This is a guest post by Vincent Roman, friendly web developer & programmer at VincentRoman.com.
There is always a tendency on the part of business owners and stakeholders in the design and development process of a website to simply go ahead and implement what they like or think makes sense to themselves. Of course when you implicitely understand your own business everything to do with it just makes sense, but what about to the outsider?
Analytics are more than simply traffic stats so that you can see how busy your web site it and what kind of search terms and sites are driving visitors to your site, they are also useful for understanding the user journeys individuals take around your site. They are a great way to optimise your site so that the design, layout and functionality collectively optimise the impact and success, as defined by conversion rates. Setting end goals and monitoring their success versus variations on your web site is a great way to make sure your site is always on top of its game.
Off the cuff and ill-conceived changes are your worst enemies, they simply cost you money in terms of development time and in terms of potential success. Understanding how users interact with your web site through analytics stats, click maps and analysis of journey paths is the best way to dictate what you do and don’t do with your site’s form factor.
Making your site as logical and as easy to use for your clients and site visitors is the best way to start in building a strong and productive relatiionship. A well built and considered site is a great way to inspire people with confidence and to build a base from which to start.
Vincent Roman (www.vincentroman.com) is a full-time web professional with a track record building everything from experience sites to full blown business web applications. He draws on 5 years freelance experience and another 4 years working for successful startup Last.fm and award winning web production company Stink Digital.