Day Seven - Tracking and Analytics

Okay, have to admit. After seeing all the tools so far, it's easy to become jaded. Especially since this is the first time I've even attempted some of these tasks. But I am continually amazed at what Google can produce.

Case in point. Google Analytics. You can insert a small piece of code on your website and Google will track your visitors. How they found you. How many were unique. Even what part of the country they came from. How cool is that? And with WordPress Direct, you don't even have to insert code. Just extract your tracking ID from the code that Google gives you, enter it in a certain spot on your site information form and boom! WordPress Direct enters it on your site. Easy as falling off a log. (But doesn't hurt as much!)

I'm excited to see what Google will have to say about my site. I kinda feel like I'm standing by a lamppost on the corner in front of my store, wearing a trench coat and fedora. Whipping out my notebook from a deep pocket, taking my pencil from behind my ear, I make a tally mark on the top page right as someone enters the store. Okay, maybe not. You get the idea

The other cool thing today (and I hope I'll have access to after the Challenge is over!) is the TDC Stats Tracker. This is how it works (or how you work it!):

You enter in your Affiliate link, name it and click Add. The system generates a unique link that is a lot shorter than the original Affiliate link (think tinyurl or snipurl). Then, when you use that link on your blog instead of the original, TDC will track how many click's your link has had. Talk about cool! I've had my links up there for less than a day, and I've had almost 20 click throughs. Now if people would only buy!

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