On 28 July 2016 Culture Kent and the ‘Canterbury Pilot’ delivered a highly informative training course to provide an overview of how Google Analytics and Hitwise tools can help improve traffic to websites; within which Katie Moffatt from the Audience Agency* presented a report examining website traffic data to identify core visitors to key websites within the Canterbury area.
In her report Katie established how tourists use these sites to plan their visit to Canterbury including looking at: demographic, age, gender, types of individuals. It was noted that the majority of visitors to the site were 68% female, aged 55+. In addition visitors were in a close geographical radius with the majority located in South East London; visitors from outside of this radius were typically younger (24-34 age range).
This analysis highlights how London represents a major opportunity in terms of tourism to cultural sites – 18% of visits were from the London area.
Katie also spoke about how people arrive at the site including examination of the searches they making and how their searches lead them to the site. The majority of traffic to the site was generated through links from other websites. This shows how important placing links to partnering cultural sites is to generate additional interest in the region.
Katie explained that the Google search engine was used the most, demonstrating that this is a powerful tool to directing traffic to the site.
Data was extracted during 12 week period in March which arguably means that it is limited by not having comparable data. However what it does demonstrate is how vital it is to encourage reasons to travel including promoting the cultural delights Kent and London have to offer. Through research and analysis of website traffic it is easier to identify new opportunities for investing in tourism products that create great experiences, and clearly shows how working in partnership is a key driver to enhance cultural tourism.
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