The document provides an overview of creating an analytics plan for a website. It discusses establishing goals and key performance indicators, collecting and analyzing data through tools like Google Analytics, testing changes through A/B and multivariate testing, benchmarking against competitors, creating regular reports on metrics and actions, and gaining support for analytics from leadership and cross-functional teams. The overall purpose is to help organizations make more data-driven marketing and content decisions to improve outcomes.

1. Analytics in Action! Data-Driven Marketing
How to Create a Website Analytics Plan and Start Making Data-Driven Marketing Decisions

2. Welcome!
• Teach Web Analytics and Social Media
• Marketing & Communications at DU
• UPCEA MEMS Planning Committee
victoria.harben@du.edu
@victoriaharben
continuingedmarketing.com

3. Expectations
• Essential components of an analytics plan
• Tactics for presenting data to leadership
• Strategies for creating a culture of metrics
• Action steps, tools, and resources

4. WEB ANALYTICS

5. Pop Quiz!
For a continuing education website…
• Average bounce rate?
• Average time on site?
• Average number of visitors/month?
• Day of the week with highest visitors?
45%
3:12
28,000
Tuesday
Do you know your metrics?
Source: JMH Consulting

6. DEFINITIONS
PURPOSE
TERMS
Overview
What is web analytics?

7. Web Analytics
Data-driven decision-making!
The combination of marketing research and data to help meet business objectives, improve user experience, and increase ROI.

8. It’s Not…
http://youtu.be/haoqBKEwg1A

9. Questions
Who is coming to my website?
What do I want them to do?
What are they actually doing?

10. Audience
Prospective
•Marketing and promotional
•Process to attend, cost, deadlines
Current
•Resources
•Schedules, registration, resources
Both
•Can your website appeal to both current and prospective students? And alumni?

11. Outcomes
• Every website should have the same three outcomes:
• Increase Revenue
• Reduce Cost
• Improve User Satisfaction/Loyalty

12. Key Terms
• Metric
• Key Performance Indicator (KPI) • News Visitors vs. Returning Visitors
• Referrer
• Conversion • Exit Page
• Bounce Rate

13. Bounce Rate
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
<- Retail ->
<- Service->
<- Content>
• Single page view visits divided by entry pages.
• You want a LOW bounce rate.
• Typical bounce rates:
Retail sites: 20-40% bounce
Service sites: 10-30% bounce
Content websites: 40-60% bounce

14. OBJECTIVES/GOALS
DATA COLLECTION
TESTING
COMPETITION
REPORTING
The Process

15. Objectives/Goals
Consider organization objectives: • Doable • Understandable • Manageable • Beneficial Consider goals (marketing & website): • Specific • Measurable • Actionable • Realistic • Time-Bound

16. Data
Quantitative Data (Clickstream)
• Bounce rates, time on site, depth of visit, exit rates, conversions, etc.
Qualitative Data • Usability tests, surveys, A/B split tests, multivariate testing.

17. A/B Testing
• Start with a hypothesis (i.e., a testimonial on a landing page will increase applications)
• Change at least one variable
• Determine how you’ll measure success
• Test on a similar volume and timeframe

18. A/B Testing
Goal of the Page: Click on the Pricing Plan
A

19. A/B Testing
Goal of the Page: Click on the Pricing Plan
B

20. A/B Testing
• Version A - 25.3% Conversion Rate
Businesses grow faster online! (original)
• Version B - 47.8% Conversion Rate
Create a webpage for your business.

21. A/B Testing
Goal of the Page: Add Product to Cart
A

22. A/B Testing
Goal of the Page: Add Product to Cart
B

23. A/B Testing
• Version A - 12.5% Conversion Rate
Simple product page with a discounted price
• Version B - 31.0% Conversion Rate
Two different elements:
A big red sticker
Product name/title leading with the discount

24. MVT
• Identify the challenge and create a hypothesis
• Add variations to page
• Determine how you’ll measure success

25. Competition
• “Also Visited” data
• Referrals and destinations
• Long-term traffic trends/historical data
• SEO and keyword research
• Industry benchmarks
• Tools
• Alexa, Compete, Hitwise, Comscore
• Google Insights, Trends, AdWords
• UserTesting.com, OpenSiteExplorer

26. Action Dashboard
Best KPIs to track for university website:
• Average time on site
• New vs. returning visitors
• Conversions
• Applying/registering for a class
• Downloading a brochure
• Using contact form/sending email
• Spending a certain amount of time
Create an action dashboard that focuses on performance, insights, and actions.

