8 Tips for Analyzing Web Data

With the growth of the world wide web, much of the world’s data can be found in one place. It connects people to one another for business and pleasure, but it is also used to connect commerce and economies. Technology is a vital part of society’s daily functioning, and navigating through the zetabytes of information effectively can’t be done without the use of help. The Internet continues to explode with information, requiring new systems of analysis to help interpret what is important and what is not.

The opportunity to grow your business or explore the potential that the data hold can only be seized if you are willing to collect the data and process it. There are three primary data collection options, and they include web scraping, visual data collection, and web data as a service. When it comes to understanding the actual traffic on the Web, it can get more confusing. The visitors to your website bring a certain amount of data with them, and it is this information that can be collected and analyzed to help determine how effective your website and presentation is.  For this understanding of website traffic, there are several popular tools that you can use.

1. Google Analytics

If your company likes to be budget-conscious or you are just starting out and don’t have much to spend, Google Analytics is one of the best free tools that can be used to track web traffic. The keywords that attract visitors to your page are revealed, just as the reports show which parts of the website design are the least pleasant to your visitors.

2. Spring Metrics

A simpler version of the analytics tools is what makes Spring Metrics a popular choice. For those who feel less confident in their ability to interpret data or navigate through the data, this program offers real-time conversion analytics, landing-page, and keyword analytics. One unique feature is the ability of the program to track a visitor from the moment he lands on the website until the time he leaves.

3. Woopra

For another real-time tracking program, Woopra is an option. This is a desktop application that can send live stats about online visitors, tracking where they live, where they have been on your website, and what pages they go to. It also allows you to live chat with individuals visiting your site.

4. Clicky

If you only manage one website, then Clicky might be a good, economical option. You can receive real-time information, which includes observations about what current traffic is doing on your site. The dashboard is easy to navigate and clearly presents the most important information. There is a mobile app version as well.

5. Mint

A self-hosted analytics tool that is extremely affordable, Mint offers real-time stats. It shows the page they are viewing and where the visitor is coming in from. It can also let you make adjustments through its compatible Peppermill program.

6. Chartbeat

If you are looking for instant information, Chartbeat lets you keep watch on the visitors to your site and what they are doing while there. This information makes it easier to make adjustments to help optimize your content design.

7. Kissmetrics

Tracking the individual movement of visitors through a website is the benefit of the Kissmetrics analytics tool. The data reveals behavioral changes in time of interaction, and it helps to identify patterns and responding trends. The information is present in a clean, easy-to-follow visual format, showing website owners where the most traffic is coming from.

8. UserTesting

One of the more unique options, these options gather information about site users through a group of participants that are being paid to form a set list of tasks on the website. Everything is video recorded, and after the session is over, you are able to watch and hear the perspective.

For companies seeking to understand the product market, the web offers insight into consumer trends, the competition, and the company’s potential. If a company fails to see the importance of the data, they are going to get left behind.