Making Web Analytics Actionable Peter O’Neill Freelance Web Analytics Consultant www.aussiewebanalyst.com Scottish Web Folk 28 th Nov 2008

Web Analytics What is Web Analytics? ‘ Web Analytics is the measurement, collection, analysis and reporting of Internet data for the purposes of understanding and optimizing Web usage.’ (Web Analytics Association) What is the point of Web Analytics? To use data to make better business decisions (Peter O’Neill) Peter O’Neill www.aussiewebanalyst.com

What is Web Analytics?

‘ Web Analytics is the measurement, collection, analysis and reporting of Internet data for the purposes of understanding and optimizing Web usage.’ (Web Analytics Association)

What is the point of Web Analytics?

To use data to make better business decisions (Peter O’Neill)

My Opinion on Web Analytics If you are not using web analytics data to make decisions, there is no point in investing resources in collecting and reporting on it. Better for data/reports to be simple and useful than complicated and just filed away. Small steps Peter O’Neill www.aussiewebanalyst.com

If you are not using web analytics data to make decisions, there is no point in investing resources in collecting and reporting on it.

Better for data/reports to be simple and useful than complicated and just filed away.

Small steps

Issues people are facing Response from surveys Clear objectives from stakeholders Lack of time Knowledge of using web analytics data to make decisions Lack of support of internal stakeholders Peter O’Neill www.aussiewebanalyst.com

Response from surveys

Clear objectives from stakeholders

Lack of time

Knowledge of using web analytics data to make decisions

Lack of support of internal stakeholders

What I am going to discuss Not ‘How to produce hundreds of reports’ Defining KPIs & setting targets Dashboards Key reports for internal stakeholders Some ideas Other external resources for assistance Peter O’Neill www.aussiewebanalyst.com

Not ‘How to produce hundreds of reports’

Defining KPIs & setting targets

Dashboards

Key reports for internal stakeholders

Some ideas

Other external resources for assistance

KPIs/Targets Defining KPIs and setting targets Why have KPIs? Why set targets for these KPIs? Process for defining KPIs and targets How to use KPIs/targets Suggested KPIs Peter O’Neill www.aussiewebanalyst.com

Defining KPIs and setting targets

Why have KPIs?

Why set targets for these KPIs?

Process for defining KPIs and targets

How to use KPIs/targets

Suggested KPIs

KPIs/Targets Suggested KPIs for a University website Number of visits with > 5 page views Number of course descriptions downloaded or viewed Number of clicks on links to online applications % of successful on site searches % of traffic from Direct Entry % of Returning Visitors to ‘What’s Going On’ site section Peter O’Neill www.aussiewebanalyst.com

Suggested KPIs for a University website

Number of visits with > 5 page views

Number of course descriptions downloaded or viewed

Number of clicks on links to online applications

% of successful on site searches

% of traffic from Direct Entry

% of Returning Visitors to ‘What’s Going On’ site section

KPIs/Targets KPIs need to be related to how your organisation defines success Targets allow you to define whether you achieved success or not Involve stakeholders in discussion if possible If not, create your own – best guess – use that as a starting point Peter O’Neill www.aussiewebanalyst.com

KPIs need to be related to how your organisation defines success

Targets allow you to define whether you achieved success or not

Involve stakeholders in discussion if possible

If not, create your own – best guess – use that as a starting point

Dashboards The purpose of Dashboards Quick overview of performance Include only relevant information – the key facts Simple to read Indicator of performance Quick to update Anyone in organisation can use Dashboards evolve over time Peter O’Neill www.aussiewebanalyst.com

The purpose of Dashboards

Quick overview of performance

Include only relevant information – the key facts

Simple to read

Indicator of performance

Quick to update

Anyone in organisation can use

Dashboards evolve over time

Dashboards What I recommend Start with Site Metrics and/or with KPIs Distribute weekly or monthly Include some basic commentary Answer people’s questions My recommended Dashboard format Get people used to looking at web metrics and data – grow from there Peter O’Neill www.aussiewebanalyst.com

