Association members are increasingly turning to association websites for news, networking and resources, which is why tracking these visits is fundamental to managing a successful site. Here are three reasons why it’s so important for associations to have Google Analytics running on their sites:
- It’s a dynamic research tool
Google Analytics collects huge amounts of valuable data about the visitors who come to your site — from their geographic location to how long they spend on the site, to which pages they visit the most, to which browser they use to access your site. There are so many stories to be to tell based on a quick study of these data points. For example, what are the most popular pages on your site? Is there a jump in traffic when your email newsletter is sent? By using Google Analytics you have access to information about which visitors use your site, and this information can help you constantly improve your site to make it the most beneficial to your association’s members. - Advertisers will demand it
The days of “taking your word for it” when it comes to reporting website traffic from internal log files are over. Advertisers who spend money on your website will often now require third-party reporting on your site’s visitor traffic. If this is news to you, don’t fret. Google Analytics will provide you with accurate third-party reports to share with your advertisers who can then rest assured that your site traffic is audited. There are other vendors who can provide this type of online reporting, but we have found the Google Analytics is widely accepted by the media buying community. - The price is right
That’s right. Google Analytics is free! You will need to add some code to your website (Google provides it) so that Google Analytics can monitor the traffic, but the work ends there. Once the code is in place, you wait a few hours and then you will be up and running without having to spend a dime.
If you don’t have Google Analytics running on your association’s website, get started today. Not sure how to take the first step or are you interested in having us help you plan a strategy? Contact us.