Blogger and Analytics merge for 'better visitor stats'

Small business owners who use Google's Blogger platform to publish their corporate blogs have been given a new tool to track visits.

The search engine has announced that users can now link their blog to Google Analytics, which Google claims will offer a better understanding of visitor numbers and engagement.

Blogs using Classic templates are unable to add the relevant code, but those using Dynamic Views, Layouts templates and mobile templates are supported.

Software engineer Muthu Kannan said: "Having a solid understanding of the traffic and visitor engagement statistics of your blog is one of the best ways to help it grow.

"Adding Google Analytics to your blog will give you more insight into where your visitors are coming from and help you determine which content they engage with the most."

Measuring the success of a small business blog

For small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), the benefits of a business blog are clear. Posting regular updates is good for search engine optimisation (SEO), brand marketing, attracting new visitors and engaging with existing customers.

However, in order to maximise the potential success of a business blog, SMEs should set clear goals for what they wish to achieve with such communication.

Blogs without clear targets, such as lead generation or brand marketing, can appear confused to visitors and are likely to fail to attract a core group of engaged followers.

Performance against such goals should then be measured and monitored, with content adjusted in line with results.

For example, if the goal is to attract more traffic, visitor analytics can be a good indicator of the type of content that is popular as well as the times when most people visit the blog. Future posts can then be adjusted in line with these findings in order to perform in line with the targets.

More SME blogging tips from ContentPlus:
Using blogs to engage with parents
How to use Blogger Dynamic Views
Blogs as a part of online marketing

What are your top blogging tips? How do you measure visits and performance against targets? Add your thoughts below.