies.

Enter Google Analytics; a free tool that can be embedded into your Website with a few simple lines of code.

A Powerful Data Miner

Essentially, Google Analytics turns your Website into a veritable data mine. The tool collects information about visitors to your site and collates it, creating detailed reports on how visitors are accessing your site and what they are doing once they get there. Armed with this powerful information, you will be better able to make decisions regarding your Web properties and their management in order to maximize your return on investment.

Information Delivered

Some of the basic information delivered by Google Analytics includes the types of devices being used to access your site, the pages most visited and the amount of time each person spends on your site. With this information, you can easily determine which pages are working on your site and which pages require some work to maintain the users’ attention. In understanding what devices are most commonly used to access your site, you can determine what type of site will work best for your target market.

Google Analytics will also enable you to learn what cities your visitors are hailing from, what search engines they are using to find you and what sites are referring them to your site. This information can help you understand how users are finding your site and what areas are weak and need your attention. This is particularly useful in determining what areas of your social media campaigns are driving the most traffic to your site. For example, if most of your visitors are coming to your site via Facebook, yet your concentration has been on LinkedIn, you can adjust the investment of your time accordingly.

Harnessing the Power of Google Analytics

Although we have only briefly touched on the power of Google Analytics, it should be clear that the information provided by this tool is invaluable to Website owners. Harnessing the power of Google Analytics will enable you to make decisions regarding your site that will help increase traffic, and lengthen the amount of time visitors are spending on your site once they arrive. Not only will that lead to higher conversions, it will also improve your search engine rankings.

Are You Reaching Your Full Potential

We believe your website should represent who you are and what you do, intersecting great design with user accessibility. We strive to meet the needs of each client no matter how unique. Contact us today to schedule a meeting or just to talk.

Search Engine Optimization Web Design

Getting to Know Search Engine Optimization

Posted on 03/14/2013

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the process of improving visibility of a web site or page on search engines by using specifics phrases or techniques. Here’s how you can improve your SEO:

User Search

Search engines, Google, Yahoo or Bing, rank each web page based on content and which is most relevant to the users search. Getting to the first page or the top results takes planning or experience in the field.

Once to your site, users want to know are your pages a valuable source of information, are they entertaining or can it solve a problem.

Keyword Heavy

The first big aspect of SEO is hitting all the keywords you want to be found by. These words should be spread out evenly throughout the site and pages (As I will state later, cramming in too many is often a downfall for SEO.). Correct placement is key. Take for instance this blog, I’ve said or will say SEO, bounce rate, cloaking and Google Analytics just to name a few (Yes, I know that was a crafting way of sneaking them in one more time.). It is how you do it which is key. Whatever your business is, gaining the attention of all customers is most important.

Doing Research

Researching what keywords people may use to find you is yet another step. Doing a thorough search, might take weeks and into months, can reduce unnecessary filler content. This is where Google Analytics and Rank Tracker come in. A systematic process of trial and error is needed to be sure what people are searching in your area, what are they looking for state or nation wide or what phrases or keywords is my competition succeeding in.

The Good Bounce

Another factor to affect SEO is bounce rate, the number of different page views a single user has or how immersed your visitors are in your site.

If many users go to your home page or a single page and then leave, you will have high bounce rate. On the Other hand, if many users go page to page and explore, your bounce rate decreases. Furthermore, companies with only a single page will tend to have higher bounce rates. There is no set mark to hit high or low on bounce rate. General rule of thumb is anywhere between 40% to 70%. But can change depending on company needs.

Remember This

Cramming in too many content words in a small sentence or paragraph can have negative effects. It needs to flow as a normal sentence. Excessively stuffing too many content rich words can be seen by Google or other search engines as a violation and cost you in the long run.

Additionally, if the content is lacking keywords and feels ‘thin’ to the reader, this ultimately will affect pageviews.

Another bad process is Cloaking. This is providing two separate websites for users and search engines,using the search engine to gain all the page hits while getting all the positive attention on your website. This is a serious no-no as well and Google will find out!

This is just a skimming of the surface into the intricacies of SEO.

Interested in learning more? Email hello@hubandspokecreative.com or give us a call 573-298-6980.