Week One of Google Analytics

Last Tuesday (at about lunchtime) I started utilising Google Analytics so that I could see whether anyone was accidently stumbling across my blog. Up until then the only indication I received was if someone left a comment, as traffic data from my web host is considered an extra and costs £15 per year! Today I can see, for the first time, a week's worth of data. Although as a webometrician it is not suprising that I have been looking at the data numerous times over the last week.

Since the introduction of Google Analytics I have had 78 unique users from 11 different countries, and whilst that is not exactly setting the world on fire, I can at least rest in the knowledge that I wouldn't be doubling my audience by sending my mother the URL.

The most curious finding was the amount of traffic I had driven to my site by Google for a post I wrote on the 16th of September about a rather idiotic Facebook group called 'Leamington Spa Celebrity Mental Spotting'. The traffic emphasises that it is not necessarily the topic that is important, but rather the uniqueness of the topic. Whilst there are millions of people searching for 'iPhone' and 'Facebook', there are millions of posts on those subjects; whereas there are only a few people searching for 'leamington spa celebrity mental spotting' but the small number of posts means that mine is likely to be near the top of the pile.

The statistics also point out the necessity of making the blog more engaging, most users only viewed the one page. Whilst a pre-defined template is never going be very exciting, the ease of use makes them very appealing.

Who knows, maybe with the help of Google Analytics I will have over 100 unique users next week!