AddThis

How To Build Social Media Awareness Into Your Website

by Jeff Larche · March 9, 2011

An old man is approached by a traveler. He’s asked how to get to Dublin. The old man replies: “I sure wouldn’t start from here.” As a web analyst I’m occasionally tempted to use that line. It happens when I’m brought into a project long after a site is launched and I’m asked to report on user behavior the site just wasn’t built to measure.

Increasingly the metrics requested are of user engagement, related to social media conversations surround the site content. If my client is lucky I’m able retrofit a solution, but it’s always best to plan for these from the start. Here’s how. I’ve drafted a short list of considerations for you as you prepare for your next site or site redesign.

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How To Measure Content Interest Using Google Analytics and AddThis

by Jeff Larche · December 29, 2010

A while back I showed you how to visualize user interest in your content. It was the last of a trilogy of posts on Content Interest Index (CII). Now here’s a real-world way that you can measure CII on your site. It uses Google Analytics and the social sharing application AddThis. Both are free.

What are the benefits of measuring CII? You’ll be able to see, right in Google Analytics, how many people are emailing, “Liking,” Tweeting and in other ways loving your content. This is particularly important for content that moves people to buy something. The more people who are interested, the more eventually purchase!

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