When revenue and traffic growth stagnate in website operation, many may wonder how to address this situation. In such cases, access analysis comes in handy. By conducting access analysis, the points that need improvement on the website become clear. With access analysis, you can identify site weaknesses and implement effective SEO strategies without dedicating excessive time to SEO efforts.

Hence, in this article, we will provide a clear introduction to the overview, purpose, and crucial points of access analysis. We’ll also introduce the effects, benefits, and recommended free analysis tools, so those interested in leveraging their website operation in the future can refer to this guide.

What is Access Analysis?

Access analysis refers to visualizing and analyzing the situation, behavior, and characteristics of visitors to a website in numerical terms. Access analysis allows for obtaining detailed information about users, such as gender, age, location, and interests.

Moreover, since the behavior history of users within the site can be quantified, it is also possible to analyze the actions leading to conversion. Website operators struggling with growth can solve problems and make improvements by effectively utilizing access analysis tools.

Three Purposes of Access Analysis

To improve website operation, it’s essential to conduct access analysis. However, merely examining site information without purpose is meaningless. To utilize access analysis for future content creation and site improvement, it’s crucial to conduct it with a clear purpose in mind. The main objectives of access analysis include the following:

-Identifying site challenges 

-Analyzing user behavior 

-Validating the effectiveness of measures 

Let’s examine each purpose in detail.

Identifying Site Challenges

To solve site operation challenges and problems, it’s crucial to first understand the site’s issues. Access analysis enables visualizing visitor numbers, page views, user demographics, and behavior within content in numerical terms.

For instance, if visitor numbers are extremely low, measures to increase traffic need to be implemented. If there’s a low influx of the target audience for the company’s products, content improvements are necessary. Once site challenges are clear, effective measures can be easier to devise by obtaining detailed information through access analysis.

Analyzing User Behavior

Access analysis allows for analyzing the behavior of users who have reached conversion within the site. offline, it also enables grasping the actions of users who have not reached conversion, facilitating the formulation of effective measures to improve content.

Since website operators cannot understand user behavior and feelings just by running the site, conducting access analysis is essential. For sites struggling to achieve conversion, it’s recommended to start by analyzing user behavior.

Validating the Effectiveness of Measures

Once user behavior is analyzed, measures leading to problem resolution can be considered. When effective measures come to mind, they are implemented on the site. However, implementing measures doesn’t necessarily guarantee results.

It’s crucial to validate whether the implemented measures have indeed been effective. With access analysis, it’s possible to compare data before and after implementing measures to validate their effectiveness. If the intended effects are not achieved, it’s essential to reconsider the measures.

Three Effects Obtained Through Access Analysis

When facing problems in website operation, it’s crucial to conduct detailed analysis through access analysis to find improvement measures. However, some may not be aware of the specific effects that access analysis can provide. The effects obtained through access analysis include the following:

-Identification of high-demand content 

-Measurement of web advertising effectiveness 

-Reflection of improvements in content 

Let’s examine each effect in detail.

Understanding High-Demand Content

Through access analysis, you can grasp the content that users highly demand. The reason you can identify high-attention content is because access analysis allows you to visualize metrics such as page dwell time and bounce rate.

Content with long dwell times indicates that users are engaging with the articles. High bounce rates signify appealing content, indicating a favorable reception from users. By creating related content, you increase the potential to reach a larger audience.

Measuring the Effectiveness of Web Advertising

To enhance traffic to your company’s website, you may implement web advertising. Expectations for increased traffic through web advertising are plausible. However, it’s essential not just to stop at placing web advertisements but also to measure their effectiveness thoroughly.

If you achieve the intended effect of the advertisement, it’s advisable to continue using web advertising consistently. offline, if the desired effect is not attained, it suggests poor compatibility with your company’s website. It’s preferable to reconsider the types and methods of advertisements in such cases.

Reflecting Improvements in Content

When comparing pages that introduce products, there may be discrepancies in dwell time. Product introduction pages with short dwell times may indicate a problem in capturing user interest.

By addressing the identified issues correctly, you can improve content to attract more viewers. This improvement is crucial as it significantly affects conversion rates. Therefore, it serves as a reference when improving content with low page views.

Useful Tools for Utilizing Access Analysis

Various access analysis tools are available, ranging from free to paid versions. However, if you aim to minimize costs while conducting access analysis, it’s advisable to use free tools.

Recommended free access analysis tools include

-Google Analytics 

-Google Search Console 

Let’s examine the features of each tool.

Google Analytics

Google Analytics is a free access analysis tool provided by Google. Despite being free, it offers advanced functionality and is widely adopted by Japanese companies. With Google Analytics, you can gather a wide range of information, such as traffic sources and access numbers.

The reason for the widespread use of Google Analytics is not only its advanced functionality but also its simplicity in operation. Even beginners can easily master it due to its straightforward interface. examined, even companies implementing it for the first time can utilize access analysis tools without burdening staff.

Google Search Console

Google Search Console is an access analysis tool that allows you to verify if search engines recognize your site. Similar to Google Analytics, it is also provided by Google for free. The information that can be analyzed includes click-through rates, impressions, and the status of indexing and search rankings.

Furthermore, you can quickly address content errors by checking them on the management screen. While Google Analytics allows you to understand user behavior after visiting the site, Google Search Console stands out for understanding user behavior before visiting the site.

