Have you ever seen a fly buzzing against a window trying to get out of a house?  Why does the fly continually battle against a window pane when the nearby door is wide open?

Have you ever been in a situation where you feel a little trapped?  You know what you want but you just can't seem to get there. You think to yourself  "if I keep up the hard work surely I will achieve my goal".  No matter how much effort the fly extends in to flying through the window pane, it just isn't going to happen.

Sometimes I think we work like the fly does.  We buzz against a pane of glass, we can see our goal but we aren't getting any closer to achieving it.  Why buzz against a window when there is no where to go and experience frustration at the same time?  If we just take a step back and survey the situation, we would be able to see an open door that we can easily walk through.   The moral of the story is, look at the situation from a different angle and you might find there is a open door waiting.

What has this got to do with statistics on a website? Statistics can help to show you where an open door is.  Statistics can point out a different angle to what you are currently undertaking, with statistics you are no longer buzzing against a window.  You can stand back and look at what is happening on your  website and walk through an open door.  You therefore make an informed decision.

In the early days of EngNet's development I would get incredibly frustrated.  I kept asking myself "what should I do to reach my goal?"  I would psyche myself up and work harder, determined that extra effort would result in a break through. The actual result was exhaustion and frustration, I was still not much closer to achieving my goal.  After I had recovered from all the effort I had put in, I would look closely at the situation (the window).  I could see my goal through the window but why wasn't I reaching it?  Again I thought "I must not be working hard enough" so in with some more hard work.

When evaluating a situation you need to know what your position is at any stage.  For instance, when planning your business you would look back at the previous years sales figures and income, to help project sales for the forthcoming year.  For many companies the feeling is that marketing is a necessary evil, on many instances they are not sure what marketing is working for them.

When it comes to considering your website as part of your planning, I'm sure that many of you are in the dark about the past years' performance. Having a website is unlike traditional advertising in that you can accurately measure the performance of your website. Your planning takes on a whole new angle when you have detailed statistics, they will illustrate the reasons why you are not reaching your goal.  Now you can stand back from the window and realise there is a barrier holding you back.

Let me not waste time trying to force the issue but let's look at the alternatives. Firstly you can either open the window, or secondly you can take the broader view and walk out the nearby door. Therefore you have 2 options: open the window or walk through the door.

I know I know, I have taken this analogy a bit far, but lets say opening the window represents taking another look at your website with a new perspective.  Ask what you can do to remove the invisible barrier in order to make your website a success.  To open the window, you can attempt to do it yourself through the following:

• Evaluate your website's positioning (www.engnetglobal.com/stats2.asp for How to improve  search engine positions),
• Improve the website design (www.engnetglobal.com/stats3.asp for How to improve Website Design),
• Improve your online sales leads (www.engnetglobal.com/stats4.asp for How to Improve Sales).

To open the door, a different approach needs to be taken:

1. Fire your existing website designer:
   If you have a wonderfully designed website that does not bring you any or little traffic and sales, you need to hire someone that will get you results. There are many website designers out there who can design a website, but many do not know how to make that website work.  It is imperative that a website designer implement an online promotional campaign in order to ensure the website's success, or the website will simply gather dust.
2. Hire a reputable website design company:
   Hire the services of an experienced website designer/marketer with a proven track record of clients who have already attained successful results.  Ensure they install a good statistics system that will also allow you, the client, access to in order for you to measure its success.
3. Ask EngNet to evaluate your website:
   Having read our newsletter 'statistics series' of emails, you should have a good idea of how to obtain results from your website.  If you need some help, just talk to us and we will look at how we can help you as we have the necessary experience to advise you accordingly.

In a nutshell, refrain from hitting the window by evaluating your website's statistics.  Consider the alternatives and take a fresh approach by either opening the window or walking through the door, you will be pleasantly surprised at the results.

>> Don't have a statistics system? Go to www.engnetglobal.com/tips/stats.asp 

>> Would like assistance in optimising your website to improve sales? Email sales@engnetglobal.com

>> Would like to receive the previous 4 EngNet Statistics newsletters? email mcooney@engnetglobal.com

Kind Regards
Michael Cooney
Email - mcooney@engnetglobal.com
EngNet - www.engnetglobal.com / www.engnet.co.uk / www.engnet.co.za