| Sign in: |
| Members log in here with your user name and password to access the your admin page and other special features. |
|
|
|
|
|| SportsShooter.com: Member Message Board
Google Analytics + Your Website: A Survey
Allen Murabayashi, Photographer
 |
New York | NY | USA | Posted: 2:50 AM on 05.22.09 |
->> A number of photographers have shared their website analytics with me for the purposes of trying to compile a baseline by which you could compare your own website.
I took a one month snapshot of the data and reported my findings here:
http://blog.photoshelter.com/corp/2009/05/photography-websites-google-an.ht...
If you're so inclined, please share your analytics with me, so we can expand the accuracy. Instructions are at the end of the blog post. Thanks! |
|
James Madelin, Photographer
|
AKL | Auckland | New Zealand | Posted: 3:58 AM on 05.30.09 |
| ->> that is really really interesting data, thanks allen. i'm staggered at how high the average time on site is... as you say, proving how sticky photos are. |
|
Chuck Steenburgh, Photographer
|
Lexington | VA | USA | Posted: 8:00 AM on 05.30.09 |
| ->> Hate to say this, Allen, but your "survey" will never be "statistically significant" because it lacks what is even more important than sample size: randomness. |
|
Sherrlyn Borkgren, Photographer
|
Eugene | OR | USA | Posted: 6:38 PM on 06.04.09 |
->> We learn as we go don't we.
I've been watching my blog and my latest website on weddings. My website people stay longer which makes no sense to me as I get more feedback via comment on my wedding blog. Check them out and share any mysteries you come up with
http://www.BorkgrenPhoto.net
http://www.lovesimplyhappens.blogspot.com |
|
Clark Brooks, Photo Editor, Photographer
|
Urbana | IL | USA | Posted: 11:37 AM on 08.11.09 |
->> Sherrlyn,
No brainer. Your wedding site is flash driven. You gotta wait for stuff to load so of course people are going to be on longer. With the timing on your slide show visitors to that site are at your mercy until they have seen enough and decide to leave or visit another link on your site. I made it through four photos before I jumped off. Someone interested in your services will probably last longer. Not sure what your interval is on the slide changes but I lasted that long.
The blog OTOH people can read/scan at their own speed. I rolled 1/2 down the page in less than 15 seconds. The design is too busy for my taste as it is hard to keep my eyes on the main text without being distracted by the content in the column on the right. I could probably read the first page in a minute or two and see more photos and samples of your work in the same time then on your wedding site. |
|
Clark Brooks, Photo Editor, Photographer
|
Urbana | IL | USA | Posted: 11:43 AM on 08.11.09 |
->> "Hate to say this, Allen, but your "survey" will never be "statistically significant" because it lacks what is even more important than sample size: randomness."
There is a benchmarking feature where your site is compared to similar sites of the same size or specific industries. They use data from a minimum of 100 and max of 1000 sites to compare performance. Unfortunately, which sites your site is being compared against is anonymous. |
|
Lane Hickenbottom, Photographer
|
Omaha | NE | usa | Posted: 6:37 PM on 08.11.09 |
->> It's interesting to look at your data, even if it is a small and non-random sample rate...it's interesting.
A couple comments:
Blogs really change the meaning of the statistics. For example, any time I post a blog post my daily visits go up 50%. Likewise, my bounce rate goes up proportionally. The reason? These are repeat, loyal readers who visit my site because of a Facebook status change, tweet, RSS update or email notification that I've updated my blog. They follow the link directly to the blog post, love it and leave. This behavior results in a bounce, but is actually good traffic. This kind of loyal, repeat traffic also drives down the average time on site numbers, which is statistically negative. The reality of these visitors is that they are a huge source of referral business, or are likely to pay for my services. Not the same as "I came, I puked, I left"
Flash sites really change the meaning of the statistics. If a prospective customer comes to my html splash page, then goes to my flash portfolio page, spend an hour looking at every single photo, reading everything I have writen and then sends me an email saying they want to hire me, this is some deep browsing. Analytics sees it as two page hits.
Online carts really change the meaning of the statistics. If I have a wedding with 2000 photos posted on the e-commerce section of my site, you can bet the bride is going to look at EVERY. SINGLE. PHOTO. It's really the opposite affect of the low flash site traffic statistics.
Even so, I found it very interesting! |
|
Clark Brooks, Photo Editor, Photographer
|
Urbana | IL | USA | Posted: 2:15 PM on 03.08.10 |
->> Hey Allen,
Any updates or musings in your findings/research as it pertains to your original blog post? |
|
Return to --> Message Board Main Index
|