No Perfect Parenting By Frederick Douglass Essay - 1230 Words

No Perfect Parenting Frederick Douglass once said, â€Å"It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men.† Parents want the best for their children. The dream is always to raise a happy and successful child. However, with so much external information from the media and other parents, it’s hard to know what is truly the best for a child. With thousands of years of parenting experience under the belt of human history, one pay expect that a perfect style of parenting had been found. However, every child is different, thus preventing the discovery of one foolproof method of child rearing. With this obstacle in mind, a disgruntled parent may ask â€Å"Does it even matter?† No matter the parenting style, there will always be children that make decisions that result in being considered unsuccessful. With this information in mind, I suggest that there is no perfect parenting style for all, only a style that will be perfect for the specific child. Parents desire success for their children, but what does that mean? Perhaps one parent pictures a successful child playing the violin with a famous orchestra in front of thousands of people. Another parent imagines an ideal child as the CEO of a Fortune 500 company. Success is in the eye of the beholder. There must be a specific goal in mind. A parent should plan accordingly to raise their child in the way they believe will result in success. Many parenting styles claim to be the ideal way to raise a successful child. SeveralShow MoreRelatedRaising a Child The Responsibility of Both Parents1314 Words   |  6 Pagesunderstanding the role as parents. Of course you don’t have to be a perfect parent to raise healthy, highly intelligent children. You are, however, absolutely crucial in your child’s life simply because you are your child’s parent. We only have one chance with our children, so while they are young, we must make the most of it. This is the window of opportuni ty to build a strong foundation that will support them for the rest of their lives. Parenting isn’t just what we do when we have children; it is what we’veRead MoreOne Significant Change That Has Occurred in the World Between 1900 and 2005. Explain the Impact This Change Has Made on Our Lives and Why It Is an Important Change.163893 Words   |  656 PagesAppraisal,† Population and Development Review 19 (1993): 431–466. 63. Joseph Nevins, Operation Gatekeeper: The Rise of the â€Å"Illegal Alien† and the Making of the U.S.-Mexico Boundary (New York: Routledge, 2002). 64. Cindy Hahamovitch, â€Å"Creating Perfect Immigrants: Guest Workers of the World in Historical Perspective,† Labor History 44 (2003): 70–94; Ulrich Herbert, A History of Foreign Labor in Germany, 1880–1980: Seasonal Workers/Forced Laborers/Guest Workers, trans. William Templer (Ann Arbor:

Global Warming a Global Dilemma Essay - 797 Words

â€Å"Reducing your heat-trapping emissions does not mean forgoing modern conveniences; it means making smart choices, using energy-efficient products, and understanding which areas of your life generate the most carbon emissions.† (Ten Personal Solutions to Global Warming) A decade ago, global warming was not much of a concern as it is now. No matter how much we are informed about it , we as a society seem to ignore the future disasters that global warming will acquire. Global warming is a â€Å"global† dilemma and everyone has an obligation to help reduce emissions. This phenomenon has a powerful impact on our climate, our health, and our environment. As climates rise, so will diseases creating more deaths in this world. The heat will warm our†¦show more content†¦Little things like switching your regular light bulbs to fluorescent bulbs can give you the same amount of light for 15% of the energy. A great way to reduce global warming is to spread the word, j ust imagine if every American decreased their emissions that, how much can we all save? Another significant step we can take is to set certain limit on cars and major power plants that emit a lot of gases. The Environmental Protection Agency has the rights and responsibility to establish these limits which the us supreme court reaffirmed in 2007. In the United States alone forty percent of emission comes from power plants. In addition to limiting emission from the new plants they must do the same for the old plants in a flexible manner. (natural resource defense council) NRDC estimates that by setting these limits, emissions can be reduced by twenty percent by the year 2020 at a very modest cost. Another thing it will it take to stop global warming is making buildings more energy efficient. Buildings and the appliances inside of them make up for forty percent of Americas energy use and one third of our global warming emissions (natural resource defence council). New buildin gs shouldShow MoreRelatedGlobal Warming and Its Ethical Dilemma Essay827 Words   |  4 Pagesqualities. * A good possession of details. * Relationship-maker * Result-oriented * Decisive intellectualist * Authentic. PART 2: ETHICAL DILEMMAS: Step 1: Get the facts * Fact 1: Dilemma #1: I am network administrator in a company and I find the email from my friend’s wife’s lover to her. * Fact 2: Dilemma #2: My car hits a person and I killed him. While another woman thinks that she caused this accident and killed the person. Step 2: Identify the stakeholders andRead MoreA Portion Of The Article And Debate857 Words   |  4 PagesA portion of the article and debate: â€Å"Global warming is a fact. It just isn t man-made. I suspect that the ecoalarmists of Al Gore s ilk are as much aware of that fact as I am. But more important, so are the world s astrophysicists who study the universe—and, with it, our neighboring planets. Habibullo Abdussamatov, head of the St. Petersburg Pulkovo Astronomical Observatory in Russia noted in 2005 that the current warming cycle on Earth is also affecting our neighbors—Venus and Mars.† (Furthermore)Read MoreGlobal Warming Is A Problem Essay1527 Words   |  7 PagesAbstract Global warming is a dilemma; it is a debatable issue between a fact and a theory, between approval and disapproval and between having advantages and disadvantages. Endless questions that have indefinite answers arise to a man’s mind when just tackling the idea of the global warming. Many people do not take in consideration the environmental issues, their main interests lie behind thinking about their personal lives and needs. Only few who think about the environment they‘re living in. IsRead MoreGlobal Warming: An Ethical Issue Essay1519 Words   |  7 Pagesnatural disasters (NASA). These abnormal natural disasters are consequences caused by global warming. Global warming is a global dilemma and everyone is endangered whether or not they were the cause for the increasing global warming. Therefore, we should sustain our natural resources by ethically paying close attention to Climate Change before our future generations will suffer the consequences. Global warming is defined as â€Å"A gradual increase in the overall temperature of the earth’s atmosphereRead MoreSimple Solutions to Global Warming1552 Words   |  7 PagesSimple Solutions to Global Warming Linda Hunt ITT Technical Institute Simple Solutions to Global Warming The most prominent concern that affects the environmental health of the world today is global warming. Although government agencies are making significant strides in providing solutions to global warming, the ultimate solution may lay in the hands of the individual citizens. Simple things, such as the way electricity is used in homes, the production of waste, and the choice of transportationRead MoreTaking a Look at Global Warming1483 Words   |  6 Pagespeople, global warming just means that the Earth is getting warmer. What they don’t realize is that global warming is so much more than that. No matter how you call it, â€Å"global warming† or â€Å"climate disruption†, its effects are all the same. Rising sea levels, wildfires, droughts, and storms are all results of these rising temperatures. And if humans keep pumping large amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, these natural disasters will be just the first of many. To better understand global warmingRead MoreThe Rights Of The Global Warming1477 Words   |  6 PagesMy argument is that those who have taken part in causing global warming, which are the developed countries, should be held responsible by cutting back more than other countries to correct the injustice that they have inflicted on the poorer countries. These nations are infringing on the rights of the victimized nations. Therefore, I would argue that there is an ethical basis for deciding whether some countries should cut back emissions more than others because the situation is not only unfair, butRead MoreTaking a Look at Global Warming794 Words   |  3 Pagesdestructive circumstances the Greenhouse Effect has become a dilemma that is being researched and worked against amongst the world. Global Warming is caused by extreme quantities of greenhouse gases emitted into Earth’s near-surface atmosphere, (Deborah White). Greenhouse gases are produced by both man and occur naturally. These gases consist of carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, chlorofluorocarbons. These gases are what cause global warming or the greenhouse effect. Carbon dioxide is produced byRead MoreEssay on Worldwide Denial of Global Warming1439 Words   |  6 Pages Worldwide Denial of Global Warming As human beings, we need to respect the environment in which we live. This is important to greater our future and that of others to follow. Very few people realize that their daily behaviors have a direct impact on the environment, the atmosphere in particular. By emitting harmful gasses into the air on a daily basis is one of the main reasons of such climate changes. People notice such changes and yet dont do anything to help the situationRead More Exemplification Essay: Why The World Is Doomed1086 Words   |  5 PagesHowever, mans manipulation on earth has become detrimental to the health of our planet and the safety of mankind. Through the use and production of resources such as oil and energy, man is gradually poisoning the earth. Pollution has become such a dilemma in society; there is no real control or a feasible solution to societys recklessness. Without complete change, our system will collapse. The earth will eventually retaliate with disaster, or corporat e control of our economy will cause hysteria and

