I have been a big fan of Google Analytics and a regular user for about 8 years. The level of detail it provides on not only my visitors but their behaviour on websites I run is invaluable. I was excited last week to hear about probably the platform’s biggest development in the history of the product – Real-Time reporting.
Although currently still in BETA release, real-time provides a current view of visitors on your site, using the metrics the tool has used for years. So if you’re running a specific campaign you can watch in real-time the impressions it is providing to your site. Couple this with some live chat technology and providing your campaign has a dedicated microsite, your campaign visitors could receive a very personalised response without actually having to do anything other that visit the site. I will be trialling this on a campaign in January and let you know how I get on.
So, this is great but it has got me thinking. How good would it be for the likes of Twitter and Facebook to open its doors and let us see real-time stats on our profile pages? If we could accurately monitor the number of profile viewers at any one time we could push content at times when we know we have engagement with us or our company’s brand.
I urge Facebook and Twitter to understand the power this would give their users and look at investing in developing a real time analytics engine. It would of course be quick and easy for Google to implement this on Google+ and for business use, might just be the game changer it’s been looking for.
INSIDE A MARKETING MIND: BLOG BY GARETH CASE 
Thanks for the great blog Gareth! Analytics in theory makes a difference to the way marketing is approached; consequently offering a streamlined manner to adapt elements of a site into a more appealing and receptive marketing tool. This influences search engine optimization in order to improve ranking and scope. It also allows monitoring alternative marketing strategies.
However, it does not influence results unless a site owner has a grasp on how to achieve targeted traffic. It does not matter how many people are visiting if they are not buying into what one is selling. Whether ones site is for information purposes, or to offer services, or promote goods the focus must be directed at the right audience.
One has to ask how analytics will provide tangible benefit. But more importantly the need to understand site optimization will definitely pay back the effort to learn, and use site analytics effectively.
Posted by Carl Boniface | November 26, 2011, 10:35 am