Preparation Before Access Analysis

Merely confirming information through access analysis without utilizing it for content improvement is insufficient. Before conducting access analysis, it’s essential to perform the following:

Set Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

Hypothesize against the goals 

Confirm numerical data through access analysis 

Let’s review each item.

Setting KPIs (Objectives)

First and foremost, it is crucial to clearly define the KPI (Goal) for your site. KPI represent the ultimate goals and are indispensable metrics when managing a site. Without a clear final goal, analyzing site traffic can often lead to an inability to implement measures that improve conversion rates. Determining and sharing the ultimate goals your site aims to achieve within the management team is essential.

Formulating Hypotheses Towards Goals

Let’s formulate hypotheses towards these ultimate goals. By setting hypotheses prior to analyzing site traffic, the analysis becomes more manageable. Proceeding with web analytics without hypotheses can result in merely sifting through numbers, which is insufficient for achieving significant effects.

It’s challenging to improve conversion rates without this step. Once the final goals are clear, formulating hypotheses and substantiating them with data allows for precise verification.

Checking Metrics through Web Analytics

After clarifying the ultimate goals and formulating hypotheses towards those goals, the next step is to actually conduct web analytics. However, given the abundance of information that can be visualized, it might be unclear where to start.

Key aspects to focus on in web analytics include:

-Session Count 

-Unique Users 

-Page Views 

-Bounce Rate 

Dwell Time 

-Conversion Rate 

Let’s examine each of these items.

Session Count 

The number of actions counted from when a user enters a page until they leave is the session count. If the page views within a session are low, there may be challenges in encouraging users to view other pages.

Unique users 

The number of users who visited the site within a specific period is the unique users (UU). When you want to know how many users a particular page has reached, the number of unique users is a useful metric.

Page Views 

The number of times a page was displayed within a specific period is the page views (PV). It is counted each time a user accesses the page. If you want to know the number of views for a specific page, refer to the page views metric.

Bounce Rate 

The bounce rate indicates the percentage of users who only view the page they visited and then leave. Users are said to make a judgment about the content in an instant. If the bounce rate is high, it means that users are not engaged. Measures such as rewriting articles may be necessary.

Dwell Time 

The time a user spends on a specific page is the dwell time . It is a valuable metric when you want to know the popularity of a page because longer dwell times indicate that valuable information is provided for users. If the dwell time is extremely short, it may be necessary to review the content.

Conversion Rate 

The conversion rate is a metric that shows the percentage of users who have achieved the site’s ultimate goal. It allows you to analyze what percentage of site visitors have reached the conversion. Improving the conversion rate enables you to achieve goals even with low traffic numbers.

Four Points to Consider When Analyzing Access

The purpose of access analysis is to consider measures to improve content based on the information obtained. Merely collecting information with access analysis tools without utilizing it for content improvement is meaningless.

Points to consider when conducting access analysis include the following

-Examine trends based on past data 

-Investigate pages with high conversion rates 

-Consider external factors and devise measures 

-Conduct surveys to hear raw feedback 

Let’s review each point.

Examine trends based on past data 

While page views and session counts tend to fluctuate daily, it is essential to compare them with past data when considering improvement measures. Comparing access numbers with other pages can reveal challenges in increasing traffic. Utilize Google Analytics to examine the trends in access numbers.

Investigate pages with high conversion rates 

Utilize Google Analytics to investigate pages with high conversion rates. Pages with high conversion rates indicate that they are attracting user interest. They serve as a reference when improving pages with low conversion rates.

The reasons for conversion are often hidden within the pages, so detailed analysis is recommended. Utilize the analyzed results when creating content.

Consider external factors and devise measures 

The influx of traffic to a site is often influenced by external factors. If the traffic is low due to external factors, it does not necessarily mean that there is a problem with the content. Sometimes, traffic to the content may return to its original level after some time.

When traffic suddenly decreases, check for external factors before changing the content. Making changes to the content despite external factors may lead to a decrease in search rankings. When traffic suddenly decreases, check for external factors.

Conduct surveys to hear raw feedback 

Access analysis tools provide insights into user behavior that may be challenging to visualize. However, numerical data alone may not capture the true sentiments of users.

To gain a deeper user feelings, conduct user understanding surveys or questionnaires alongside access analysis. By listening to the raw feedback from users, you can devise improvement measures from different perspectives.

Summary 

When revenue or traffic growth is not as expected, conducting access analysis is recommended. Access analysis can provide many benefits, such as identifying high-demand content and measuring the effectiveness of web advertising. Nowadays, there are many free access analysis tools available, allowing you to conduct access analysis while keeping costs low. Utilize access analysis tools to find clues to solve challenges faced in site operation.

Author Profile

Mr. Takeshi Amano, CEO of Admano Co., Ltd.

Mr. Takeshi Amano is a graduate of the Faculty of Law at Nihon University. With 12 years of experience working in the advertising agency industry, he discovered SEO and began his research during the early days of SEO. He self-taught and conducted experiments and verifications on over 100 websites. Using this expertise, he founded Admano Co., Ltd., which is currently in its 11th year of operation. Mr. Amano handles sales, SEO consulting, web analytics (holding the Google Analytics Individual Qualification certification), coding, and website development. The company has successfully managed SEO strategies for over 2000 websites to date.

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