Most weeks I have little or no difficulty in thinking what to write. This week was difficult, I was blank. Then along came web site statistics. You may think I'm a little strange but I bet your mind works in funny ways too.

I was absentmindedly looking at my web site statistics when the thought from my consultant days struck. 'If you can't measure it you can't manage it'. I used to rely on this adage time and again because a common weakness in many businesses is they don't know what they are facing.

The managers, owners will regale you at length with all of the perceived difficulties of managing their business and how nothing is their fault. It's usually the Bank Manager demanding certain reporting/notifications of the position facing the company. Or officialdom imposing contractual conditions, etc. Never is the owner manager at fault.

We then start probing asking for monthly accounts and other data to be able to assess what is actually going on. Low and behold very often they don't have the basic data they need to run their business. If you can't measure it you can't manage it.

What's this got to do with web site statistics? Well, my main site www.be-your-own-business-expert.com is built using Site Build It! software from SiteSell.com. Dr Ken Evoy the man behind Site Build It! is in my opinion a pretty shrewd character.

He has created one of the best site build and hosting packages on the Internet. A complete package with a two tier affiliate marketing program and masses of free easy to use manuals, such as the affiliate masters course, a superb guide to help anyone interested in doing business online to get started. I'm coming to web site statistics.

Part of the package is a facility to see how your site is performing, web site statistics. When I was casually looking for information I saw my page on How to Make Money Online has a click through rate of 13.73%. That's good. I also know from Overture/Pixelfast there were 39.3k searches in July for that term.

My page on Cash Flow has a click through of 9.46% and there were 21.9k searches. I could go on but you don't want me to.

However, Home Business Opportunity has a click through of 7.3% and was searched for 70.3k times in July. All of these web site statistics are helpful to me in understanding where interest is centred on my site. So; I can play to that interest, put pages which don't perform as well at lower priority and hopefully make more sales. Sensible business management derived from web site statistics. 'Measuring it and managing it!'

Web site statistics are all part of managing an OnLine Business just as management reporting and associated data are a vital part of managing any other form of business because if you can't measure it you can't manage it!

What my web site statistics tell me is there is a lot of interest in How to Make Money Online from people looking for a Home Business Opportunity who understand the importance of Cash Flow. Let's hope they measure and manage successfully!

"Keep your business affairs in your own hands. It's the only way to be happy". Martha Washington.

Best wishes,

Michael Harrison.

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