Date Added: August 02, 2007 01:00:59 PM

Having had the benefit of meeting with many small business owners, I’ve found that too often they’re disappointed with their website results. In frustration, some have given up or are reluctant to try something new for lack of funds, time, and/or staff. This article describes three tools that overcome all three concerns and help the website owner to increase website traffic.

Consider this analogy: Farmers prepare the soil and plant seeds. While harvesting, they find that some areas of their fields produce better than others. If all areas produced equally they would see better profits at harvest time. With the aid of electronic technology, farmers have dramatically increased their crop yields. Global positioning systems (GPS) and other electronic tools enable them to monitor the harvest yield in real-time to determine areas in their fields that need special attention. With this data, they can control fertilizer applications to get maximum yield throughout their land. The results make a big impact on their bottom line.

Online businesses have similar problems. Websites often have multiple pages. Some pages produce better results than others. There are tools to monitor web site traffic to identify the pages that are getting the most attention. Insights lead to changes needed in the content, design, and promotion of the website to improve its effectiveness.

Following are three easy-to-implement tools that can help drive more traffic to a website.

1. Google Analytics

Google Analytics is a free tool from Google that can track website traffic. It is comprehensive and provides information about the popularity of the individual pages, about the ads that have been clicked to arrive at the website, and other pertinent information. The tracking information gives insights on needed changes to yield better results.

To install Google Analytics go to http://www.google.com/analytics/sign_up.html and sign up for the Program. After filling out the form, a program code is assigned. Copy the code and paste it below the body on each page in the website that needs to be tracked. Tracking results can be checked and the report can be sent to as many users as necessary.

2. Alexa

Alexa is another free tool that has many similar features. Go to the Alexa site at http://www.alexa.com in the "Search" section and enter the URL of the site to be tracked. Alexa will provide data regarding the traffic to the website, distribution of visitors, location-related information, and other aspects that help in making decisions. It can also give comparative data on competitors websites. In the "Developer's Corner", click on "Link Report" and enter an email address to which the report should be delivered.

3. Business Builder Webcast

A Business Builder Webcast is a new generation pre-sales tool that very effectively captures the attention and interest of potential customers. Once a prospect is interested, he or she is likely to make a telephone call, send an email, or click on a link that takes them directly to the target website. Although the webcast is not free, it is very affordable for small businesses. It is easy to implement and requires no additional investment in capital equipment or staff. Built-in tracking features provide information beyond that identified by Google and Alexa. To see examples of a Business Builder Webcast, click on online business websites.

In summary, there are three tools that can be used to help increase website traffic. They are Google Analytics, Alexa, and a Business Builder Webcast. These tools are easily implemented and will provide valuable insights leading to improved website traffic.

About the Author:
Richard Gunderson is the President of M. A. Richards & Company, LLC. With over 30 years of business experience, including 10 years in running small businesses, he has provided online marketing consulting services for a number of companies. Online marketing solutions from his business are unique, effective, and affordable.
www.businessgrowthsolutions.com