27. Action Dashboard
The Metric
Key Trends
Action Steps
Organizational Impact

28. CULTURE OF METRICS ANALYTICS OWNERSHIP
Gaining Buy-In

29. Who is tracking their own website analytics?

30. Gaining Buy-In
Fight the resistance!
• Discover why your organization has been reluctant to track analytics. Resources? Cost? Lack of understanding?
Be an advocate and identify stakeholders
• Find support, solve a problem for them
Form relationship with IT
• Have open communication and process

31. Gaining Buy-In
Learn the university’s pain points
• Enrollment? Retention? Donations? Alumni engagement?
Build credibility by presenting relevant data
• Show how the data impacts the organization
Why is analytics necessary?
• Show, don’t tell, how analytics can help the organization

32. Ownership
• Who makes decisions?
• Who makes changes to the web?
• Who interprets the data?
• Who has control over the budget?
Marketing
Leadership
IT

33. Analytics Manager
Characteristics: • Passionate advocate • Flexibility • Questions data • Interested in innovation and trends • People-person/relationship-builder • Business savvy

34. Analytics Manager
Questions to ask:
• What resources/websites/blogs do you read to stay informed?
• What is something coming up in the next six months that will change the world of web analytics?

35. Vendors
Consider: • Benefits (Not Just Features)
• Costs
• Contractual Obligations
• How Data is Exported
• One-on-One Resources Available
• Admin Access to Tool

36. Vendors
Questions to ask:
• Difference between yours and free tools?
• Type of offered support: 24/7, account rep?
• What are you planning for the next 6 months to a year to stay ahead of competition?

37. Resources
• Google Analytics
• Yahoo Web Analytics
• Crazy Egg ($9-$99/month)
• TeaLeaf
• Omniture (avg. $5k/month)
• Clicktale (free-$99/month)
• Sitemeter (free-$59/year)
• VisiStat (starting at $50/month)

38. Resources
• Digital Analytics Association
http://www.digitalanalyticsassociation.org
• Avinash Kaushik’s Blog http://www.kaushik.net/avinash
• KISS Metrics http://blog.kissmetrics.com/topics/analytics
• Search Engine Watch http://searchenginewatch.com/analytics
• Mashable
http://www.mashable.com

39. Resources

40. Resources
Predictive Analytics
Big Data Big Analytics
Web Analytics Action Hero

41. DEFINE GOALS/SUCCESS ESTABLISH RESOURCES TAG LINKS CREATE AN AD FOLLOW USERS REPORT AND DELIVER
In Action

42. Define Purpose
Primary Goals
• Get 25 people to sign up for campus info session
• 5% of website traffic coming from ad
• Receive 10% more donations/gifts within a month
Secondary Goals
• Promote program awareness
• Promote brand awareness

43. Define Success
Define the KPI’s you’ll track
Define the metric attached to that KPI
Assign a number to define success • 5 conversions? 3 minutes average time on site?
Define success based on:
• Internal goals
• Historical benchmarks (internal and external)
• Competition

44. Establish Resources
Budget or Media Buyer
• Establish campaign budget
Marketing
• Write and place the ad
IT
• Tag and track the ad

45. Tag the Link
Use Google URL Builder
• URL
• Campaign Source (Facebook)
• Campaign Medium (CPC)
• Campaign Term and Content
• Campaign Name
http://universitycollege.du.edu/bachelors/degree/bachelors/environmental- studies/degreeid/465?utm_medium=cpc&utm_source=facebook&utm_campaign=fb- bacp&utm_term=-&utm_content=FY14%20BACP%20Environmental%20CO

46. Create the Ad

47. Follow Users
On Facebook
On Google Analytics
Numbers will be different!
Acquisition > Campaigns > Search by “Ad Content” > Find Tagged Ad

48. Report
Goal Conversion Rate
• Users primarily converted the week before the event.
• Users visited an average of 2.36 pages prior to conversion.
10 conversions through use of Facebook ads at minimal cost ($0.81 average price).
Next campaign, run multiple ads starting one week prior to event.
Conversions
Key Insights
Impact
Metric
Action Steps

49. Deliver
Marketing Director
IT Lead
Media Buyer
Academic Director
Dean

50. START TRACKING DATA ASAP
DEFINE YOUR PURPOSE
DETERMINE YOUR RESOURCES
GET LEADERSHIP ON BOARD
DIVE IN!
Your Action Steps

51. Tracking Data
Do you have Google Analytics or another vendor implemented on your website?

52. Define Purpose
Who does your website target? What are your objectives and goals?

53. Define Resources
Who owns web analytics— marketing, IT, web team, leadership? What’s your process?

54. Leadership
Does leadership believe in the value of tracking analytics? Have you identified the benefits?

55. Dive In!
Are you testing? Do you know your competition? Have you defined your key performance indicators? Do you have a process for reporting?

56. Questions?
victoria.harben@du.edu
@victoriaharben