Omaha Beach free essay sample

The beach, termed â€Å"Bloody Omaha†, was considered the most difficult to take because of its rough coastal terrain and the unexpected resistance by top-rate German divisions and inadequate fire support from the allies. However, over the course of the day the American forces were able to breach the Atlantic wall and gain a foothold along the French coast. While we were visiting Normandy, I was able to walk along Omaha Beach and see for myself what the battlefield looked like, though much has changed in the last 65 years. Just trying to imagine what the assault must have been like for any soldier who had to move along the beach under heavy German fire and no supporting fire is unthinkable in my mind. The shear casualty rates that were described on memorials around the beaches really put into perspective the violence that occurred on those beaches in the course of only a day of fighting. This is a picture of Omaha Beach from the Normandy American Cemetery located just off the coast. The hillside clefts down into a steep Cliffside covered with trees and rocks. My own personal experience, the climb down and back up was difficult without anyone shooting; the men who made that climb were true soldiers. The Strategy for D-Day The plans for D-day came about long before the assaults even took place. An attack on the â€Å"Fortress Europe† was planned in early 1942 after the failure of the Dieppe raid earlier that year. The D-day plan â€Å"Operation Overlord† began to take shape in 1943 after the allied forces came to realize the importance of an amphibious attack strategy on the French coastline. The initial planning phase was an argument between Winston Churchill wartime leader for Great Britain and the United States military commanders. The Americans argued for a direct assault on Germany, while Churchill wanted to attack Italy and move up into Germany. The major disagreement dealt with two water to land attacks, Operation Neptune and operation Anvil, the first in northwestern France and the other on the Mediterranean Coast. The British opposed the second as it would drain their forces from the Italian borders at the time. This meant that the majority of the forces that would take part in the attacks would be American soldiers; this would make them the leader in the Allied coalition. One of the problems that the allies would come across when planning the D-day attacks was the increased German fortifications along the French Coastline. The British planners began to develop an artificial harbor that would provide a base for the leaders to strategize until some other ports were captured during the attacks. The first completed draft of Operation Overlord was approved by the Combined Joint Chiefs of Staff in August 1943. The initial plan proposed that Operation Neptune would take place in May 1944 closely followed by Operation Anvil, which would shift all amphibious forces across the English Channel to the Mediterranean. Operation Overlord itself consisted of four main phases. The First, Operation Pointblank, had already been put into action. Its main purpose was to gain superiority in the skies over the future battlefield, by destroying any resistance from the German Luftwaffe, mainly airfields, production factories and fuel depots in the surrounding vicinity. This would also deceive the Germans as to where the American forces would be attacking in the next phase of the attack, Operation Fortitude. The second phase was also an air attack aimed at cutting off communications for the German forces. The allies bombed communications centers, roads, and rail networks to prevent German reinforcements from arriving too soon in the battle. To keep the battles location a secret many of the air attacks took place over Pas de Calais. The third phase, Operation Neptune, would be the amphibious landing on the Normandy beaches. The last phase was to build-up soldiers to reinforce the bridgeheads in preparation for a campaign in France. The German perspective on the allied attacks was most certainly distorted by the deceptive bombings that cut off the German forces along the beaches from the mainland. Hitler felt it unnecessary to heed the old war adage of â€Å"he, who defends everything, defends nothing†. His forces were scattered all over the European continent, Hitler did not know where the main attack would come from until it was too late. With his Luftwaffe decaying due to the American bombings Hitler was unable to muster up air support to defend his territories, he knew an attack was imminent but the Allies had the element of surprise on their side. The consensus of German leaders believed that the main allied attack would occur against either Pas de Calais or the Picardy coast. Allied landings in early 1944 made the Germans more