Inside Blizzard Tracker

Mary C. | 15 July 2005 |

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Using Tracking Statistics to Improve Web Design
Christine Burke - Blizzard Internet Marketing, Inc.

It would be easy for web designers to get the idea that tracking data is only useful to search engine marketers. There is, however, a wealth of information for the designer who wants to improve the usability of a web site. Here are some items to investigate:

What pages are used as entry pages?
Most of your marketing resources and linking partners point to your home page. Nevertheless, some visitors will make their initial landing on one of the interior pages. Why? It’s probably because there is content relevant to a specific search term on the pages. Look at the entry page report to see where people are landing. Do each of those pages make a good first impression? Are they as informative and visually appealing as your home page? If not, consider adding a prominent link to your home page, as well as some useful content to help the new visitor get oriented.

What are bounce rates?

The bounce rate is a metric that applies only to entry pages. If a visitor arrives on your site, and then exits after viewing one page, he has bounced. When we see bounce rates exceeding 50% of new visitors, we try to learn what the problem might be in either the design or the content. A well-performing site may have bounce rates from 18% to 35% for its most-used entry pages. An effective re-design can dramatically reduce high bounce rates.

What technologies are your web site visitors using? If you are marketing to high-tech corporations, it’s likely that most of your web site’s visitors use up-to-date browser versions. They probably have high-resolution screens. A growing percentage are using the Firefox browser. But what if your potential customers are surfing the web from home? What browsers and screen resolutions should you use when testing your new design?

The following table contains a selection of second quarter 2005 results from four web sites using Blizzard Tracker.

Technology Used by Visitors	Owner of analyzed web site
	Blizzard Internet Marketing	A country inn in New England	An educational institution	A hotel chain
Non-I.E. browsers	14%	12%	10%	8%
Firefox browser	8.5%	6%	6%	4%
Javascript enabled	91%	93%	97%	77%
Cookies enabled	88%	85%	83%	88%
Most common screen resolutions	1024 x 768 = 47% 800 x 600 = 18%	1024 x 768 = 51% 800 x 600 = 22%	1024 x 768 = 54% 800 x 600 = 30%	1024 x 768 = 42% 800 x 600 = 24%
Most common color palettes	32 bit = 71% 16 bit = 16%	32 bit = 70% 16 bit = 18%	32 bit = 69% 16 bit = 22%	32 bit = 55% 16 bit = 17%

Tracking visitor activity on your web site is a great way to scientifically refine your online marketing efforts. For more information about Blizzard Tracker, please visit www.blizzardtracker.com or telephone Blizzard at 888-840-5893.