Ivan Chalif gave a presentation on the difference between metrics and analytics in analyzing websites. He discussed how analytics has evolved from basic log analysis in the early 1990s to incorporate behavioral data and integrate with other data sources. Metrics provide aggregated data on actions, while analytics aims to understand visitor behavior and how to improve relationships. As tools have advanced, marketers can now analyze individual visitor interactions beyond just page views. Chalif urged attendees to identify goals and data needs and make the case for behavioral analytics to managers by demonstrating potential benefits and ROI.

1. Analyzing the Website
The difference between metrics and analytics
24June 2010
Ivan Chalif
Director of Product Marketing
@ivanchalif
ivan.chalif@alterian.com

3. EVOLVE AND GROW

4. Everything Changes

5. Agenda
1. A Short History
2. Some Background
3. How Analytics is Changing
4. Moving the Needle in Your Organization
5. Next Steps
6. Q & A

6. A SHORT HISTORY

7. A Brief History of Web Analytics
‘90: Public ‘06: Visual
Internet & Sciences buys
‘97: Javascript
HTTP WebSide Story
broadly used
for data
collection
‘07: Omniture
‘93: WA is buys Visual
born via log Sciences
analysis
‘09: Adobe
buys
Omniture
‘05: Google ‘10: Alterian
‘91: 1st web
buys Urchin WebJourney
server ‘95:
Javascript
released ‘05: Google ‘10: IBM buys
releases GA Coremetrics
1990 1995 2000 2005 2010

8. SOME BACKGROUND

9. Definitions
• Data: a measure of an action that can be tracked
– a click
– a page view
– a download
– a purchase

10. Definitions
• Metric: a sum or ratio of data
– click rate
– ratio of new/returning visitors
– page views this hour/day/
week/month/quarter/year

11. Definitions
• Analytics: understanding what drives the behavior
– Is the content useful?
– Does this layout work
better for this segment?
– Does some combination of
trackable elements affect
behavior?
– Is this the right image
to use?

12. HOW ANALYTICS ARE
CHANGING

13. Google Changed the Game
Number of organizations tracking what’s happening on their website
Before
Google
Analytics
After Google
Analytics

14. Looking At the Past or Toward the Future

15. Looking At the Past
• The metrics of traditional web analytics are used to report
on what has already happened
– How many?
– Where did they go?
– How long did they stay?
– Did they complete the desired process (sign-up, download,
purchase, etc)?
Aberdeen: Retail E-Commerce Analytics: Cornerstone of the Complete Customer Profile

16. Looking Toward the Future
• Web behavioral analytics are used to steer the future
– How are the visitors alike
– Are there patterns in the traffic or behavior on a page
– Which content resonates with visitors
– What else can I determine about the visitor to improve the
relationship
Aberdeen: Retail E-Commerce Analytics: Cornerstone of the Complete Customer Profile

17. Marketers Need More Than Just Web Analytics…
“First and second‐generation analytic
vendors are good at what they do,
but mining for correlation and
causation within massive, disparate
online and offline data sets is simply
not what they do.” – Eric T. Peterson

18. Differences in Analytics Tools
Web Analytics Web Behavior Analytics
• Focus on source • Dashboards • Focus on the individual
• Track page flow on • Search term(s)
• Capture non-click
site behavior
• Environmental
data
• Aggregate data • Track creative assets
• Standard reports
• Report on metrics • Additional data overlay
broadly within an • Custom reports (corp., demo., profile)
organization
• 1:1 data

19. How to use Behavioral Data
• Find out what happens between the clicks
– Scrolling
– Hovering
– Copy/paste

20. How to use Behavioral Data
• Understand how visitors are interacting with the dynamic
content on the website

21. How to use Behavioral Data
• Combine web behavioral data with other data for deeper
analysis, segmentation and content delivery

22. How to use Behavioral Data
• Link to individual profiles when visitor identifies themselves

23. How to use Behavioral Data
Understand what site visitors DO
rather than just where they GO

24. MOVING THE NEEDLE

26. Identify Your Goals and Data Needs
• Before embarking on any web behavioral analytics
project, consider the following:
– Why are you collecting the data?
– What will you do with the data?
– What questions do you need to
answer?
– What data is needed to make informed
decisions?
– Who is going to utilize the data?

27. Taking it to Your Manager
• Determine how web behavior analytics can
benefit them
• Determine how analytics can
benefit the larger organization
• Build a story (with case studies)
• Map out costs and benefits and
indentify ROI
• Design a phased deployment

28. Next Steps for Your Program
1. Look at where you are and where you want to be
2. If it’s not already part of your strategy, include behavioral
analytics
3. If you already have a web
analytics tool, evaluate
some behavioral ones
4. Identify integration points

29. RECAP

30. What We’ve Covered
• A bit about where
we came from
• A bit about how
things are
changing
• A bit about how
you can start
making a plan to
move the needle

31. Resources
• Books
– Web Analytics Demystified by Eric T. Peterson
– Web Analytics 2.0 by Avinash Kaushik
– Actionable Web Analytics by Jason Burby and Shane Atchison
• Web
– http://www.occamsrazor.com/
– http://www.webanalyticsdemystified.com/
– http://www.webanalyticsassociation.org/
– http://www.alterian.com/products/web-behavior-analytics/

32. Q&A

33. Alterian WebJourney
http://www.alterian.com/

34. Analyzing the Website
The difference between metrics and analytics
24June 2010
Ivan Chalif
Director of Product Marketing
@ivanchalif
ivan.chalif@alterian.com