sure, using the landings as a way to displace troops to hold the borders when the allied attacks finally occurred. With Berlin unwilling to send more reserves to hold the borders, the Allies realized the importance of the D-day attacks as a major operation instead of another diversion to demoralize the German resistance. D-Day: The Battle Begins The D-day attacks were originally supposed to occur on June 5th 1944. However, Eisenhower believed that the bad weather and poor conditions in the Channel would have made the attacks nearly impossible. The attacks were postponed until the next day, June 6th 1944. The Germans believed that the bad weather would not dissipate for a few days and that an attack would still be weeks away considering the conditions. This caused the German leaders to lower the alert status to low believing the weather would hinder any allied activities. Late June 5th, the Germans picked up a French resistance radio transmission stating that an allied attack would occur in the next 48 hours, prompting recon planes to sweep the English Channel for any allied activities. Most of the German officers believed it to be a false alarm and did not alert any of the armies about a possible attack. Early the next morning, the allies sent minesweepers to clear a path through any possible minefields, and set markers on the beaches so the allied troops knew where to go( no minefields were found to have been placed in the vicinity of Omaha Beach). At 0300hrs Task Force O naval ships dropped anchor only 25,000 yards away from the beaches to prepare landing crafts. At 0330hrs the first set of assault troops were called to their posts for debarkation, they would load the landing crafts at 0415hrs. Over the next hour landing crafts began to gradually set off from the transports heading for the beach area. The first crafts aimed to arrive at Omaha Beach at 0600hrs. the sea conditions were fairly choppy with waves as high as 6ft, which was causing many of the troops to get very seasick before they even reached the beaches. The German forces became aware of a possible attack when they were alerted of paratroopers dropping in around the area near artillery depots around the beach areas. Around 0310hrs. General Marcks of the German army ordered the corps reserve, Kampfgruppe Meyer, to move towards Montmartin-Deville to keep a route open between the 709th division at Utah beach and the 352nd division t Omaha beach. This would be a fatal decision as more troops would be needed along the beach fronts rather than the roads around the beaches. Around 0320hrs. German artillery positions came under heavy air attack, most of the damage occurred around Pointe du-Hoc. While the air raids took out some of the artillery defending the beaches, the allied transports made their way towards the beaches in cover of darkness. The visibility at the time gave the allied naval ships enough cover to remain unseen until just before the attacks started, which was just enough time for the boats to land on the beaches. At 0545hrs the Task Force O battleships and destroyers began the preliminary bombing of the beach to clear out any German beach positions to give the allies a small spot to land and begin their inland assault. The initial landing plan was to have the boats drop off the troops a short distance from shore leaving a short walk to shore. The first beach landings occurred at 0630hrs. with troops running up the shoreline of the beach. The water was choppy and tanks were not able to make the cross down the beach so they had to be dropped off right at the shore. The divisions were split up into four groups: Fox Red, Fox Green, Easy Red, and Easy Green. This is a map of the first wave that arrived on the beach during the early attack on Omaha Beach. You can see the divisions and the landing sites and where German soldiers were stationed. The first wave came under heavy anti-tank fire which sank many of the incoming tank ships for the allies. German machinegun fire wiped out many of the remaining tanks and a vast majority of the first wave of troops. On all sides of the beach tanks were being wiped out thus limiting the cover fire for the allies as they moved up the beaches. After all the fire subsided only 18 of the 48 regiment tanks landed on shore with the first wave. The first wave of soldiers consisting of 1,450 soldiers began moving up the beaches at 0631hrs. As they left the landing crafts they were bombarded with machinegun fire which would wipe out a vast majority of the front line before they even reached the beaches. Those who reached the beaches had little refuge as there was little to no supporting fire and few bomb craters to hide in against the German gunfire. When compared to the other beaches hat were attacked that day, Omaha Beach was the most difficult to land on because of the sheer machinegun force that was focused on the incoming transport boats. The western end of the beach, the Dog Green Company, drew the most intense fire, slaughtering nearly 90% of the soldiers who were coming to shore. The attacking allies realized that there were more German