The Webmaster’s Timecard: 15 Ways Webmasters Waste Time

We’re all guilty of this: wasting time checking stats. The problem is that once you get hooked, it’s like an addiction to crack. Statistical crack isn’t easy to wean yourself off, but you’ll fail to do so at your own cost. Just how much time do we waste peering at log files and CTR reports? Too much!

In light of that revelation, here are a few ways to break the habit and free up more productive time.

Traffic Analysis

There’s nothing that can while away the hours like analysing traffic data and SERPs.

1. Checking Log Files: It’s true that if you want to be really anal analytical about where your visitors come from and what they do, there’s nothing like analysing a raw log file. The problem is they are such massive wastes of time! Check them every now and then or archive data for the month before running a report.
2. Analytics: O boy! Once you get hooked on this one it’s nigh on impossible to get out of. You start off looking into referrals and keywords then get hooked on bounce rates and end up glued to ecommerce values. Analytics is without doubt brilliantly useful and simultaneously a massive waste of time. If you want those numbers to improve then it’s time to break the addiction.
3. Wordpress Live Traffic Plugins: Ultra addictive and incredibly interesting, these plugins let you see traffic as it hits your blog live. It’s the live bit that does the damage, the ultimate in time wasting distractions. Don’t even go there, unless you have a spare screen and can let it stay open in a window where it could be hacked to look like something out of The Matrix.
4. PMetrics: Like the many free Wordpress plugins, PMetrics will show you where traffic comes from. However, it’ll give you enough information to get you hooked like you wouldn’t believe. IP addresses, geographical locations, keywords, pages viewed; it’s all here and more. A great package indeed, but keep that tab closed if you want to get anything done.
5. Checking SERPs: There’s nothing like getting into the morning routine of checking SERPs to waste time, particularly if you check manually. It’s easy to address though, get some proper tracking set up and make sue of that time to rank higher. SEOMoz have some good tools, as does SEO Book.

Chatting & Networking

Want to nuke your productivity? Get chatting and watch it drop through the floor.

1. Forums: I used to stalk round WMW like you wouldn’t believe. I was one of those people debating the latest changes in Google’s algorithm. I advised others on how to improve conversion rates. In other words, I wasted time helping others when I could have been helping myself.
2. Blogging Life: If your business is based on your personality and reputation then by all means blog. Blog and blog some more. But if you make your money from SERPs then it’s a waste of time, unless you’re dropping links! Try and keep it to a manageable level.
3. Twitter: I thought I’d never get hooked on Twitter, but then I realised that I had plenty to say in 140 characters and soon I was tweeting thoughts and experiences. Twitter is insanely addictive and an incredible networking tool that should be treated with respect, because once you get hooked on this dope there’s no going back.
4. IM: We’re all trying to network, which takes time and is a necessary part of the job title. However, endless hours can be wasted answering requests to Digg something, upmod something else or thumb up and review a story. There’s no easy solution but it’s less of a drain if you do them all in a batch every now and then.
5. Phone Support: If you’ve got clients then the chances are high that you’ll spend a sizable chunk of time on the phone each day. There’s no easy way out of it, especially if they’re offering more work. An answer phone is, however, one way of looking at the problem!

Revenue

Watching your money won’t help you make a penny more. Nor should you feel secure that you’ll continue to make money.

1. AdSense: It’s easy to understand why checking your AdSense is so addictive, just like it’s easy to understand why it’s so counterproductive. Break the habit with a Firefox addon (like MoneyQuake) that shows revenue in your status bar.
2. AdWords, YSM & AdCenter: Lots of online businesses rely on paid traffic, but your time is probably better spent than watching your spend. Of course it is wise to keep a close eye on things when you are starting a new campaign, but once that is up and running smoothly flick on cruise control and move on. Checking stats is part of the game but only a part. Analyse your data and then act on it. Time can be spent improving your landing pages and improving your conversion rate.
3. Affiliate Sales: Most networks update performance with no delay, or a short delay that makes checking sales massively addictive. Of course it is important to know your income, especially when spending on CPC traffic sources, but when it starts eroding your productivity (which it probably will) then it’s time to step back. Again, there are easy to use addons for Firefox that integrate with the networks to show live data.
4. Direct Sales: There’s a whole world of data to get lost in here. Hours can be spent working out what the most popular items are and why, what margins are, what net profit is, what keywords are the most valuable, where you need to spend time making improvements ad infinitum. It is important to know what’s happening with sales at a granular level, but if you can afford to get someone in to do this administration and free up your time.
5. CPM Networks: Nothing like watching your CPM revenue increase steadily during the day. However, this habit can be easily broken simply by using one of the many available reporting addons or toolbars.