Okay, show of hands.
You've seen the experts telling you that knowing how to use analytics is one of the biggest keys to increasing your traffic flow.
But for some reason, you're looking at the numbers and statistics and wondering just what it all means. Much less how to actually take that information and apply it to your site.
Relax. It doesn't take having a Ph.D. in computer science to figure out how to understand analytics and apply the information. Honestly – the main trouble everyone seems to have with analytics is not actually using them. It's just that everyone who writes anything about analytics seems hell bent on impressing us all with how geeky they are.
Thanks anyway.
A Brief Introduction to Web Analytics
To start with a simple way of understanding analytics, you've got to have some information to analyze. While Google provides amazing tools and information for webmasters, sometimes more is not better. So we're going to look at a tool called Alexa, a company owned by Amazon.
Alexa ranks websites based on data collected primarily through browser extensions. The score is a relative rank – it compares your site to all of the other sites out there and scores it related to those sites. The lower the score, the better your traffic is.
Here are a few ways you can help give Alexa more accurate information about your website and visits to it to help you get that score moving lower. This is the secret to knowing how to use Alexa to improve your blog's reach.
How to Use Alexa to Improve Your Blog's Reach
Claim Your Site
This involves signing up for an account at Alexa (you can choose the free one) and installing a snippet of code onto your website's pages. This confirms to Alexa that you own your site, and it gives you more precise measuring of your traffic and rank. You can also use various plugins to add your Alexa code, and it makes the process much easier than going into your blog files (and potentially messing up your pages).
Install the Alexa toolbar and encourage your visitors to do the same
This is huge. Alexa measures traffic via people with the appropriate extensions installed. Install the Alexa extension on your browser, and encourage your audience to do the same. It's a good reminder to add from time to time, since this will help give you the most visibility of the traffic you're getting.
Ask Your Audience to Review Your Site (and return the favor)
Getting positive site reviews are a great way to help lower your Alexa score (remember, lower is better). Teach your audience about why it's important to have your site reviewed in Alexa and ask them to review your site. Return the favor and review their sites as well. Reviewing a site is simple – go to Alexa.com and search for the site you want to review. When you find it, click the yellow button that says, "Write a Review."
Leave us a review and we'll return the favor!
Watch Your Backlinks
One of the things that Alexa is great at doing is giving you information about your backlinks. Having quality links into your site from a rich variety of high authority, relevant sites is one of the best ways to improve your Alexa rank and your overall position on search engine results.
Great backlinks cannot be bought. And they can't be gotten from an automated app. They are the result of cultivating relationships with other bloggers. One of the easiest ways to get quality backlinks is to read and comment upon other blogs in your niche. (Relevant comments on relevant blogs, please. No spamming your links into hundreds of blogs)
Be honest – is this new territory for you? What kind of tips would you like to learn, step-by-step, so you'll also know how to use Alexa to increase you blog's reach? Leave a comment below – we'd love to hear from you!