Google Analytics is a powerful tool that can help you to build a successful blog (or a website) if you know how to use it. In this post, I walk you through some of the best features available with Google Analytics and how you can use it to build a successful future for your blog.

What? You have not installed Google Analytics. Oh, man you are missing a world. For the starters, Google Analytics helps you to know your visitors – where do they come from (yes, even at the city or street level), what they do at your site, what they click etc. Sign in to Google Analytics (it’s free) and get started first. Unless you know where you are now, you can not build a successful future.

Jump in.
As an example, I have used the stats of the blog that you are viewing and you can open a Google Analytics window to check your own.

A successful blog in my view has large amount of daily traffic, loyal (returning) readers, generates lots of traffic (read as money…LOL) and of course provides a good reading that you will not miss the blog at any cost. In order to build a successful blog, we need to build a blog that has valuable content, worthy for every visitor and also should build massive traffic. Google Analytics also gives many tools that could measure all the three (and one more for measuring your Adwords performance if you are advertising).

Let us see one one by one.

1. Visitors Graph:
The very first thing you will notice when you login is the last week’s number of visitors graph. You may see few occasional spikes (if some big site like Digg sends you a flooding visitors). The average line indicates regular flow of traffic – for starters, try to keep that above 100.

How do you that? Post regularly, at least 1 post a day, ping blog directories, advertise your blog address through emails, forums and chats.

2. How do they come?
Next thing you should notice is how do your visitors find you. You can see under ‘Traffic sources’ to know from your visitors come from. Direct traffic indicates that they typed your blog URL (straight from the heart) right into the browser. It is good as they are your good readers (loyal, revisiting brand ambassadors for your blog).

Also follow how much traffic comes from search engines. IF not much, then add your blog to diretories, try Search Engine Optimization (SEO) to improve your blog code.

Because, it is a well known fact that the traffic that comes from search engines are the ones that earn you money. Why? because, they are the ones who are looking for something – so, they would come (if they cant find something on your post) and click on some ads and leave your site – good for your wallet.

3. Who refer your site?
Also, the referring sites – go down to the detail to find out which sites refer to your blog posts? If so what post they are referring to. Digg users are fond of lists – for instance, StumbleUpon users are interested in photos – generally. So, deliver a mix of content to suit your audience.
4. Which traffic is good for you?
Direct traffic is always good – because, thats is your basic flow of traffic – they would constantly visit for your blog updates – so, update your blog often (at least once a day or two).

5. How many posts did they read/see?
Next, see how many blog posts a visitor visits. Say, they are coming from a referral site – are there any other blog posts that will attract them?

Use categories, similar posts, labels, tags to show other articles that might interest the visitor. If you can , get a “Related Posts” plugin for your blogger like this blog – simple but very effective to keep your reader for long time.

In the visitors section, you can analyze the characteristics of your blog readers and understand them to serve better.

6. Did they stay long enough?
How much time they spend on your site? Either reading it or browsing through the content? Your goal is to keep the visitor for at least 5 minutes (thats is a big goal, believe me). But, a good design, not much ads – organized content – catchy articles will keep them for login time – they would even bookmark your blog if they had to go to toilet urgently.

7. How fast your site loads?
Find what type of bandwidth your visitors use, if the majority of your users are from Dial-ups, then you have to check the loading time of your blog – and optimize it accordingly. IF not, you will loose your readers. Use the Web Page analyzer to get the loading times over different type of Internet connections.

8. Can you offer them a special treat?
Which are the major search engines / web sites that drive traffic to you. Can you orient your future articles towards their users. If I find many of the Orkut users visit my page, then I would write a “101 tips for Orkut users” as a special post.

9. Are they loyal and coming back for more?
Repeat visitors – are really good. But , if you offer full RSS feeds, they would read your posts from their faourite feed readers. Include a “related posts” link at the end to make them visit, deep link to your own articles so they would curiously click and visit your blog.

Ideally, you should have 30% of your readers as daily visitors – thats a good way to build traffic. Only by developing good content, you can achieve this.

10. How much percentage?
As mentioned, ideally it should be 50-50. Also, invest time to think why your first time readers just leave.
11. At what time you should post?
Your regular posting schedule should match your visitors time zones. So, choose to post a regular interval so – a visitor would be able to always see some fresh content on your blog page.

12. For whom you must write?
It is interesting to note that who stays longer and who visits more pages – Americans or Europeans? Write for the people who respects you (:p)

13. Are they coming back?
Loyal readers come only for good content. Skip to next point.

14. How long they stayed?
Redesign your home page to show key articles – add a link o your key articles at the end of every blog post such as “Table of Content” or “Complete List of Blog posts”.

It also depends on the quality of individual posts – if someone doesn’t like the way you have written in the current post, they wont bother to check the complete list – whatsoever.

15. Does your blog speak multi-language?
Do you have a translation tool for “the foreigners”? Get some language translation tool and install in your sidebar prominently. I promise it would increase the number of visitors.

16. How to increase pageviews?
Create flagship content (free e-book for download) as discussed by Chris G and develop them and post it prominently on your blog page so readers cannot miss them at all.

17. Did they go deep enough?
Also, check how easily navigable your blog is – can the readers come to the main page with a click? If the readers are frustrated about finding things, then you will loose them.

Content by far the most important element in a blog. Strike a balance between what you love doing and what sells in the market. Follow your readers but don’t loose your inner passion.

18. What sells?
Content by Title will tell you what your readers found most interesting of all your blog posts. Occasionally, refer to the list and produce similar posts. Add a ‘If you like this post, you may also like these’ type of addendum at the end of such famous posts (flagships posts, remember?).

19. Why did they come and why do they leave?
Which pages have more entrances and from where do they leave – Landing pages and Exit pages – will give an indication of what sells and what doesn’t.

20. How your blog looks to them?
Does your blog look good in this? Check with IE, Firefox and other browsers – check with Browser Shots.

21. What should you write in the future?
Align your future content to key words. Make it a point that at least for a few set of keywords, your blog should rank first in the search engines. Cleverly emphasis on the keywords. Do you know how make money online become famous?

22. High bounces no good for you
A high bounce rate (above 80%) indicates people are leaving your site very quickly. Either they are impatient for your site to load, or they didn’t like the design or some reason that you have to figure out. Keep the bounce rate to the minimum – it needs lot of work.

23. Other factors:
Screen resolutions, support for flash, javascripts etc also makes a lot of difference. So, watch the trend – retain your first time visitors.

Study your Analytics in detail and not down these things.
Then, work out a plan of action.
All the best for building a successful blog and make a living online.

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