What Works

The Nitty-Gritty: * Why Rita Barry chose to focus on helping clients understand the numbers when it comes to their website traffic* The mistakes small business owners make that prevent them from taking advantage of the information they have* The first step Rita takes with every new client* Why Rita maps the customer journey and how it helps her make recommendations to clients* What Rita looks for when she opens up her clients’ Google Analytics dashboards Let’s cut to the chase: how confident are you in your ability to understand what’s going on with your website traffic? When was the last time you even logged into Google Analytics or your stats dashboard? Do you know where your traffic is coming from and what traffic sources produce the most email subscribers or sales? Do you know what blog posts bring in the most revenue? Do you know what social media platforms actually drive traffic to your website (or just which ones you think drive traffic)? Do you know the process a new customer goes through from the moment they hit your website to the moment they make a purchase? If you don’t know the answers to these questions, dear listener, you’re not alone. The truth is that I don’t know the answers to most of these questions, either. I have a good idea of where our traffic comes from and how new subscribers get on our email list. But I could be doing a lot more to equip myself with the knowledge I need to make better decisions and smarter investments. Today, I’ve got a special interview with Rita Barry. Rita is the founder of a marketing agency that specializes in helping their clients understand the metrics and analytics behind their businesses so they can make the most of the information they have. As with the rest of our “What’s Working” series, instead of asking Rita what works for her, I ask what’s working as she helps her clients navigate the world of conversion rates, website traffic, sales funnels, and buyer journeys. Rita and I talk about how to approach Google Analytics (hint: it’s not a Magic 8 ball), how she chooses what metrics to track for her clients, and why she focuses on mapping the customer journey in every client engagement. Plus, we also unpack a lot of the shame and overwhelm can come along for a ride when you dig into your numbers. Have you made an important decision in your business because you got real with the numbers? Have you discovered a new opportunity right under your nose when you examined your traffic, profit margin, or conversion rate? We want to hear about it! Share your story on Instagram and tag me, @tara_mcmullin and use the hashtag #explorewhatworks. Now, let’s find out what’s working in traffic and analytics!