If you have a website, you are probably trying to promote something. To find out how your website is operating, you should use the right methods and reports to check your metrics. There are plenty of ways that may not be appropriate to what you’re trying to measure, and many more that will apply. Digital Innovations Web Design is here to give you web design tips, and to help you use and understand proper website reporting tools to use in order to help grow your website. Read through this guide to identify some ways you may be checking metrics of your website incorrectly.
YOU’RE TESTING YOUR WEBSITE SPEED MULTIPLE TIMES
If you have a diagnostic website reporting tool such as Pingdom Website Speed Test with the intent to see how quick (or slow) your website performance is, only use this test ONE time. A common mistake people make is retesting the page multiple times until they receive the results they expect to see. This is the wrong way to test your website’s performance as it produces false readings and almost tricks the tool into increasing your website’s speed. For the most accurate of measures, run this test only once and fix your website based on that standard.
YOU THINK THAT CACHING IS IMPROVING YOUR WEBSITE SPEED
If you are trying to use caching to increase the speed of your website, this may not be working for you if your website is not set to standards. Caching WILL NOT work if caches are cleared regularly or if users enter the page through a series of other pages. These will not improve your website, they can hinder it. In order for caching to be effective, you need to make sure your site’s content is static, or mostly so, and your page must have a lot of users and traffic. Other criteria exist regarding web performance that you can find in the provided link, as well.
YOU’RE NOT USING KPIS
A KPI, otherwise known as a Key Performance Indicator, is used to identify the best aspects of your website. If you are not using any diagnostic tools, you’ll be unaware of any bugs or issues your users may be having when trying to access your website. This is the worst thing on this list, as it indicates little is being done to understand your website. In order to get started tracking your web analytics and progress, try using a program like Google Analytics Basics. This tool is able to measure various aspects of your site from its conversion rate to how long it takes a customer to complete a task on your page. No matter how large or small your site, you should be using KPIs.
DIGITAL INNOVATIONS WEB DESIGN
Whether you’re looking for a grand website or a minimalist design, Digital Innovations Web Design is here to lend a hand. Developing a website is difficult, we understand that. You shouldn’t have to go through the learning process alone. Remember, there are many wrong ways of reporting your website’s performance, so be sure to follow this guide to use and identify the right methods.
