Google Analytics is a tool for webmasters, offered by Google, which is free, easy to set up, and easy to use. Using Google Analytics, you can track your website's traffic statistics to see where the traffic is coming from to your website.

To set up your analytics, you must first sign up for a Google account (a Gmail account works just fine). Go to http://www.google.com/analytics and click on the “sign up now” button on the top right corner of the page. You will have the option to sign up for a Google account (if necessary) or proceed with the setup. You’ll be asked for your website address and will be given a snippet of code to insert into your site.

You will be able to tell if you are getting traffic from referring sites (such as your blog, social media posts, or affiliates) or from organic traffic (searches for your name or other keywords). This data will be crucial as you move forward with specific marketing campaigns and tactics.

Traffic analysis is the foundationupon which to successfully manage your marketing efforts. You’ll know what is working and what isn’t. Go install Google Analytics right now!