Beyond Google Analytics: Five steps to a better performing website

Way back in 1996, when the web was young, Bill Gates published an article about the web entitled “Content is King”. That’s a maxim that remains true to this day – no matter how hard you work at maximising traffic to your website, there’s no substitute for great content that makes people keep coming back.

Even so, it takes targeted optimisation to make your website as effective as it can be. You need to know how visitors are interacting with your pages, identify what’s drawing them in – and pinpoint anything that might drive them away.

The easiest way to discover all of this is with Google Analytics. In the 16 years since its launch, this freemium tool has become the go-to for online marketers the world over, providing a simple way to monitor and analyse your web traffic.

Yet while Google Analytics makes a great starting point for digital marketing, that doesn’t mean it’s where online businesses should end their efforts. There’s more going on than just what Google Analytics will show you, and if you can’t see the big picture then online opportunities are likely to pass you by.

So, what are these other metrics your online business should be looking at? We’ve been talking to digital marketing experts to find out, with responses focusing on two main areas: first, how to get better