forces then they had originally expected to be defending Omaha Beach. Unexpected Oppos ition The Allied forces knew that the Germans had an advantage on the beaches. They took refuge on the high ground among the cliffs just off the beaches, giving them excellent vantage points for machinegun fire on the incoming allied soldiers. They had built bunkers into the Cliffside as a base for protection and as cover from possible sea and air bombings that could take out their forces. This is a picture of one of the German bunkers located inland from Omaha Beach. The bunkers provided both cover from enemy fire and a safe spot away from the beaches to take out ships with long range fire. When we walked around the area, you could see how some of the bunkers had been reduced to rubble due to enemy fire. The allies had intelligence stating that the German forces stationed along the beaches of Normandy were all low level soldiers that would not put up much resistance against an allied attack on the beaches. However, unbeknownst to the Americans the Germans has sent divisions of top-rate German soldiers to guard Omaha Beach, making the assault more difficult if not impossible for the incoming allied fighters. With the addition troops that fortified the beaches also came plenty of extra artillery for additional support. The bunkers were built around Bauform 667 anti-tank guns, which were very effective being aimed parallel to the beach. The Bunkers were built into the cliff sides, thus making them extremely sturdy and well hidden from a distance away. They also had a defensive wall on the side facing the sea, so they could withstand attacks from the warships that the allies had just off the coast of Omaha Beach. The guns themselves were armor plated to they could also withstand ranged attacks and still work well enough to continue the attacks on the beach. In total there were 8 anti-tank gun bunkers, two 88mm guns, three 50mm anti-tank guns, and a few other nti-tank guns scatter around the bluffs overlooking the beach area. This made it near impossible to get any landing crafts to shore to drop off tanks and other armaments for the allies. Along with larger defenses came nests of machineguns around the base of the beaches in the dugout pits, which provided safe cover and also a vantage point to shoot at incoming allied boats. Along with barbed-wire fences and the possibility of land mines planted in the fields the A merican troops were caught off guard by the vast size and strength of the German forces that inhabited Omaha Beach. With the higher ground and vast amounts of artillery, the German forces were much stronger then the allied troopers and small band of tanks that made it ashore in the first waves of the D-Day attacks. The Battle for the Beach As what remained of the first wave continued to attack the second wave of reinforcements arrived at the beaches between 0700 and 0800hr. Problems arose with navigation, as the tide began to pick up and push the incoming boats off course, landing along the western shores where there was heavy fire which pined them down. As more and more waves of troops began to land, the beaches became very crowded which made it difficult to move up the beaches and into the bluffs to attack the Germans. By 0800hrs. the tide had risen to 8ft. covering many of the obstacles that lay on the beach and drowning many of the severely wounded soldiers that were stranded at the ends of the beach. Around 0900hrs. the American forces were finally able to create a large gap in the German defenses and began the march through the bluffs towards the German bunkers. The casualty rate steadily decreased and the allies were able to increase their numbers along the beach front. The German bunkers began to take heavy damage and quite a few were destroyed over the course of the day. The picture below is an example of some of the damage that was done to the bunkers that were inland from the beaches. Here is a picture of one of the German bunkers that was inland off the beaches. This shows that the American gunships were still able to have some impact on the battle so far from shore. They were able to take out the heavy German guns that defended against tanks and warships as well. When we walked along the beaches and saw firsthand the damage that had been done to some of the German bunkers, I was taken aback by the great distances that were reached by the allied warships stationed off shore. The damage that was down would have surely killed almost anyone inside the bunker or trapped them inside as the roof collapsed overtop. As troops continued to breech the barbed-wire barriers, the remaining tanks were ordered to assault the German fortifications that were still intact, which were wiping out troops with machinegun fire. Engineers were also hard at work clearing the beaches of obstacles and other debris that was preventing the tanks from moving up the lines. The downside of the increased movement up the beach was the slowed movement of landing crafts dropping off troops because of the debris that cluttered the beaches. This chaotic issue would cause a