When it comes to search engine optimization, content marketing and a mixture of the two, having the proper data sets around is crucial in understanding what you are doing right and what you are doing wrong. Unfortunately, all too many people use data merely as a reference tool, or worse, think that the simple act of collecting it makes them prepared. In order to get any use out of your metrics and analytics, you must know what they mean and how to act. You should already have your data solutions in place that determine what people are interacting with on your site and how they are interacting with it, but where to go from there? We’ll discuss how to organize your work in a way that ensures you get the most from your data.

Examine Google Analytics Daily

Most websites rely upon a small amount of traffic, mostly through pinging URLs to people via search and social media. While it may not seem that the need to inspect this daily is necessary, tools like Google Analytics can help you maximize the effect you are having on said traffic. In order to pick up on new trends, errors and potential areas for improvement, a constant assessment of what Google Analytics is telling you is absolutely necessary. With plenty of different dashboards for all of your website’s data, you’ll be able to keep an eye on PPC, engagement, social media and other important metrics.

Bring in a Social Media Dashboard

Some people use Google Analytics to keep tabs on their social media engagement, but a social media-specific dashboard utility can do much better. Hootsuite is one notable example, which allows you to assess social media profiles across Google Plus, YouTube, Twitter, Facebook and more. Since Hootsuite details this data in much clearer fashion than Google Analytics does with website data, you’ll be able to not only determine how you are performing, but what specific actions should be taken to improve engagement, sharing and other social functions.

Assessing Your Flaws

With at least two separate metrics systems that you check daily, a clear trend of where you are under-performing should become clear. At this point, you’ll need to jot down all of these areas as part of your targeted action list. There is no problem that you will identify that has not been experienced by a webmaster in the past, so do not fret. Google is your friend, and will show you simple solutions to many of these under-performing areas. While some corrections may take time to show effect, your targeted action list will take you in the right direction for addressing these elements.

Conclusion

Your guide to moving past the simple data collection and onto action is crucial for your long-term success. With a variety of necessary metrics at your disposal, you’ll suddenly have the answers to a lot of questions that you may not have asked yet. With a targeted action list available that makes sense of which areas need improvement, you’ll be able to uncover the solutions to these problems and begin pinging URLs and desirable forms of content to your readers, which will result in increased shares and traffic.