Analytics

What analytics reveal

Analytics platforms track how visitors find your site—organic search, paid ads, social media, direct navigation. They show which pages get viewed, how long people stay, and where they convert or drop off. This data transforms assumptions into evidence.

Understanding visitor behaviour informs every decision: which pages need improvement, which traffic sources deliver quality leads, which content resonates. Without analytics, you're optimising blind.

Essential metrics to track

Traffic sources: Where visitors come from reveals which marketing efforts work. High organic traffic indicates successful SEO. Low engagement from paid channels suggests messaging misalignment.

Goal completions: Define conversions—form submissions, downloads, bookings—and track completion rates. This metric directly measures site effectiveness. Rising traffic means nothing if conversions stay flat.

Page performance: Time on page, scroll depth, and bounce rate reveal which pages engage visitors. High bounce rates on landing pages signal problems worth investigating.

User journeys: Which path through your site leads to conversions? Understanding common journeys helps optimise internal linking and content placement to guide more visitors toward action.

Analytics tools and privacy

Google Analytics remains the most comprehensive free option, though GA4's learning curve frustrates many users. Plausible and Fathom offer simpler, privacy-focused alternatives that don't require cookie banners.

We configure analytics during every site launch, setting up goal tracking, conversion events, and meaningful custom dimensions. This baseline implementation ensures you're capturing the data that actually matters from day one.

Using analytics to improve

Check analytics monthly at minimum. Look for trends: is traffic growing? Are conversion rates improving? Which content attracts the most engaged visitors? Regular review identifies opportunities and problems early.

Use data to inform decisions rather than dictate them. Analytics tell you what happens, not why. Combine quantitative data with qualitative feedback—user testing, support conversations, client calls—to understand the full picture.