Your website is your practice’s digital portal to the world. It’s open 24/7 and working hard when you’re at lunch, in consultations, or even sleeping. Along with your social media presence, your website is your digital surrogate. Because of this, many practices spend a considerable amount of time and money designing, re-designing, and updating their website.
But how do you know if your website is working?
The importance of website analytics
At Sightpath Medical, we believe that every ophthalmology practice website needs an analytics tracking service. By installing analytics software, you can determine how prospective patients are finding you, where they’re spending their time on your website, and how long they linger on each page before going elsewhere. Data like this can provide your practice a wealth of insights and ultimately make it easier for you to appeal to potential patients.
Our recommendation? Google Analytics!
Google Analytics is the gold standard for on-board website analytics, with an estimated 30-50 million websites already using it. Google Analytics’ interface allows users to see basic interactions from the number of visitors and total page views, to traffic acquisition and user behaviors. All this information is available for free — although it does require establishing a Google account to begin.
Establishing your Google Analytics account is easy for users who are already plugged into their own websites. Web professionals can typically install Google Analytics in less than an hour, although it might take a little longer for novices. Google has step-by-step tutorials on installation along with video resources to help get the most out of your Analytics account. As soon as the installation is complete, Google Analytics will illustrate a picture of activity on your site, from how your audience gets there, how long they spend on individual pages, and even basic demographic information.
By setting up a Google Analytics account, your practice can take the first step into a deeper world of data and opportunity. Starting down a road with Google Analytics allows you to access a deeper world of Search Engine Optimization (SEO), Search Engine Marketing (SEM), display advertising and more.