Web Analytics: A Day a Month

Presented byEric T. Peterson, Web Analytics Demystified and

Elissa Fink, Tableau Software

Web Analytics: A Day a Month

Customers:MicrosoftCharles SchwabWells FargoCisco SystemsFirst American RE Solutions1,000s more….

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Overview:Leaders in fast analytics and visualizationStanford University originsDepartment of Defense project

Professor Pat HanrahanDr. Chris Stolte

Leadership:Executives from Microsoft, Oracle, Pixar and VisioCTO holds two Academy AwardsStanford researchers

About Tableau SoftwareMission: Help people see & understand data

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Presenting Eric T. Peterson

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WebAnalyticsDemystifiedWebAnalyticsDemystified

Web Analytics:

A Day a Month

Web Analytics:

A Day a MonthEric T. PetersonWeb Analytics Demystified


Web Analytics Demystified

www.webanalyticsdemystified.com

Introduction

• Founder, Web Analytics Demystified, Inc.

• Blogger and researcher at www.webanalyticsdemystified.com

• Author of three books and a popular blog on web measurement

• Web Analytics Demystified


• Web Analytics Demystified

• Web Site Measurement Hacks

• The Big Book of Key Performance Indicators

• Web Analytics Demystified, Inc. is a web analytics consulting group based in

Portland, Oregon

Web Analytics is Hard!

• Fifty-six percent of web analytics professionals with 3 or more years experience

say that “web analytics is difficult”

• Twenty-eight percent of this same group say that web analytics is currently

answering less than half of relevant business questions


• This number skyrockets to 53% for practitioners having less than

six months of experience!

• You need a strategic roadmap for success with web analytics

• Plan to execute quarter over quarter, month over month,

one month at a time

First Quarter:First Quarter:


First Quarter:

Refine Management of Analytics

First Quarter:

Refine Management of Analytics

JANUARY: Clarify Ownership of Analytics

• Too often ownership of web analytics is murky

• Being successful requires clear, senior ownership

• Senior owners have budget

• Senior owners have resources


• Senior owners have appropriate relationships

• Senior owners have a clear understanding of the business

• Business, finance, I.T.? Doesn’t matter!

• In Januarymake sure someone senior is willing to assume

responsibility for making web analytics a profit center!

FEBRUARY: Document Business Objectives

• You cannot efficiently and effectively measure everything

• You need a refining lens through which you can plan, collect, measure, and report

• In Februarymake sure you’ve clearly defined your

business objectives


FEBRUARY: Document Business Objectives

• You cannot efficiently and effectively measure everything

• You need a refining lens through which you can plan, collect, measure, and report

• In Februarymake sure you’ve clearly defined your

business objectivesForm CompletionVisitor Activities

Success Indicators


Gather Qualified Leads Online

Visitor Completes Form

Form CompletionRate

Form Start Rate

Visitor EmailsDirectly

Email Gather Rate

Business Objective

Visitor Activities

Generate Book Sales



Business Objectives

MARCH: Optimize Your Analysis Processes

• Do you know how “web analytics” gets done at your company?

• Who is responsible for managing the technology?

• Who is responsible for generating reports?

• Who is responsible for providing analysis?

• Who is responsible for multivariate testing of pages and campaigns?



• Who is responsible for acting on the data?

• Simply “hoping” you have a process sometimes doesn’t work

• In March take the time to document how web analytics is

implemented and used throughout your organization

MARCH: Optimize Your Analysis Processes

• Do you know how “web analytics” gets done at your company?

• Who is responsible for managing the technology?

• Who is responsible for generating reports?

• Who is responsible for providing analysis?




• Who is responsible for acting on the data?

