Tracking Site Exit Links With Google Analytics

Since its launching, Google Analytics has become a part of many small and medium sized websites.  Google Analytics is a crucial tool in tracking exit links. The question is why do you have to track your website’s exit links? What can Google Analytics do to help you in the tracking process? How can you track exit links using the new and advanced Google Analytics feature?

Why Track Site Exits?

Tracking exit links is important in redefining and improving a website. By knowing which links led to exit, you will know which part of the website needs to be redesigned. Exit links are also called outgoing clicks. This is the link that the site visitors click to leave your website. By tracking the exit links, you will be able to identify the outbound links that the site visitors have clicked.

Tracking exit links will help you know the number of clicks that a particular link or banner on your website has received. This is also effective for affiliate websites who wish to find out how many clicks a particular affiliate link has generated.  In addition, it can display from which country the links came from.

Using Google Analytics Advanced Features

Google Analytics can process tracking of site exits. Through Google Analytics advanced features, you will be able to view some relevant stats pertaining to the exit links you are tracking. How do you view the results prepared by Google Analytics?

You have to visit your Google Analytics account. Then pick Content and Top Content. In here you will be able to view the most popular pages in the website. If you use the keyword “outgoing” into the filter box, Google Analytics will show you all the pages in your website with “outgoing” in the URL. The outgoing pages represent the exit clicks. However, some of them may not be considered valid since there could be pages in the website which really contain the “outgoing” word in the URL but they are not exit clicks.

To further analyze the result, you simply have to click on the URL of the page and Google Analytics will show you a more detailed result. The result contains the page views, unique views, time on page, bounce rate and exit. You will also be able to view the source of the page traffic and the keywords that the site visitors use to reach that page.

Tracking site exit links is a necessary aspect in website management. It helps webmasters and web marketers identify which among their web pages are making money for them and which needs to be improved.