Squarespace Analytics for Pros Part 2: Understanding Web Traffic and Trends
Squarespace Analytics shows an in-depth picture of website performance. It presents powerful insights into who's visiting, what they're looking for, and how they're engaging with content. And if you look closely, you may find patterns and trends to capitalize on.
Here's how you can use your Squarespace Analytics dashboard to analyze client websites.
Traffic Overview
Having an overview of site visits, unique visitors, and page views helps identify problems—and opportunities—early on. For instance, if you notice a drop in site visits, look for the source of the problem. Maybe there’s a broken link to your homepage, for example. You'll need to run URL checks to identify pages that once served as a landing page for quality traffic.
Over time, you'll notice trends such as seasonality—a pattern in traffic based on the time of the year—that can be useful down the line. With this data, your clients can plan for upcoming surges in traffic, such as around the summertime or holidays.
You'll also have visibility on which pages continue to perform well or decline over time. A reduction in performance can occur for topical news pages and after a sale ends. Connect dots to determine the root of the declining numbers before making changes to the site.
Activity Log
In your activity log, you'll get to see how visitors navigate through the site. This is powerful intel that can guide the design and content of the site. Use this information to monitor the flow of traffic and see where it drops off.
If there's a trend where visitors leave at a specific page, check it out. Maybe the page doesn't work or needs better (or up-to-date) content.
Understanding the path that visitors take sheds light on the behaviors of your audience. For example, you may find traffic from social media posts tend to go directly to product pages to buy. While those that stem from organic search first go to blog posts before signing up for the newsletter. Use this to identify the best journey based on each channel.
Geography Stats
Knowing the location of visitors can help you create an online experience that best suits them. For example, if your client is a local business that only serves a particular radius, you’ll want to make sure visitors are primarily from that city. Try inserting localized keywords throughout the headings and copy on the site. This may help target nearby traffic.
Geography stats can also help your clients identify new markets to grow their business. If a company would like to expand into new regions, keeping an eye on this metric will solidify their campaign is working.
Learn more about setting up a physical location with Squarespace using Location Management and Google My Business in the Managing business listings online Help guide.
Google Search Keywords
What keywords are users entering into Google to find your clients' websites? In the Search Keywords panel, you’ll see the search terms frequently used. Pour over the data to see if there's a trend. Here, you can also track key performance indicators (KPIs) like clicks, impressions, click rate, and average position.
Other keywords will determine user intent. For instance, traffic may show an intent to buy or perform research. The former is great if your client is looking to sell a product or service. The latter is better to target for blog posts that inform readers of their problems.
Traffic Sources
Where traffic stems from will determine the quality of a website's visitors. If your client sites aren't converting, then it could be due to low-quality traffic. By looking at the web analytics for traffic sources, you can find overlooked, but profitable channels.
Maybe a lot of conversions are coming from traffic that stems from Facebook, Google, or PPC ads. This will identify the best sources to consider investing more time and money into.
Want more?
Check out these resources for more information on using Squarespace Analytics to amplify your clients’ digital strategies.