Having an analytics tool for your website is essential. It’s included in my tutorial on how to start a self-hosted WordPress blog for a reason…it should be installed from day 1. Google Analytics will allow you to track who visits your website, how long they stay, their location, what website they came from, how they interact with your content, page views, bounce rate, and a host of other metrics. This is priceless information that can help you to identify opportunities to grow your traffic further. And best of all, there’s no cost. It’s free!