by , Artspell Web Solutions



Evaluating Your Internet Marketing Efforts
(August 21, 2011)

Using Google Analytics

One of the most useful free tools for evaluating your internet marketing efforts is Google Analytics. This article assumes that you have installed the Google analytics code on your web pages and have access to that account. If not, learn more at http://www.google.com/analytics/.

The shear volume of data that Analytics provides can be a little intimidating. One can easily get lost. Breaking it down can make it more meaningful and useful. This article will teach you how to segment your data to better evaluate your marketing endeavors.

Segmenting Paid Referral Advertisements

Separating your paid referrals from other visits is easily accomplished. While signed into your Google Analytics account:


  • Click on “Traffic Sources”
  • Click on “Referring Sites”, then review the list of referring sites and make note of those that you pay to receive
  • Access the “Advanced Segments” in the upper right corner of the dashboard
  • Create a new “Advanced Segment”
  • Click on “Dimensions”
  • Select “Source” and drag it to the form
  • Selection the condition “Matches Exactly”
  • Select one of the URLs from whom you purchase referrals
  • Click on add “or” statement and repeat until you’ve added all your paid URLs
  • Name the advanced segment something obvious like “Paid Referral Advertisements”. Then save the segment.

The Paid Referral Advertisement segment is now available any time you need it. Now when you view any report, you will be able to isolate the paid referrals by checking on your segment. Select both “All Visits” and “Paid Referral Advertisements” to compare the two.

Each report includes a “Bounce Rate”—the percentage of visitors who click onto your website, then immediately exit. Every website owner wants a low bounce rate, but many factors affect this score. For instance, there may be a high bounce rate if the site content is not interesting or confusing. A high bounce rate can also occur when visitors click on an ad that promises one thing and the site does not deliver that promise. When comparing the bounce rate of all visits to those of paid referrals, the score for paid referrals should not be significantly higher.

Reviewing Optimization Efforts

A segment can also be used to exclude data. Create a segment as instructed above. Use the “does not contain” condition while selecting each source from the pull down. Select the “add and statement” between each. If you pay for Google Adwords, you will need to eliminate those visits as well. Select the “Medium” then a condition of “Does Not Match Exactly” and select “cpc”. Name your special segment something obvious like “Optimization Segment” and save it. Use your new segment to compare the current year to the prior one. Select the beginning and ending dates for the current and previous year. You should see an increase in visits over the previous year.

Create segments of your own. Evaluating the effectiveness of your internet marketing is easier than ever.

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