Web Analytics Expert Interview
Interview of:
Brian Mark
Senior Web Developer
ToolBarn.com, Inc.
1. Tell me about your professional background in Web Analytics. A brief introduction.
I started developing eCommerce sites in 1997. Logfile analysis was essential back then to see what the traffic was like to the sites. I’ve used many different analytics packages through the years and have seen them come from simply counting accesses to each file to tracking sales through several visits.
2. What benefits would a company pass by if they do not incorporate Web Analytics into their marketing strategy?
Not knowing where your best converting traffic comes from means leaving the most potential for revenue on the table. Any marketer should be most interested in knowing where all of their revenue sources are, and analytics are how you locate those on the web.
3. How can a company effectively leverage the benefits of Web Analytics?
Just implementing analytics isn’t enough. Companies need to invest the time to learn how to extract the data they need and understand exactly what that data means. Any single piece of information won’t tell the whole story. For example, conversion rate by itself only tells part of the picture. Add in traffic data, and it becomes more meaningful.
Sites are dynamic. Increased traffic from one source could mean a better overall conversion rate, while a ton of traffic from a different source could mean a reduction. Learning what sources create the best converting traffic is part of the story as well. Taking the time to learn why is yet another piece of the puzzle.
Once these pieces of the puzzle have been fitted together, it’s possible to begin leveraging the analytics data. Sometimes, it makes sense to do some marketing and optimization of someone else’s site that is sending great converting traffic. Other times, seeing the technique a referring site uses to create great converting traffic can be used and imitated on your own site.
The ways to leverage analytic data are many, so it’s really a matter of starting at the end (sale) and working backwards to all sources. Figuring out what that data means is where the magic happens. Taking the time to learn what that data means is the way you truly leverage any analytics.
4. What are the most common mistakes companies make when using Web Analytics?
I’ve come across way too many companies that feel that installing analytics and doing nothing with them is enough. They might log in once every few weeks or even months to take a look at their most valuable metrics.
The easy fix is right there. Spend some time up front, learning what the real data that has value is.Once you’ve found it, schedule reports to be sent via email each day around your most important metrics, weekly for something that takes longer to trend, and monthly for the big picture type of data.
5. Are there any upcoming trends to look out for in Web Analytics?
There are always trends to watch out for. Analytics are still in their infancy, so the most exciting changes are on the way.
Since I have never worked for an analytics company, I don’t know what they have coming up that will be big. I could create my wishlist, but that’s probably not what’s on the top of their list.
I think we’ve seen the trend towards free analytics go as far is it will. I do think we’ll see a trend towards paid providers doing some real groundbreaking stuff to try to win people back from the free providers. I also think we’ll see a trend towards “Specialty” analytics for things like PPC and media buys, as well as better analytics for interactive media such as flash and java apps. Also, closer tracking of the effects of social seem to be something I think we’ll see a specialty analytics provider provide better than a general analytics package.
6. How is New Media effecting Web Analytics? (ex. Second Life, Twitter, FaceBook, Web 2.0)
It’s really making them more important than ever. Companies are spending a huge amount of time and effort on the new media, but the ROI has to be measured still. Analytics are the answer.
7. How would you effectively measure this new media?
I don’t know that the analytics providers are really tracking the effects well at this time. The direct traffic from social sites doesn’t tell the whole picture. Discussion on those sites means so much for branding and mindshare that this additional data has to be factored in. Opinion means a lot too. If people are saying bad things, that can be more damaging than people realize.
Currently, there aren’t really any tools that put all the necessary data in one place. I feel like a specialty provider will step in and give us some good insights, but none of the people trying to track this data have done so yet.
8. What is a simple step-by-step Web Analytics strategy that a company can make use of to see improvements in their company’s revenue and customer interaction? (simple overview)
Look at where people are at when they leave the site, then work on the pages that have the highest bounce rate. If they’re looking for something not on that page, cross-link to where that is on your site, create content if necessary, but mostly give them what they want.
9. Are there any Web Analytic tools you can recommend?
While many people seem to be on the Google Analytics bandwagon, and it is indeed a great tool, I still feel that there’s more data available out of IndexTools. But one of the things both of these will miss is bot traffic, which is very important for search marketing. A basic logfile analysis tool such as Webalyzer or Awstats, along with IndexTools or Google Analytics, will make a big difference.
10. Are there any resources you can share where one can learn more about Web Analytics?
http://www.webanalyticsworld.net/
http://analytics.blogspot.com/
http://web.analytics.yahoo.com/
http://www.google.com/analytics/
http://blog.webanalyticsdemystified.com/weblog/
http://www.kaushik.net/avinash/
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