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website analytics
If you’re not
o paraphrase direct marketing Quantitative data can identify what
sage Drayton Bird, “Choosing a problems there are. Qualitative data, in the
supplier is like deciding to get form of usability labs and online surveys, can
seriously
T
married—the Indian way. You be enormously powerful in helping you to
look at a variety of candidates, understand why the problems exist and to
you compare qualities, you develop hypotheses as to what changes you
analysing
make a mental list of the qualities you like and need to make in order to improve conversion.
the points you don’t like, you ask your friends Cleverly, Google now offers another (free)
your site’s
and colleagues about your prospective partner, tool, Website Optimizer, that allows you to run
and you try to imagine the situation a few split tests to determine if your new page with
years ahead.” all-singing, all-dancing copy and graphics will
performance,
According to Econsultancy, the market for do a better job than the current page. Online
web analytics tools and services is growing at 12 split testing just a few years back was an option
you’re wasting
percent a year; the Web Analytics Association in available to only the best-resourced businesses.
its annual survey reported that the majority of Another key benefit of using both
marketers are planning to maintain or increase quantitative and qualitative data is that you
money and
their spend on analytics. The economic can tune your web analytics reporting to be
downturn is forcing marketers to consider aligned with your business objectives, such as
where value can be added, and the answer is acquiring new customers or increasing average
opportunities.
predominantly online, where accountability and order value (AOV). Increasing AOV using
measurement is much more accurate. analytics is likely to involve looking at those
Here’s how
Web analytics allows us to identify, to use a high-value items that are viewed often but fail
plumbing analogy, the blockages and leaks of to get added to the shopping basket: Are they
our websites. For instance, analytics can tell too expensive? Is the product copy not working
to get an
you the proportion of visitors bouncing off hard enough? Would video be a better way to
one of your key landing pages. You might have present their benefits? Develop a hypothesis,
spent many thousands of pounds optimising brief a new offer and creative, then test. It’s
analytics
and otherwise promoting this landing page in what good old-fashioned direct marketers have
order to attract visitors to it, only to see them been doing for decades.
programme
disappear seconds after arrival. What’s the point
of attracting all that traffic for it not to convert Finding the right partner
into an order, a catalogue request, or a sign-up Finding experienced analytics people is not
in gear
for your email newsletter? straightforward, and analytics training is still in
its infancy. You will need to train people who
Quantitive and qualitative have the basic curiosity, numerical dexterity,
Some web professionals see analytics as and communication skills to make the best use
primarily a quantitative science; others cast of their new analytics skills. But remember,
a wider net to include qualitative data from you are not looking necessarily for a technical
usability sessions and customer surveys. I favour person, as most reporting relies on JavaScript,
the latter approach, as I think to rely just on and it’s easy to find or train people to use it.
quantitative data sacrifices the richness of Clearly having your own in-house analytics
listening to what people have to say about their function makes sense—more control,
experience. For me, this is a useful definition better knowledge of your product, quicker
of web analytics: the process of collection, communication. Unfortunately the current
measurement, and analysis of user activity on shortage of experienced web analysts who have
a website to understand and help achieve the a good understanding of multichannel retailing
To learn more, see
intended objective of the site. may mean that, for a few years yet, you are likely
“Web analytics shopping list”
Since Google started offering its free to be working with third parties.
Analytics tool to anyone who wanted it, others So you’re now convinced of the benefits
at www.catalog-biz.com.
have developed online customer surveys, heat of web analytics. How, then, do you go about
maps, and other usability tools. But tools aren’t choosing with whom to work?
the answer; you can’t give someone a pneumatic In my view, there are 10 primary questions
drill and expect him to start mending the road. you should be asking your potential suppliers:
20
Catalogue e-business www.catalog-biz.com
ceb 170.indd 20 26/10/09 19:19:23
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