Why use data?
There are a few reasons why it is becoming standard to rely on data for this information.
Firstly, nsw.gov.au, like any organisation, has a number of stakeholders and decision-makers, and they may have different views on how information should be presented. With our access to comprehensive site analytics, we can make customer-centric decisions based on this data. We can use data to decide what content to prioritise in line with what people are looking for on our website.
For instance, if we’re going promote a particular page on Facebook, data reveals a much higher percentage of users will view using a mobile, so we know to optimise the key information for smaller screens.
In 2023, 56% of customers accessed nsw.gov.au on a mobile, compared to 90% for those referred from Facebook. This information can be leveraged when making decisions about content layout and key calls to action.
Data can help to point out if something is wrong. If we see a spike in ‘Page Not Found’ errors, we can track back on the source of this traffic and take steps to fix the link. We’ve been able to update broken links in Google search results this way.
Trends can also be identified using website analytics to keep our content current. If we see an increase in people looking for a topic, we can make sure this content is better promoted on our website. Search insights can also help us adjust our content to use more customer-centric language based on the words people use. For example, many outlets began the pandemic by referring to the ‘Coronavirus’ and then ‘COVID-19’. This has since become simply ‘COVID’.
However, we don’t rely on a data point alone to tell the whole story. We recommend always looking at data in context with your site or content objectives. For example, a page designed to help someone transition to an external website may have a shorter time on page compared to another with a longer video news story. Both high and low values make sense when you consider what each page is designed achieve.