stalemate on the beach for a few hours leaving some companies stranded waiting for more resources to attack the Germans. The Allied destroyers were ordered to continuously fire on the Germans to keep them preoccupied as the allies regrouped and resupplied. When Pointe du-Hoc was finally taken, after allied troops scaled the cliff side to wipe out German bunker resistance, the American troops had an easier time gaining group back at Omaha. After along afternoon of artillery fire and fighting up the beaches to the bluffs the Americans were finally able to gain a strong position against the Germans who still resided in the beachside bunkers. At 1800hrs. the road to Vierville was finally open and the Germans were completely cut off from resupplying and reinforcements. With other German stronghold falling throughout the afternoon, the Americans had successfully taken Omaha beach after perhaps one of the most difficult beach battles of the war. The End Result By the end of D-Day, the American force had a strong hold on Omaha Beach, holding on to about a mile inland. The plan was not a complete success as they were hoping to gain more territory, but it was not a failure either as they were able to push the Germans back. A total of 34,200 allied troops landed on Omaha beach that day, and the number of casualties will never be completely accurate. What is known is that a vast majority of the men were killed or wounded by the incoming machinegun fire that bombarded the landing crafts and also from drowning on the beaches. The performance of the U. S. Navy during the attacks on Omaha Beach has become an example for current attack measure for naval training today. The German perspective was more pessimistic as they believed the attack would be thwarted during the early morning, with German victory by mid-afternoon. The rate of German causalities is significantly less than those of the Americans, but their losses were substantial none the less. With no reserves in the ranks for the Germans defeat was imminent and so they were forced out of the beaches of Normandy. The success of D-Day on all fronts was a huge morality boost for the Allied forces as it gave them hope of victory in Europe. This first step was a foothold that would grow over the course of the next few months, culminating in recapturing Paris from Hitler in late 1944 and the move into Germany in 1945. Hitler knew that this loss would cause a change in the tides and he began to lose his grip on his territories. The victory at Omaha Beach was a key factor in the Germans eventual defeat and the end of the second World War. Works Cited Zaloga, Steve. D-Day 1944: Omaha Beach. Oxford, Osprey Series  ©2003 Thompson, R. W. D-day: Spearhead of the Invasion. Random House Inc.  ©1968. Lewis, Adrian. Omaha Beach: A Flawed Victory. Journal of Military History: June 2006, Vol. 70, Iss. 3 Personal Journal kept during the trip. Includes documented information seen while in Normandy and pamphlet info. from the beach sites.

What Is Web Analytics Your 101 on Analytics and How to Get Started

Wondering what is web analytics? Web analytics is a way of collecting and analyzing whats happening on your website, covering everything from what your visitors are doing, where they come from, what content they like, and a whole lot more.By using a web analytics tool to collect data, youll be able to know what is and isnt working, and then steer your website in the right direction.In this article, were going to answer the question: What is web analytics? in more detail, and talk about why its important. Then well show you five analytics metrics you need to start tracking right away. Lets talk numbers! An example of web analytics in the free Google Analytics toolThere is a lot of data you can collect about the way people interact with your website. For example, you can track overall visits, the pages users spend the most time on, which sites led them to your site, and more.If youre new to web analytics, the sheer amount of information you get access to can be overwhelming, as is figu ring out what to do with it. However, making sense of this data is essential, because it will enable you to keep a finger on your sites pulse.Lets take time on site, for example. This metric measures how long users spend on your site on average, and on each of your pages individually. Generally speaking, if visitors are only spending a few seconds on your website before leaving, this means theres something wrong with it.If youre wondering, users spend around three minutes on most websites on average.In the next section, were going to introduce you to some more key metrics you need to keep an eye on and why theyre important.Five key web analytics you should be trackingThere are a lot of metrics you can track using analytics tools. However, these five are a great place to start. Lets begin with your general visitor numbers.1. Overall trafficWhen we talk about web traffic, we refer to the number of visits your site gets over a specific period of time. This number is significant, becaus e it tells you if your website is getting the attention it