• Simply “hoping” you have a process sometimes doesn’t work

• In March take the time to document how web analytics is implemented and used

throughout your organization

Second Quarter:Second Quarter:


Second Quarter:

Evaluate Your Inputs and Outputs

Second Quarter:

Evaluate Your Inputs and Outputs

APRIL: Evaluate Your Data Collection

• Companies have a tendency to either over-collect or under-collect data

• “Web 2.0” and “Web 3.0” aggravate this problem

• Event-based data from AJAX, Flash, and other Rich Internet Applications

• Data from widgets, social networking campaigns, RSS usage


• Mobile-specific sites and mobile content

• The challenge is determining which data will help you better understand your

visitors and optimize your marketing efforts

• In April conduct a data source review and combinability reconciliation project to

ensure you have the right data for the job


• Data reconciliation is a three step process:

1. List your business objectives, activities, and key questions you have about each

2. List all sources of data that impact individual business objectives

3. Build a matrix of questions and data, carefully noting which data is currently available and

which is integrated to answer each type of question



• BONUS STEP: Data integration

4. Use a data analysis environment to explore the

combinability of data prior to starting complex

web analytics data integration projects


• Data reconciliation is a three step process:

1. List your business objectives, activities, and key questions you have about each

2. List all sources of data that impact individual business objectives

3. Build a matrix of questions and data, carefully noting which data is currently available and




• BONUS STEP: Data integration

4. Use a data analysis environment to explore the

combinability of data prior to starting complex

web analytics data integration projects

MAY: Review Your Existing Technology

• Is your solution powerful enough for your needs?

• Does it support data integration?

• Does it support multi-dimensional analysis and complex visitor segmentation?

• Does it support dashboards, robust reporting and analysis?

• Does it take appropriate resources to maintain?


• Does it take appropriate resources to maintain?

• Does it come from a strong, stable company?

• The marketplace is rapidly changing …

• In May conduct a vendor suitability review to determine the

long-term viability of your current measurement solution

JUNE: Optimize Your Communication Strategy

• There are many ways to communicate web analytics data

• Different types of people respond to different strategies

• In June review your web analytics communication strategy and look for ways to

optimize your organization’s internal use of web data


JUNE: Optimize Your Communication Strategy

• Do people read and understand your reports? Take the test!

1. Deliver the reports on Monday; call Tuesday and ask a question about the data

2. Deliver last week’s report again; see if the recipient notices

3. Change all the colors in the report; see if the recipient comments

4. Stop delivering the report; see if the recipient complains


4. Stop delivering the report; see if the recipient complains

5. Stop delivering all reports; see if anyone complains

• If you don’t get the right response it’s time to evaluate your

data communication strategy

• PowerPoint? Wiki? Podcast? Internal Blog? Newsletter?

Third Quarter:Third Quarter:


Third Quarter:

Examine Your Commitment

Third Quarter:

Examine Your Commitment

JULY: Examine Your Resource Commitment

• No great surprise, web analytics is hard

• People make web analytics work in any complex organization

• Unfortunately, experienced people are pretty hard to find

• Indeed.com has 275% more postings for “web analytics” now


• Indeed.com has 275% more postings for “web analytics” now

than in February 2005

• Salaries for experienced people reflect this demand

• Some HR departments are slow to realize this

• In July get realistic about hiring someone to manage

your web analytics efforts

JULY: Examine Your Resource Commitment

• How to find the best people to manage your web analytics efforts:

1. Be realistic about how much salary you’re willing/able to pay (graph on left)

2. Be realistic about how much experience you need (graph on right)

3. Sell the company and the opportunity in your job posting

4. Consider outside help (recruiters, niche job boards)


4. Consider outside help (recruiters, niche job boards)

AUGUST: Evaluate Your Ability to Analyze Data

• Too many companies confuse “reports” with “analysis”

• Both are important, but analysis is more important; analysis drives action

• Big secret: most senior executives prefer thoughtful analysis

• In August start to produce and use analysis of your visitor’s behavior


+ + =Good Data Good Technology Smart People Good Analysis

SEPTEMBER: Determine Your Ability to Test

• Testing is fundamental to web analytics

• Can be simple A/B or multivariate, doesn’t really matter

• You don’t know, the HiPPO doesn’t know, your customer knows

• Test your buttons, messages, pages, campaigns, Web 2.0 applications, etc.


