Google Analytics - Visitor loyalty

One of the standard reports available to me through the use of Google Analytics on this blog is a count of return visits by the same computer, presumably representing a single individual.  The recent incarnation of this blog was six weeks old on August 17. The screen shot below shows the Google Analytics Visitor Loyalty graph of this blog for the period July 6 through August 17. Analytics counted a total of 726 blog-wide visits during that time span.

Google explains the loyalty graph this way.

"Loyal visitors are usually highly engaged with your brand and a high number of multiple visits indicates good customer and visitor retention. A high number of new visitors (i.e. those at the top of the table) indicates strong visitor recruitment. On this histogram, your most loyal visitors are shown on the bottom and your new and least loyal visitors are shown at the top." 

People either like this blog and return, or they don't and they stay away.  That much is simple. It's useful to know the percentages.

SEO - Google's keyword tool

I have to assume that nobody knows search engine optimization better than Google. Google has its standard of excellence for web pages hinged to Google's purpose of giving people what they are looking for. It's a simple matter that when Google says web masters ought to do this, that, and another thing, then the smart thing to do is this, that, and whatever else Google says.

It is especially easy since Google has gone to such great detail to explain what they look for, and it has made the information easily available. Plus, Google has also provided an assortment of well designed, useful, and free tools with which to work. By steadily adding to its collection of web master tools over the years, Google has not only provided a valuable web toolbox, it has also put a number of SEO enterprises out of business. What was previously available only for a price is now available for free, and the information is more authoritatively reliable.

One such example is the Keyword Tool contained within Google's Adwords program. By using this tool for the keyword "SEO," the suggestions shown in the screenshot below were quickly provided. The list shown is a small part of the whole, and it is sorted by "local monthly searches." In this instance, "local" means the United States.

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Screenshot 1 - 20100723-01

Tom Fox
Louisville, Kentucky
Tom Fox on Twitter

Analytics - Blogger statistics

A new analytics feature was announced for Google's Blogger.com earlier this month in Blogger in Draft. Although this new component to Blogger is a quick and easy way to view a summary of blog activity, it is no substitute for the power and flexibility of Google Analytics.  The Blogger stats package is comparable to the stats feature of Wordpress blogging software.

For a full-featured analytical view of Blogger blogs, including conversion tracking, I'm sticking to Google Analytics for the big picture. There is much more detailed information available.

Tom Fox
Louisville, Kentucky
Tom Fox on Twitter