UK firms not measuring website effectiveness

Nearly half (43 per cent) of all UK companies admit they don’t know whether their website is effective or not, says Fasthosts.

According to research by the web hosting company, 34 per cent of companies have never considered checking the popularity or effectiveness of their website. Of the 57 per cent that do monitor their website’s performance, only one in five look at where surfers are being referred from.

Fasthosts also said that only a third of website owners look at the click through rates to individual sections of the website.

“In today’s difficult economic climate, the web has never been more relevant for every type of UK enterprise. However, a huge number of firms continue to invest blindly in a web presence without checking whether it is earning its keep,” said Steve Holford, CMO at Fasthosts.

“Irrespective of the scale of web project, every business will benefit from using simple statistics to monitor efficiencies and ensure that every visitor is being capitalised upon.”

The web hosting company also said that 23 of UK companies don’t see their website as a potential sales channel while just one in ten judge the effectiveness of their website in terms of ‘clicks vs sales’ or ‘web cost per order’.

Since setting up their website, 62 per cent of companies also admitted to not taking any external advice about the effectiveness of their website.

“By taking note of their website statistics and making necessary changes, many companies we work with enjoy a real fiscal impact. With increased visibility and sales from a successful website, a business owner will grow faith in online markets and the role they can play in achieving a business plan,” Holford added.