User behavior on a website

Understanding user behavior on a website has become a major concern. This is the case for content creators, large subsidiaries and for those who own a website. Indeed, if you have just created a website or have one, it would be ideal to understand the profile of Internet users who visit it, where they do it and what they do there.

In this article, we will see why it has become necessary to analyze and understand the behavior of an Internet user on a website . What are the tools that can help content creators understand the user and his way of behaving on a website.

Why analyze user behavior on a website?

Analyze user behavior? what for ? You are probably wondering about the need to understand user behavior on a website. In fact, you should know that a brand’s marketing strategy is defined according to sales objectives. However, the user has nothing to do with the objectives and the like of the brand. What interests him is finding a site that meets his needs and expectations.

That’s why when we talk about analyzing user behavior on a website, the goal is to understand the user. Once the user’s expectations have been identified, it will be easier for the brand to meet their expectations by refining the marketing strategy. It will be easier to improve the user experience when we know what he is looking for. In addition, Understanding the user helps to find ideas on how to better satisfy the user.

Taking the example of Amazon , one can demonstrate the importance of understanding user behavior on a website. With Amazon prime, Amazon offers the possibility to the user to quickly and effortlessly find what will give him satisfaction. How does Amazon achieve this feat? This is by analyzing the behavior of each user. This is what makes the difference between Amazon and other e-commerce sites .

How to identify user preferences

There are many ways to determine user behavior and purpose.

The surveys

User surveys consist of asking users directly to provide feedback on their use of the website. It is possible to request specific information, ie to target the elements that the user must comment on. The surveys are diverse and varied. They can take place after a purchase, after filling out a form or at the end of an article. Whatever the survey, it must be shaped in such a way as to understand the needs and concerns of the user. The goal is to assess user satisfaction.

Google Analytics

Google Analytics is one of the most interesting analysis tools for describing user behavior on your website. Thanks to this data, you will be able to perfect your website or your marketing strategy. In this way, meeting the expectations of Internet users will be easier and easier for you. Indeed, Google Analytics allows you to discover many interesting details about the user. To achieve this, the software gives you the ability to:

• Track all user actions on a video player with every form submission and every download;
• Measure the number of important actions each user performs.

Perform tests

Brands have the ability to monitor user behavior within a controlled framework. Indeed, by carrying out tests on new products or services with real consumers, it is easy for the brand to understand how an Internet user apprehends the use of a product or service. It can thus realize what are the problems that the user encounters.

Track user behavior on the site

There are an array of tools that allow brands to track user behavior on websites. Examples include Google Analytics and its very interesting data or Hotjar . The latter analyzes the behavior of Internet users on your site. Thanks to these tools, brands have the possibility of knowing where Internet users click the most, the mouse movements they make, how far they scroll and many other things.

These tools give brands lots of actionable data about what people are doing on your website. This is particularly useful for highlighting what is wrong with the website, such as areas where the user hesitates, areas of friction or confusion, etc.

How to use the data?

You have in your possession the data provided by Google Analytics or any other tool that has allowed you to determine the behavior of users on your website. But how to use this data? In addition to collecting user data, Google Analytics translates it in order to understand the behavior of your users.

Follow the interest of its users

If you are new to a market, it would be a good idea to make sure that your success settles for the long term. This is why it is essential to follow the interest of users. This is the very purpose of the ”Active users” report provided by Google Analytics. It allows you to monitor your users’ engagement over a period of between one and 30 days.

Keep regular users

Retaining your users is the best way to sustain your website. To achieve this, you can identify the content that they favor and which could encourage them to be even more loyal to your website. The ”Behaviour Flow” report allows you to know exactly where each user went, page by page, link by link. It’s a great way to determine what content encourages users to stay on the site or, on the contrary, encourages them to leave.

Use site searches

Always with a view to improving the user experience and encouraging other users to come to your site, you can use the ”Behavior’s” then ”search” section in Google Analytics. The goal is to know all the searches carried out on the internal search engine of your site. Indeed, if you know the most recurring searches made by users, you will know what you should highlight on your home page and what content you should bring to your site.

Which tools Google uses to analyze user behavior on the internet

Since the beginning, we very often talk about Google Analytics, but how does it work? Google has now become essential in the analysis of user behavior. You are probably wondering how google manages to analyze user behavior on the internet? In fact, you should know that Google has a huge range of tools at its disposal to determine the behavior of each Internet user.

Google tools

• YouTube: Very popular site, every video you watch is recorded as data at Google.
• AdWords: Thanks to AdWords, Google knows exactly what you are looking to sell and what you want to promote while knowing who you are.
• Android smartphones: Android belongs to Google, you just have to turn on your phone so that Google knows where you are.
• His search engine: This is surely his most powerful tool. The search engine gives the giant the possibility of knowing where exactly each Internet user is located, what he is looking for and when he does it. Thus, Google records billions of data on the habits of everyone.
• Google Analytics: With more than a third of sites on which any action performed is analyzed, Google Analytics is a great tool for analyzing users and their behavior.
• Google plus: Social network not very popular at first, it must be said that it is gradually starting to have people on this network.
• Its Google chrome browser: It is surely the most popular browser in the world, it transmits directly to google everything that its users do in terms of navigation.
• Google Maps: It’s very interesting to be guided by google map but it also means to clearly tell Google where you are and where you plan to go.

Google has countless tools to determine the behavior of Internet users on the Internet. Of course, as long as Google isn’t in violation of user data law, that’s not a problem per se.

How Google manages to understand user preferences

It’s good to want to understand the behavior of users on the internet. But how to succeed in interpreting what he likes or dislikes, how to know what he feels?

In fact, it is according to the precise actions that the user performs that we can know if he appreciated such a thing or not. User actions are difficult to interpret. However, here is how Google interprets certain actions:

• When you go back quickly after clicking on a link. This is the rate of return. If you do a search on Google, click on a link and 2 seconds later you come back, it is obvious that what you have found does not correspond to your expectations. This is how Google deduces whether you liked or disliked a result.
• When you click on a link. If you visit a web page and click on a link that takes you to another site, Google analyzes the time you spend there. So, if you stay there for a good while, there is a good chance that this link will be relevant.
• When you search on Google map. Take the example of someone looking for a clothing store on the internet and then looking for the location of this store on Google map. It is clear that the result pleased him.
• When you go to the confirmation page of an e-commerce site. Google considers that the products offered meet your expectations. Therefore, that the site has products that are suitable for you.

Based on sharing actions

Whether it’s a video on YouTube, an article or any other content, we tend to share it on our various social networks such as Facebook, Twitter or Google plus. When you share content with your contacts on social networks. Or, when you exchange on Google+, even if people have a private profile, Google knows very well who you are communicating with.

Thus, by analyzing a large number of user behaviors on a given site, Google can determine which sites are the most relevant. This is an example to show the importance of understanding the actions of an Internet user.

Resume

Understanding user behavior on a website is essential. All successful brands like Vantevo Analytics focus primarily on their expectations and concerns. The goal is to refine their marketing strategies. This is the very example of Amazon that we mentioned earlier. It is therefore important to invest in monitoring user behavior in order to respond to their desires.