Analytics is the practice of measuring what happens in a product or business — visits, clicks, sales, retention — and turning those numbers into decisions.
On the web, tools like Google Analytics track page views, traffic sources, and conversion goals. Product and UX teams also use heatmaps, session recordings, and A/B tests to go beyond “how many” into “where” and “what changed.” Good analytics answers questions: Which channel brings buyers? Where does the funnel leak? Which page is slow?
A real-life example of analytics
A bakery’s site gets lots of weekend traffic but few catering requests. Analytics shows people land from Instagram, bounce on a long form, and never reach the thank-you page. That’s a signal to shorten the form — not to buy more ads. Without measurement, you’d only guess.
Analytics isn’t just dashboards for their own sake. Define the metrics that matter, then act. For a practical website toolkit, see Web Wise: Analyze Performance and How to Read Business Data.