Josh Manion
First off, I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving! As always, the analytics industry is changing every day. So, I wanted to take a moment to talk about a few of the things going on in the industry that we perceive to be significant.
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As web analytics continues to evolve more sophisticated techniques and data have become available. While it might be very exciting and intriguing to jump right into these data and techniques, this can be a costly mistake for some organizations. At Stratigent, it is our...
One of the topics that are of increasing interest to the web analytics community has been the analysis of multi channel data and how organizations can most effectively leverage this process for optimal value. This month, we will explore the business case for investing...
After working with a multitude of clients over the years, I’ve drawn the following web analytics conclusions. (1) Just when you get comfortable, things will inevitably change and (2) anticipating those changes and being able to adapt to them is key. ...
Over the last several weeks I have frequently been asked about one particular topic, "How do I get the maximum value out of web analytics for my organization?" Since this is a topic of increasing concern for many companies, I would to...
Last month, I mentioned some research that Stratigent has been conducting; a complete analysis of our findings is now available as a white paper, available by request here. However, I'd like to share some of the preliminary results. While some of the results were...
Acting on Data - Business Perspective of Web Analytics
Gathering raw data is likely one of the initiatives of your company’s web analytics program; however what is even more important and an often under-utilized aspect of web analytics is...
Cookies are a popular topic currently in web analytics. Using cookies enables a web analytics program to collect rich data on the navigation of a website; however, cookies seem to be a bit of a confusing topic for those who are not immersed in the technical side of web...
Over the last 5 years, the web analytics industry has made significant advances in its data collection techniques. Web analytics vendors as well as individuals and businesses using web analytics strive to obtain the most useful and impacting data in a manner that is...
Originally, web analytics data was primarily collected through the use of log files. Later, the development of page tags and network data collectors allowed businesses to compile additional types of valuable data. It should be noted, that each of the three data...
As Stratigent prepares for a series of web analytics and scientific testing educational seminars co-sponsored by WebTrends this October, I thought it might be useful to review the many web analytic educational tools that are currently available.
As the web...
This month, I would like to discuss video analytics, a topic that has been gathering momentum in the industry recently. Marketers have fallen in love with online video as the newest advertising medium. And while it is projected to drive huge growth in this area during...
Today’s marketers are responsible for utilizing a value-driven approach towards their organizations short and long term online marketing initiatives. Three of the primary approaches towards deriving that value include: Site Optimization, Business Process...
6) Emphasize the Important / Deemphasize the Less Important
Charts typically display a lot of information, so the reader needs a quick way to determine which elements are most important. This requires both emphasizing the important and...
This month, I'd like to introduce a guest writer to Websight, Jennifer Veesenmeyer, Manager, Consulting Services at Stratigent. Jennifer specializes in assisting enterprise-level organizations overcome the communication challenges of web analytics, such as gaining...
Interested in learning where your organization is positioned within the Marketing Analytics Model? Contact us for a complementary evaluation. We’ll rate your organization using our proprietary checklist and provide a list of recommendations to help you reach the...
This month, I would like to introduce Stratigent’s Marketing Analytics Model. This is the first of a series of two newsletters that updates our popular 2007 research study conducted to understand why some companies succeed in building a world-class web analytics...
We will continue with a sequel to our prior newsletter and provide specific situations where Report Trees can be used to bring structure and efficiency to the reporting process.
As mentioned in Part 1 of this series, Report Trees are useful not only for...
From Burden to Beacon
For the typical web analyst, report creation and delivery is a necessary, but very time-consuming process. Often, it limits your ability to move forward with higher-value activities and initiatives. If creating...
Email Analytics Overview
Tracking an email marketing campaign is one of the fundamental applications of web analytics; yet, many companies fail to fully utilize the techniques and data available. Effectively tracking email campaigns not only...
One of the most frequent questions that I am asked at trade shows, interviews, etc. regarding web analytics is "What advice would you give to someone who is just getting started with web analytics to help them get value out of the their web analytics efforts?...
This month's newsletter is devoted to a topic that I think will increase in importance over the next few years, namely KPI dashboards and the best practices for their use. I am often asked "What is the best way to present or provide web analytics data to the...
Importance of KPI's
KPI's are merely the quantitative measurements which reflect critical success criteria as defined by the stakeholders of a website. KPI's, if used correctly, will often act as the critical bridge connecting the...
This month’s topic may affect the long term quality and accuracy of data within any web analytics program regardless of whether it is software or ASP based and independent of the method of data collection (log files, page tags, network, or hybrid) being leveraged...
When leveraged correctly, onsite behavioral targeting can greatly benefit an organization’s online marketing program by allowing them to reach visitors in a more effective manner. Due to the growth of this industry, I’d like to take this opportunity to...
As the old adage goes “Work Smarter, Not Harder.” You can apply this rule of thumb to your online marketing initiatives by taking advantage of technology that can help you become a more effective marketer. Your web analytics program should serve as the...
Successfully Tracking Onsite Search
Onsite search is a topic that has been slowly gaining attention in the web analytics community over the last few years. However, I believe this is one of the most often overlooked areas of rapid and immediate...
Typically, I write exclusively about leveraging the data that is collected directly from your organization’s own website via tools like Omniture, WebTrends, Visual Sciences, Google Analytics, etc. For this month’s newsletter, I’ll be looking beyond...
Segmentation is essential in conducting analysis of web analytics data. Leveraging segmentation allows companies to answer complex web traffic questions that stem from basic reporting. While virtually every web analytics solution in the market today offers some form or...
The year 2006 has truly been a banner year for the web analytics industry. Not only in terms of the growth in awareness and size of the web analytics industry, but also in the ability of firms to increase the return on investment derived from web analytics initiatives...
Industry Consolidation
There have been a lot of mergers and acquisition across the online marketing industry in recent years including: Google acquiring Urchin, Microsoft acquiring DeepMetrix, Unica acquiring NetTracker, the Visual Sciences/...
Last issue we presented an overview of testing and optimization practices. This month we'd like to focus on the experimental design and technology options available for implementing these techniques.
Experimental Design Overview
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This issue will begin a series of two articles taking an in-depth look at online testing and optimization. The second issue we will continue the discussion with a detailed examination of some of the underlying technologies that are required to implement a successful...