What I recommend

Start with Site Metrics and/or with KPIs

Distribute weekly or monthly

Include some basic commentary

Answer people’s questions

My recommended Dashboard format

Get people used to looking at web metrics and data – grow from there

Key Reports Top search terms Search engines and on-site search Identify terms as targets for SEO Measure performance of SEO Insight into what visitors find interesting Peter O’Neill www.aussiewebanalyst.com

Top search terms

Search engines and on-site search

Identify terms as targets for SEO

Measure performance of SEO

Insight into what visitors find interesting

Key Reports Site Overlay / Direct View Use for key pages How are visitors using that page? Does navigation for the page/website need to be improved? Can create manually using Navigation Summary or Clickpath Explorer Peter O’Neill www.aussiewebanalyst.com

Site Overlay / Direct View

Use for key pages

How are visitors using that page?

Does navigation for the page/website need to be improved?

Can create manually using Navigation Summary or Clickpath Explorer

Key Reports Most popular Rank the different site sections or departments or courses or staff profiles... Ideal metric is visits but visitors or page views is acceptable substitute Depends on site structure & naming convention GA – Content Drilldown report Nedstat – XX per subdirectory within directory report Can be produced using segmentation (manual process) Peter O’Neill www.aussiewebanalyst.com

Most popular

Rank the different site sections or departments or courses or staff profiles...

Ideal metric is visits but visitors or page views is acceptable substitute

Depends on site structure & naming convention

GA – Content Drilldown report

Nedstat – XX per subdirectory within directory report

Can be produced using segmentation (manual process)

Some Additional Ideas How to get internal stakeholders more interested? Find internal champions Focus on analysis that can save money Create a university case study How to increase knowledge? Create your own forum to compare notes Trade time between universities You are the web analytics experts for universities Do expert reviews of each other’s websites Peter O’Neill www.aussiewebanalyst.com

How to get internal stakeholders more interested?

Find internal champions

Focus on analysis that can save money

Create a university case study

How to increase knowledge?

Create your own forum to compare notes

Trade time between universities

You are the web analytics experts for universities

Do expert reviews of each other’s websites

Some Additional Ideas How to make most of limited resources? Use your natural resource – students Talk to the professors for marketing/computer/analytics courses Students can do work for experience or as class projects Best dashboard Best recommended improvement to website Peter O’Neill www.aussiewebanalyst.com

How to make most of limited resources?

Use your natural resource – students

Talk to the professors for marketing/computer/analytics courses

Students can do work for experience or as class projects

Best dashboard

Best recommended improvement to website

Other External Resources Forums – Web Analytics, Google Analytics Blogs – smart people are writing about how they use web analytics Books – why learn from your own mistakes when you can learn from the mistakes of others Free tools - Google Tools/Firefox plugins Twitter – start conversations with people who can offer help Peter O’Neill www.aussiewebanalyst.com

Forums – Web Analytics, Google Analytics

Blogs – smart people are writing about how they use web analytics

Books – why learn from your own mistakes when you can learn from the mistakes of others

Free tools - Google Tools/Firefox plugins

Twitter – start conversations with people who can offer help

Thoughts to Take Away Web Analytics is about using data to make decisions Keep things simple and take small steps, both for yourself and for involving internal stakeholders Help by making other’s jobs easier If you give people some information/answers, they will start asking more questions Examples are the best way to prove value Make the best use of the resources available to you Remember, you are the web analytics experts for university websites Peter O’Neill www.aussiewebanalyst.com

Web Analytics is about using data to make decisions

Keep things simple and take small steps, both for yourself and for involving internal stakeholders

Help by making other’s jobs easier

If you give people some information/answers, they will start asking more questions

Examples are the best way to prove value

Make the best use of the resources available to you

Remember, you are the web analytics experts for university websites