There are a few stats you are going to want to know when it comes to your niche websites.

You are going to want to know how many unique visits you are getting each day.

You are going to want to know what keywords they are using to get to your site.

You are going to want to know which search engines they are coming from.

I’m sure there’s more you want to know, but those are the questions that get me all a-flutter when I’m checking stats.

You can of course add google analytics to your niche websites, but it’s a little bit of overkill.  The wordpress stat plugin does not give you unique visits. The easiest thing to do is open an account over at www.statcounter.com and use it for the stats you will need.

Statcounter.com is a free resource. It is very easy to use, and it provides a WEALTH of information about your sites in a very easy to read and understand format. (I’m still trying to figure out google analytics

I thought I would walk you through the process of getting a new project set up on statcounter.com and getting the code in you niche website so it will start counting the flood of traffic

1.  First, click add new projects (under MY PROJECTS ~ near the top of the page) then put in a title (this shows up on your page so you know what’s what), then put in your url, choose a category, I always pick business.

2. A little farther down you can block your IP address by copying and pasting it into the box on the right. This is a smart thing to do, so that it won’t count your visits everytime you stop in at your site.

3. Click next

4. Next you want to click the configure and install code arrow.

5. On this page you will be given a number of options for how your counter will look on your site. Click the dot for invisible counter and hit next. You don’t want the stat counter on your site, you just want to be able to look at the info it’s collecting.

6. On the next page, click “no I want the default install guide” and click next.

7. The next page is going to be your code. Go ahead and copy it.

8. The next step is going to be putting the code in your blog so it can be read by statcounter.com. Don’t worry it’s not too tough.

9. Log into the back office of your blog ~ you know where you can do everything from.

10. Under design/ theme editor pick the footer from the right hand side. Go to the bottom of the code for the footer and you should see </body> as one of the almost last bits on the page.  Stick the code you copied from statcounter right before the </body> tag.

It will work then ~ well save the footer first then it will work.

Remember if you put your IP address in the box it won’t show your visits.

Now you can be like every other blogger and check your stats every five minutes, thus interfering with actually getting any work done.

Oh come on, you know I’m only kidding! I usually check my stats once a day at the end of the day.  Once my work is finished. Hanna’s in bed.  I’m having a nice glass of wine ~ it’s nice to see how much all my hard work is paying off.

While I’m on the subject, let me just let you know some of the great features and stats you can find at statcounter.com.

You can click on the little graph next to any of your projects and it will bring up the information about that site.  If you look on the left hand side there will be a list of other things you can check as well.

Here are some of my favorites.

Recent came from ~ this tells you where your traffic is coming from.

Recent keyword activity ~ This one’s my favorite. It will not only tell you the keywords people are using to find your site, but also the search engine they used to get there.  (this is where it’s fun to go to that search engine, input that keyword and see just where you are coming up) I found one of my new sites is already coming up #4 on google for my main keyword, and I hadn’t even done much linking yet.  (that got me jumping for joy!)

Exit Link Activity ~ this stat tells you how people are leaving your blog, whether it’s from a link or an add. You will know when you check this.

Keyword Analysis ~ This one is fun too.  It shows you the percentage of hits you are getting for various keywords. It’s pretty awesome when the keyword you were sniping for comes up at the top.

There are tons more stats you can look at, but those are the main ones I check for these sniper sites.  Now remember, stats are fun ~ but it’s work that gets you where you are going.  Make sure you keep stat checking to a minimum and after the real work is done.  (Jackie steps off her soapbox)

If you have any questions, or the instructions weren’t clear enough please ask questions in the comments section!

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!<

Are you ready to take Undaunted Action? But don't know where to start?
Getting people moving is what I do best!
If you're ready to take action, join us in the safety of a friendly caring community. Join us in the K.I.S.S. Club! Your business will never be the same!

Other Posts That Might Help:

1. Keeping Track of Your Goals