Web analytics

Use web analytics to learn more about your customers and design better solutions for them.

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Introduction
1. Why use web analytics? 2. What the tools can show 3. Getting started

Introduction to 'Web analytics'

 

Imagine knowing exactly who uses your website: 

  • Not just how many people, but also how they found you.
  • The pages where they linger and those they skip.
  • What they like and what turns them off. 

 

Now think about how that knowledge could help your business - better marketing, a growing customer base, more sales…

Web analytics help you reach this goal. They let you know what your users want and how they behave. 

What you'll learn

  • What these tools are, and what they can do.
  • How you can benefit from the type of information you’ll get from them.
  • Steps to getting started.

How long it takes

8 minutes

Chapter 1 - Why use web analytics?

Why use web analytics?

Chapter 1

How long it takes

2 minutes

What are web analytics tools?

These tools measure how people use websites and online channels.

 

They can tell you:

  • How many people visit a website.
  • How they got there, such as through social channels or by searching online.
  • How many of them are new or returning visitors.
  • What they do when they reach the website.
  • The most popular pages in a website.
  • Whether visitors take any actions that the website suggests.

 

These tools also:

Capture data

Use it to measure number of visitors, page views and more.

Analyse your data

Use it to answer questions that will help make decisions.

Show reports

To help you get more detail in an easy-to-read format.

The benefits of analytics tools

As you start to explore and use these tools, they may seem complex or take much of your time. But they can help you save both time and money.

 

These tools can help you:

  • Measure key data and highlight trends quickly.
  • Know what works well in your website.
  • Improve what doesn’t work so well.
  • See what users do when they visit your website – So you don’t have to guess their behaviour.
  • Know which marketing activities are driving traffic to your website. And which ones aren’t.
  • Use data to improve user experience – Increasing your chance to turn your visitors into loyal customers. 

Where to find tools

Your website's platform

This may include some analytics, like counting the number of site visitors.

Social channels

Some have built-in tools, like X Analytics and Facebook Page Insights.

Other options

Check out free tools like Google Analytics and Clarity. Others have free trial options, such as Hotjar and Clicky.

Introduction - Web analytics
Chapter 2 - What the tools can show

What the tools can show

Chapter 2

How long it takes

4 minutes

Data and what it means

When you start to look at these tools, you may see lots of numbers and terms. But what do they mean? In this chapter, we’ll talk you through the key data you’ll see. We’ll also explain some key terms.

 

Key data points:

  • Whether you’re reaching a local or worldwide audience, it helps to understand who they are. Where are they? What do they like? Their age? Their gender? These tools can tell you.

    This helps you get to know your potential customers in more detail. It shows you how you might want to target your marketing. You’ll also see the parts of the world where you’re a hit.

  • People use mobile devices, laptops and PCs to access different things at different times. So, it’s important to understand the ones your customers use to visit your website. When you run analytics to show this information, you’ll be able to tailor your content, design and layout.

    Idea

    Think about how people engage on different devices. Analytics data can tell you about their needs.

    You may need to tweak your website and campaigns to make sure they work for each device user.

  • Visitors can come from many sources - search engines, social sites, emails etc. They might even have typed your website address directly in their web browser. You can use this data to see the other sites and channels that your customers use, and where most of your visitors come from. The tools call these ‘traffic sources’.

    You can use this data with info about the pages where your users spend most time. Together, this may show you if a recent social media campaign has brought you more visitors. Plus, it will show if you’re gaining useful interactions with your users instead of them just clicking away or never coming back.

  • There’s always a temptation to put absolutely everything you think your users may want to see on your website. This can make it overwhelming and confusing for your visitors when they arrive on your site. So how do you work out what to showcase and what to ditch?

    Analytics help you spot the content that gets the most attention. Usually, your homepage gets the most traffic, but what about other pages where your users linger? Are you directing people to the right pages? Do visitors enjoy your competitions, blog posts or customer case studies?

     

    Some numbers you can check include:

    Page views

    This shows the total number of times users view a page.

