making sense of web analytics

Making Sense of Web AnalyticsAmmneh Azeim

Tuesday, November 27, 2012

“We are getting more calls about __________”


“We need a new tab for ___________”


“We’d like to post a PDF for ___________”


“We like to add more content to the page for___________”


• Activities are not equal to outcomes

• Disconnect between site’s updates and user’s experience

The problem is...


A product/service:

• Application

• Website

• Business Process

• In-person service

• Multi-channel service


Experience is the cumulative e!ect of all the decisions that go into making a

product or service


“What gets measured gets done, what gets measured and fed back gets done well, what gets rewarded gets repeated.”

— John E. Jones


How can you understand your customers’ pain points using analytics?


How can you provide value to the business?


How can you inform the changes you make to your site, so that your actions are outcome-focussed?


• Facts in the hat

• Everyone has the same set of fact notes (what do they mean to you). Draw your thoughts and share with the person on your right.

• Read the question card on the table and look at the facts again. Draw it and share it again with the person on your right.

• What di!erences do you see?

Exercise


Building a Measurement

Program

Understand the questions you want to answer and objectives you want to meet!

Step 1



Program

• “We need a tab for _______” • How would you reframe that assumption?• Why do we need a tab?• “We need to increase awareness for _______”

Step 1

Understand the questions you want to answer and objectives you want to meet



Program

• Should we be producing more content and if so, what type of content?

• What sales and marketing opportunities currently exist?• Where should we be focussing our marketing e!orts?• Are customers satis"ed?• What design lessons are we learning based on our customer’s

behaviour on our website?• What is the ROI for having a website?

Step 1


What questions do we want to answer?



Program

Without objectives and questions you won’t know

what to look for

Step 1



Program



Program

Now that you have an objective, what’s next?

Step 1




Program

Become a Detective

Step 2



Program

Step 2

What would Sherlock Holmes do?Become a DetectiveBuilding a

Measurement Program



Program

Step 2

Become a Detective



Program

Step 2

“We need to increase awareness about content X”

Current state questions:

• How much awareness of this content currently exists?

• Who looks for this information?

• How do people get this information from our site?

• Do people use this information or do they leave?

Become a Detective



Program

How much awareness exists for content X?

Step 2

Become a Detective



Program

A common way for users to look up informationStep 2

Become a DetectiveBuilding a Measurement

Program



Program

Step 2

How much awareness of the content currently exist?

Become a Detective

Visits Page Depth Visit Duration % New Visits Bounce Rate



Program

We are big shots and...

People know us

Step 2

Become a Detective



Program

Brand Engagement?People who look for the name of the

organization via search engine or come to the site directly

Step 2

Become a Detective



Program

Step 2

EPCOR’s Brand EngagementBrand engagement in di!erent geographical

locations

Become a Detective



Program

Now that people have arrived at the site...

Step 2

Become a Detective



Program

Step 2

How engaged are users with Page X?Become a Detective

• Page X as landing page? Visits?

• Total page-views for the page

• Pages visited before Page X

• Bounce Rate

• Time on Page



Program

Step 2

Results of Investigation

7 out of 10 people come to the site via Google but they all land on home page instead of the speci"c ‘services’ page. A#er looking at the home page they leave right away.

Become a Detective



Program

Step 2

HypothesesBecome a Detective

• Content is not optimized for search, therefore, users are landing on home page instead of the desired page

• The current navigation is not helping directing users to the right content.



Program

Step 2

Results of Investigation

7 out of 10 people come to the site via Google searching for Services. They land on the Services main page and without looking at further information related to Services they leave the site. Majority of the visitors do visit the ‘Contact Us’ page a#er visiting the Services page.

Become a Detective



Program

Step 2

HypothesesBecome a Detective

• The content on the Services page is not meeting users’ needs.

• Visits to Contact Us page means they might be calling the call centre.



Program

Step 3

Don’t limit yourself to just online metrics



Program

Step 3

Verify hypothesis #2

• Get data from customer support regarding calls they may get

• Add an exit survey

• Usability test the site

Don’t limit yourself to just online metricsBuilding a Measurement

Program



Program

Step 4

Document your measurement questions and objectives



Program

AdoptionConsiderationLike-abilityAwareness

Get Attention Connect Inspire +Inform Retain

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Number of visitors who land on Career pages via Google VS number of visitors from campaign urls for twi;er facebook etc

Pageviews for each of pages. Pageviews for job pages vs people who click on the job links

Job search category usage.

Number of visits who click the job @tle VS total registered applicants vs # of visitors clicking on email

The path people took to get to the careers sec@on. Career page naviga@on summary.

Number of people who clicked on the email link

Job search page naviga@on summary.

Visitors coming from other job sites (referrals)

4Q sa@sfac@on survey on the job search page.

User’s Approach to the Website

Website Goals

MeasurementQuestions

Measurements Actions

Metrics

Example for documenting your metrics

Step 4

Document Your Measurement Questions and Objectives



Program

Step 4

As you build a measurement program, you might have some challenges...

Document Your Measurement Questions and Objectives



Program

Step 4

“We don’t have enough resources to spend time on analytics”

ChallengesDocument Your Measurement Questions and Objectives



Program

Step 4

“There are too many objectives and questions to address”




Program

Step 4

“We can’t prioritize objectives as too many stakeholders are in the mix”




Program

Step 4

“We don’t know the tool very well”




Program

Step 5

Start small. One Business Question at a Time.



Program

One business question and one action at a time

Step 5

Start Small. One Business Question at a Time.



Program

What’s your "rst business question?One that you can start on tomorrow!

Step 5

Start Small. One Business Question at a Time.


“Action is the foundational key to all success.”— Pablo Picasso


Go make sense of analytics


Thank You!


Ammneh [email protected]

twitter: @ammneh


making sense of web analytics

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