Chance Spann Interactive Producer: "Analyzing Analytics"

Analyzing Analytics? No... I'm not going to get that deep, this is just an overview of what is important for the Interactive Producer to be familiar with, besides, quite a bit of writing would be involved to Analyze Analytics... Let's begin with a simple definition:

Web analytics is the measurement, collection, analysis and reporting of internet data for purposes of understanding and optimizing web usage.

This can mean so so many things but we are going to stick to the basics and some of the tools/tactics one can use to get very interesting results from such usage. There are two forms: on-site and off-site analyzation these are defined pretty much as they sound, today we will lean more to on-site analytics. But to quickly define off- site: In a nutshell its the measurement of the websites visibility away from the site out on the internet i.e. blogs, possible traffic that "may" come etc. On-site? Once the user hits your website even in the situation as a referral from another website every move they make can be tracked and thus analyzed against every other "unique" user to get some great quantifiable data that can optimize your site to be the best it can be for your target audience or evolve along with your audience.

Although it is very important to track your goals and keep an eye on analytics as a whole, goals previously planned I might add, I normally like to look at 30 day intervals unless I have a marketing campaign I'm tracking or another reason that may involve an outside push of traffic to the site over a period of time. I think the important thing to express here is you are not just going to log in run some reports and hand them in to someone especially the client. This process can go smoothly, or it can be a 5 day long journey down some rabbit holes you will have to ponder deep into the night in continuing to analyze in your own psyche to even make sense as to why something is happening.

Marketing Campaigns are certainly a necessity in our world today, and they need to be tracked to be able to calculate ROI, or simply to see if they were worth a damn. Ad Units (IAB, check it out... learn about online advertising and GET IAB CERTIFIED) are a different story and can have a whole separate platform to track the individual ad unit itself form the publisher but one can still see referrals from the site to which the ad was placed etc... Some key indicators to keep a look out for when analyzing the campaign is what is working and what is not. Example: are you users visiting a photo montage below the fold much more than they are the information that is above the fold? Is it UGC?, hmmm wonder why THIS is happening...LOL, well, one may want to consider moving this option above the fold so users can get to what they are interested in users absolutely love "real" user generated content. You will find users love to make their own choices on the internet. I always try to keep this in mind..." A User is a "lone" individual in front of a single computer, its very easy to get caught up in the masses of users and think that way, don't do it... think about that "lone user" and what you are doing for them, you overall analytics will show you and you'll be surprised that folks are just about like cattle. In IA, having the foreknowledge to try to predict a users movement to keep them "funneled" towards a "goal" on you site is the key. Analytics help you to see if this is working, see what the users are "trending" to, and allow you to make small changes to appease the audience or to get them to go back to the "funnel" to ROI you were planing on. Kinda like herding cattle. I don't know what I'm talking about its just a stupid analogy?

Goal Funnelization? The process of forecasting a trend to lead a user to a goal i.e. a sale, or to sign up for a sweepstakes, gathering data etc. Along this user interaction path there will be key milestones, as each one is reached via the hopefully thousands of visitors more data can be derived especially if they are "bouncing" i.e. exiting... at a certain milestone not completing to the goal. This is great example of why to do analytics, this can be analyzed and corrected quite quickly as to not lose precious time and money.

I wont lean on anyone tool to use (Google) but the smart person always, or at least the sites I've worked on has two methods of tracking. Seeing as Google Analytics is free??? I like to use the two methods, "log files" and "page code insertion", whatever you do, it will be rare to have two sources of analytics software usage and get the same results. So, in having two sources you get a comparison of the data and there are advantages from the different methods. Google has a plethora of other webtools that integrate all into a nice little package and it's too simple and useful not to integrate into your site, besides... its FREE. A couple of other are Urchin (Google owned), Webtrends and Omniture as well as others, but they all work along the same principles and can be quite scalable, I like em all! But with Google at 85% of the search market? Hmmm they are doing something right, we better make sure we in the least, seeing as its FREE, utilize some of their FREE tools.

In closing lets talk quickly about some external sources of data gathering that has become quite important... pay close attention especially if you are a publisher or even trying to get your brand on a substantial site. It is so very important to follow IAB standards, it is also very important to get "Quantified"! Quantcast... in today's market it is very cut throat to put it lightly, a potential advertiser looking to buy ad space on the HP above the fold of your website needs data aside from you provide to make a business decision on his investment. If you're "Quantified" via Quantcast the advertiser can check your numbers without even speaking with you, and if your proposal numbers are correct it would seem you are off to a good start into a negotiation. Get Quatified. You can also get this same service via Alexa. These services basically offer valid data from your site via a piece of code you inserted and can grab analytics on uniques, geographical and demo graphical data... very important as a publisher to provide to a prospective advertiser.

Well... I could go on for pages on this topic, but it is well-defined in other areas quite well here. Please, as an Interactive Producer Analytics are an important piece of knowledge in your arsenal and don't be surprised if this entire process of proving the numbers does not land on your shoulders to analyze and then even present to the client. Don't worry its fun, build the site right, and the numbers will be like opening presents at Christmas time! ( ;

Just my two cents...