A website can be analyzed in many different ways. It all depends on who is looking at it.

If a graphic designer is surfing the web and comes across an interesting website, they will probably be looking at the logo design, webpage layout and overall website design. A programmer might be checking out the forms, .php files, .asp files and scroll through the source code to check out the behind-the-scenes coding of the website.

From my point of view, as a Search Engine Optimization Specialist, I tend to check out all aspects of the website, sometimes not even by choice, but by habit. Having just about 12 years experience at DDA, a search engine marketing company, it seems that I can no longer look at a website as just a consumer. I check around for meta tags, text navigation and alt text just like when creating a free website analysis.

I  have said on more than one occasion that I do not have a design eye.. at all! So instead of looking at the design of a website, I look at the website’s usability and functionality. After analyzing a website from the search engine optimization aspect, I usually end up forgetting what I was shopping for in the first place and by that time one of my kids needs me for something anyway.

So even though my website surfing time is usually limited, I still can’t shake the optimization specialist point of view when checking out a website.

Now I am thinking about multi-colored spandex and a black-tiled room full of overweight men working out… ah the 1980s… All Olivia Newton-John song references aside (although I am sure you are singing it in your head), Google Analytics is a free website analysis tool that generates detailed traffic reports for websites. These traffic reports “talk” to us in a sense, by listing important website statistics that are useful in many ways.

DDA, a search engine marketing company, uses Google Analytics on websites that we are not hosting, but are enrolled in the SureThing Optimization Program. By adding a piece of tracking code to each page, we are then able to track our progress of website optimization by viewing the improved traffic to the site.

We find that being able to view traffic reports is an important part of website optimization. We can see which keywords potential customers are using to search for a website’s services and can then point out which terms need focused optimization to improve rankings. This software can show how visitors find a website and how they interact with the website’s content.

Being a search engine optimization specialist, I find it important to be able to view a website’s visits and pageviews, new and returning visitors, and also which search engine the visitor is coming from.