A visually stunning website, although eye-catching, will not necessarily get your firm new business. Content is single-handedly the most important component of website success but, unlike an attractive design, it can be difficult to evaluate. How do site visitors perceive the information on your site and how is that perception affecting their decision to contact (and retain) you? Google Analytics can help you answer these questions with its statistics on website content.

The purpose of a website is to serve as a resource for its visitors. If you maintain a site for your law firm, it is essential that you track visitor activity for new and returning users to evaluate your site’s effectiveness. Google Analytics is a great resource because it compiles detailed visitor information in a manner that is easy to understand. These details include an overview of the number of visits, absolute unique visitors, and pageviews. With so much information at your fingertips, it can be difficult to digest the statistics and understand their significance.

Last week, we examined the various ways through which a website visitor arrives at your site with our look at Referral Sources. Today, we’re going to focus on a factor which helps to measure traffic quality--the bounce rate. Simply defined, the bounce rate measures the number of single page visits that your site receives. If a visitor lands on your home page and then exits your site without visiting another page, they are seen as “bouncing” out.

Google Analytics is an excellent (and free) program which offers great insight into traffic statistics for your law firm’s website. The site tracks all traffic to your site, storing a wide array of information on referral sources, visitor information and content. With so much being offered, the Analytics control panel can be a bit overwhelming for beginners and even seasoned site owners. Over the next five weeks, we will explore the five most important statistics to consider when evaluating your website’s success. First up: Traffic Sources.