Web Analytics and Information Architecture

If you’re embarking on a web design and development project, your web analytics data should be playing a major role in the process. We live in a user-first web environment where meeting the needs of your online audience will determine the success of your website – from high search rankings to web conversions. Web owners can be quick to assume they know what their users want, but their assumptions are frequently proven wrong by their websites' analytics data. The site structure or information architecture (IA) is the backbone of a website and is central to providing a great user experience, achieving high search engine rankings, and maximizing conversions. An IA should never be done within a vacuum – both business needs and user needs must be accounted for – and part of harnessing user needs is accomplished through comprehensive analysis of your web analytics data. Understanding the most popular areas of the site (Top Content) and which content does not perform well (High Bounce Rates) are just two basic areas to account for in the site design. Mining through the data can be daunting if you don’t know exactly what you’re looking at, so work with your web analytics experts to get the data translated into what it means for your business.