 Web analytics, and all the buzz-words surrounding it, can be overwhelming for beginners and veterans alike. No matter how long you've been using Web analytics, often a high-level plan and goals haven't been set for the marketing program. In this two-part post I'll outline the four stages of Web analytics success to help you organize your efforts, plan where you're going and how to get there, and define success at each stage.
Understanding this framework is the first step in aligning your Web analytics commitment with the results you want to achieve. For some, reaching the Basic Reporting stage is “mission accomplished,” while others seek to reach the Competitive Advantage stage. You should constantly evaluate whether the value you get from progressing to each success-stage outweighs the effort you need to get there.
To start, let’s define the chart axis (click on image to view full size):
Web Analytics Commitment is a combination of the time and money that you, your team, and your organization put into achieving your Web analytics program goals.
Web Analytics Value is a combination of quantified and un-quantified returns on your Web analytics investment. It can be quantified by direct improvements to ROI on your marketing spend. Value is also derived, in a harder-to-quantify way, by achieving a better understanding of visitor behavior, what they're doing on your Web site, and what motivates them to take the actions you've set out for them.
Defining the Four Stages of Web Analytics Success:
1) Basic Reporting success is achieved when you have chosen a Web analytics product(s), set up out-of-the-box data collection, and can look at basic reports on your Web traffic.
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Since Web analytics has, in general, become a commodity, this stage can be achieved cheaply and quickly.
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At the same time, it is important to consider how well your out-of-the-box Web analytics product is integrated with your other online marketing efforts, such as email marketing campaigns.
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For example, an online marketing solution such as Lyris HQ, which integrates email campaign creation and Web analytics within the same product, can be a huge benefit when progressing through the next stages of analytics success.
2) Reporting & Analysis success is achieved when you have achieved basic reporting and have dedicated your time, or another resource, to start sifting through the data with the goal of presenting the general performance of your Web site to your organization.
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At this stage, you will decide whether the current Web analytics tool has the features that you need to report on the metrics that are important to your business.
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Segmenting your data, reporting on trends, and setting up funnels are great ways to start your analysis. You will likely need to customize your Web analytics solution to organize the data and start disseminating information on different types of conversions.
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The right Web analytics product should be customizable in order to analyze specific metrics that drive your business.
As mentioned, for some marketers reaching this level of analysis is an accomplishment in itself, but most of us need to prove the ROI value of our online marketing efforts in much more detail. Next month I'll define more advanced techniques that will truly give you that competitive advantage you're looking for.
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About the Author
Jack Diego is a product manager for Lyris HQ Web Analytics. He seeks to integrate analytics into Lyris HQ so well that you’re using Web analytics without even knowing it.
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