• Testing is the only good way to calculate your ROI from web analytics

• In September implement

some type of marketing and

content testing framework

SEPTEMBER: Determine Your Ability to Test

• Testing is fundamental to web analytics

• Can be simple A/B or multivariate, doesn’t really matter

• You don’t know, the HiPPO doesn’t know, your customer knows

• Test your buttons, messages, pages, campaigns, Web 2.0 applications, etc.


• Testing is the only good way to calculate your ROI from web analytics

• In September implement

technology and start putting

your analysis to work by testing

your brilliant people’s

recommendations

Fourth Quarter:Fourth Quarter:


Fourth Quarter:

Challenge Yourself

Fourth Quarter:

Challenge Yourself

OCTOBER: Extend Your Use of Visitor Segments

• There is no “average” customer

• Segmenting your visitors ties the data back to your business objectives

• Behavioral segments, to understand people who fail to complete critical activities

• Technographic segments, to understand whether browsers or hardware affects success


• Customer segments, to understand whether you’re serving your most valuable audience

• Segmentation is often arduous but the benefit is well worth the effort

• In October put your visitor segmentation

technology to work by segmenting your

key reports, KPIs, and analysis


OCTOBER: Extend Your Use of Visitor Segments


NOVEMBER: Expand Your Use of Customer Data

• Quantitative click-stream data alone is not enough

• Eventually you’ll need robust qualitative inputs

• The Web Site Optimization Ecosystem has two additional measurement

technologies


• Voice of Customer

• Customer Experience Management

• In November evaluate your ability to capture,

integrate, and drill-down into qualitative

data

NOVEMBER: Expand Your Use of Customer Data

• The integrated use of these

technologies powers drives

analytical insight!

• Fewer “we don’t know” moments

• More robust metrics and


• More robust metrics and

indicators

• Faster response times

• Greater ability to conduct rich

analysis of visitor behavior

• Better analysis leads to better customer

relationships and marketing efforts

DECEMBER: Evaluate Your Progress

• Oddly, few companies regularly review their measurement efforts

• But web analytics is hard, and a lot can go wrong over a year

• Priorities change

• Resources come and go


• Vendors consolidate and fail

• New data emerges, old data stales

• New marketing technology is deployed

• In December bring everyone analytics touches together

and ask “how is it going?” and “what can we do better?”

Still Have Energy?Still Have Energy?


Still Have Energy?

Expand Your Horizons

Still Have Energy?

Expand Your Horizons

Expand Your (Web Analytics) Horizons

• There are a few events and opportunities you should know about:

• Web Analytics Wednesdays (www.webanalyticsdemystified.com)

• Web Analytics Association (www.webanalyticsassociation.org)

• The Marketing Optimization Summit (www.emetrics.org)

• The SEMphonic X Change (www.semphonic.com)


• The SEMphonic X Change (www.semphonic.com)

• Also, a few very good blogs:

• Gary Angel, Judah Phillips, Daniel Shields, Dennis Mortensen,

Aurelie Pols, June Dershewitz, Anil Batra, Phil Kemelor, Lars

Johansson

Summary

• There is actually a lot involved in being successful with web analytics

• A thoughtful examination of the current state will do wonders for you

• There is something I call RAMP that describes your core needs for success:

• Resources,which are technology and people


• Resources,which are technology and people

• Analysis, not just reports and key performance indicators

• Multivariate testing, to prove the analysis the people do is right or wrong

• Process, to make your resources, analysis, and testing work together efficiently

• If you take it one month at a time, I am confident you will be very successful

• More information at www.webanalyticsdemystified.com


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Web Analytics: A Day a Month

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