    It includes reloads and repeat views. So, if a user views a page, refreshes it, goes to a different page on your site then returns – that counts as three page views.

    If two more people view that page, that’s a total of five page views.

    Unique page views

    Instead, this shows the total number of users who view a page.

    It ignores reloads and repeat views. So, if a user views a page, refreshes it, goes to a different page on your site then returns – that counts as one unique view instead of three.

    If two more people view that page, that’s a total of three unique views.

  • Analytics don’t just show you the pages your users visit. You can also use them to capture any actions. The tools call these actions ‘events’. 

     

    An event could be when your user:

    Follows a link

    Completes a form

    Plays a video

    Completes a purchase

  • Do you have visitors who don’t stick around? Do they go away and not come back? You can use analytics to understand where exactly you’re losing them. Then you can decide how you could change the design and user journey to stop this happening.

    ‘Sessions’ show how long a user spends on your site. This can show levels of engagement or interest. It may also flag parts of your site where users may be stuck or just waiting for a page to load.

    Another number to look at here is the bounce rate. This tells you the percentage of visitors who leave your site after they view a page. If it’s high (more than 70%), look at the web pages. You may want to make some changes.

    Idea

    You may want to look at the number of abandoned shopping carts. Also, check users who downloaded information but haven’t come back to your website.

    This can prompt you to think about how to tempt them back. Would a nudge email close the sale? Could you make it easier to book your services?

Chapter 1 - Why use web analytics?
Chapter 3 - Getting started

Getting started

Chapter 3

How long it takes

2 minutes

Pick the right tools

Make sure you select a tool that works for you. Think about the needs of your business and some of the issues you’re trying to solve. What are your goals, and what are you doing to reach them? The right tool will be able to help you see if your content and marketing activities are moving you towards these goals.

Each platform will show you how to install analytics onto your webpage. Some are easier to use, while others give you more detailed insights. Take some time to research the tools we’ve mentioned in this lesson, and about analytics more generally. You may find it helpful to write a pros and cons list for each tool.

Take time to learn

Analytics tools take a while to learn. And the more powerful the tool, the more complex it is.

So, give yourself plenty of time to find out what your tool can do, and how you can make the most of it.

Think like a marketer

Your website is one of your most important marketing tools. It acts just like a shop window and is the first port of call for many potential customers. Think about the ways you can use analytics to boost your marketing plans. 

Check your overall traffic

Look at peaks and troughs - see if they match up with campaigns, seasons or events.

Look at demographics

Who visits your site? Knowing your target audience can help you build more relevant marketing campaigns.

See what works

Conversion rates can highlight successful campaigns and great content; bounce rates can show where you may want to change things up.

Activity

Take a piece of paper. Write a list of actions you’d like your users to do, on one side of the page. On the other side, write some ideas on how you can help them to do these actions.

These will form the basis of things you can do and test with analytics.

Benchmarking

Analytics show you how many visitors you get. But how do you know if those numbers are good? That’s where benchmarking may help.

Tools like the benchmarking screen in Google Analytics can help you compare your own stats with others in your sector. So, you’ll see where you fit in the industry.

You tell the tools the sector you’re interested in. You can also set other filters, like location and time period. Then they give you the results for you and other businesses, based on the filters you set.

Be aware

It’s important to bear in mind that this data isn’t 100% accurate but it’s a good starting point.

Be mindful about the filters you use, as these will affect the sample size. That’s how many others you’re being compared with.

Chapter 2 - What the tools can show

Want to learn more?

Website and digital channels

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Planning and growth

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Related learning links

Online marketing analytics

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Digital marketing

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Analytics for beginners and small businesses

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Bank of Scotland Academy is committed to providing information in a way that is accessible and useful for our users. This information, however, is not in any way intended to amount to authority or advice on which reliance should be placed. You should seek professional advice as appropriate and required. Any sites, products or services named in this module are just examples of what's available. Bank of Scotland does not endorse the services they provide. The information in this module was last updated on 13th November 2025.

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