WebProNews

“This looks good” and “that feels right” may be a good approach to arranging furniture, but for tracking affiliate programs, Bill Bruno recommends using something more precise: Web analytics tools.  Bruno, a Project Manager at Stratigent, discussed the issue at the Affiliate Summit conference.

The biggest reason to embrace analytics tools, according to Bruno, is the quantitative data they provide.  This allows you to track how much revenue you’re making (and where), and, all in all, make more informed decisions.

Of course, to that end, having a bunch of numbers splashed on a screen in only the start.  “It’s not all about track campaign, it’s about doing something with it,” says Bruno.  He suggests evaluating visitor segments (in a practice known, logically enough, as “segmentation”) to start things off.

This should yield information on traffic sources, navigation patterns, and revenue; you should be able to determine which of your affiliate ads are providing you with most return, and how to optimize from there.

On a more step-by-step level, Bruno recommends completing traffic analysis, defining both critical metrics and scenarios, and then establishing baselines for all metrics and scenarios.  Lastly, you should identify improvements based on heuristics.

Got it?  Stratigent’s Project Manager thinks everyone should make analytics a priority, and incorporate these procedures into all business and development processes.