Do you know what is the best marketing tool available to your business? Your Web site! If your site is only providing information or selling products then you have not exploited the marketing potential of your site yet. A web site can provide valuable information about how the customers interact with the site during their visits. This information can then be used to improve the site to better serve the visitors.

A good point to start is to ask some key questions.

* Why are people visiting your site?

* Where are they coming from?

* What pages on the site are they visiting?

* How long do they stay on a particular page and the site?

* What percentages of people are taking action while on the site? For example registering or making a purchase.

* What is the source of traffic to the web site?

To answer the questions listed above you need to start capturing data. Good news is that it is not so tough to track this information. Ask your web hosting company to provide the website traffic reports. If the reports are not available then ask them to provide the server logs and the reporting tool so that you can do the analysis. The reports will provide the following information.

* Sites that are sending you the traffic

* Search engines sending the traffic your way

* Keyword searches that cause the traffic from the search engines

* Landing pages of your site and the web pages that attract the most views

* Most popular pages on the site

* Exit point from your site

Bring customer to your site and make them stay

Next, you have to use the information in the reports to improve your site including making modification to the pages, content, links or the navigation flow of the site. You will also use the information to fine tune the search engine marketing strategy so that you drive the right customers to your site. It is more important to send the right customer that fits the target profile.

If possible, conduct a usability study of your site. It could be as easy as bringing in a couple of friends and watch them use the site and getting their feedback regarding the navigation, colors, fonts and pictures on your web site. Number one reason people visit websites is to find information. Make it easy for them to find it. Do not make them work hard to get the information they are looking for.

Once you have attracted a prospective customer to the site, you need to give them a reason to stay and buy from you. Running promotions is a good way to get the customer to buy and make them excited to return in the future.

Develop a database of prospects

Get the visitors to share their contact information, especially their email with you. Ask them to sign up and get their permission to contact them and send them useful information like special offers via email. This will help you to build a relationship with them. Offer just enough information in the emails to whet their appetite and get them to return to the website for the rest. Send the emails at regular intervals but not so frequently that it starts to look like spam and forces the recipient to unsubscribe from your mailing list.

Your website is an important marketing tool. Use it to engage and inform your customers and build a relationship with them. Create the right content to attract users to your site and keep them there long enough to make a purchase and then give them a reason to return.