deserves.Lets say youre getting about 50 visitors per day. Thats a low number if your website has been around for a year. However, its decent if you set up shop a  month ago. In other words, not only is it important to keep an eye on your traffic, but also the way it evolves.Ideally, your numbers will go up as your website grows older. If your traffic stagnates or diminishes over time, its a marker youre not doing something right. In most cases, it might be due to Search Engine Optimization (SEO) issues, so thats always a good place to start.2. Bounce rateWhen someone visits your site and leaves without viewing a second page, we call that a bounce. The percentage of those visits you get measured against your overall traffic makes up your bounce rate.This metric is important because it tells you if there are any outstanding usability issues with your website. Some of the most common causes for a high bounce rate include:Lon g loading timesA clunky navigation schemeAn unattractive web designThe average bounce rate for most websites is anywhere between 20 and 70% (lower is better). However, as a rule of thumb, if your bounce rate is higher than 30%, youll want to take a close look at the possible causes we mentioned above.However, bounce rate is highly dependent on what content your site provides and what searchers are looking for, so its not  always  Ã‚  a bad thing if youre above that number.3. Traffic sourcesIn most cases, first-time visitors will find your website via links instead of typing in your URL. The pages that link to your site are your traffic sources, and we can usually break them down into four categories:Search enginesLinks from other sitesVisits from email campaignsLinks from social mediaGenerally speaking, you want to build up all four sources of traffic. However, your primary focus will usually be search engines, because they have the potential to bring in massive traffic. More im portantly, if your website ranks consistently high in search results, it tends to be easier to get links from other sites, because theyll consider you a reputable source.With web analytics tools, you can easily monitor your traffic sources and adjust your strategy accordingly. For example, if you dont see much traffic from search engines, you know you have to revise your keyword strategy.4. Desktop vs. mobile visitsIt might not come as a surprise to learn that mobile traffic is now fully adopted by many web users. In fact, it overtook regular desktop traffic a while ago, which means its essential for your website to offer a strong mobile experience.With analytics tools, you can track what percentage of users are visiting your site through desktop or mobile browsers. Its a simple enough metric to interpret, and it tells you where to focus your efforts.Even if your website is getting more desktop than mobile traffic, we still recommend that you focus on optimizing its mobile experienc e. Adopting a mobile-first approach to web design will pay off over the long run.5. New and returning visitorsIdeally, you want people to keep coming back to your website over and over again. We call those users return visitors (and theyre the best!), but you can also think of them as your core audience.A lot of people have different ideas about what constitutes a decent returning user rate. In our experience, if your recurring traffic is anywhere around 30% of your total, youre doing pretty well.However, if its below 20%, this means your website isnt as engaging as it could be. This might be due to usability issues – such as those affecting your bounce rate – or your content strategy. In any case, its grounds for taking a close look at your site and figuring out how you can improve it.How to start collecting web analyticsThe most popular web analytics tool is Google Analytics. This official tool is 100% free and gives you access to all the metrics we covered above, pl us a whole lot more.To get started, you can follow our guide on how to set up Google Analytics on WordPress. Or, you can use a plugin like Google Analytics WD.Once you have Google Analytics working on your site, you can read our beginners guide to the Google Analytics interface to get your bearings. And once youve got the basics down, you might want to look into creating your own custom dashboards to quickly access important analytics data.ConclusionA lot of people run their websites without keeping an eye on their metrics. That  might  work, but you have so many great analytics tools at your disposal, its a waste if you dont use them. For example, just keeping an eye on your traffic alone can tell you if your content strategy is paying off (or if you need to try something new).There are a lot of numbers you need to pay attention to when it comes to web analytics. However, here are five of the most important metrics for you to keep an eye on:Overall trafficBounce rateTraffic sou rcesDesktop vs. mobile visitsNew and returning visitorsDo you have any questions about what is web analytics? Ask away in the comments section below! Confused by #web #analytics? Here's what they are, plus why they matter for your #website