Businesses need to understand their customers in order to meet their expectations. For this, they must analyse their digital interactions, creating a picture of who their customers are, where they come from and what they want.

By doing this, businesses can effectively promote their products and services to their target demographic, increase their brand exposure and enhance their profitability.

How do businesses do this?

They use a process called website tracking. They may utilise in-website analytics or hire a data analysis company such as shepper.com/ to perform this analysis for them.

What is website tracking?

There are two types of website tracking: first-party and third-party.

First-party tracking is when information pertaining to website visits is extracted directly from the website’s analytics. This information typically includes information such as the user’s IP address which helps to understand their geographical presence, which pages they visited and how long they spent on each one.

First-party tracking helps drive an understanding of the effectiveness of your SEO and the relevance of your product or service for that user. This information can also help businesses to improve the usability of their website.

Third-party website tracking is when user data is collected across a range of different websites.

Third-party tracking is typically achieved through the use of cookies, which track and store user information. Users have to opt in to non-essential cookie collection, thereby making their behavioural information available to businesses. Businesses can then assess this information and use it to personalise their marketing, extend their consumer reach, and ultimately become more successful.