Open Analytics! A Case for Sharing Website

Use Data

Tabatha Farney |University of Colorado | e: tfarney@uccs.edu

Web Analytics“the measurement, collection, analysis and reporting of Internet data for the purposes of understanding and optimizing Web usage”-- (Web Analytics Association, 2008)

Open Analytics“the process of sharing web analytics data with others” – (me, 2011)

Definitions The Basics

• User Behavior – How do they find your site? How do they navigate through your website?

• User Engagement – How long are they on your site? How many pages do they view in a session?

• High/Low Use Content – What are your most/less hit webpages?

• User Technology – Are you compatible with your users?

What do Web Analytics Do for You?

And so much more…

Who has Access to your library’s Web Analytics Data?

????

Web Managers or team can access the data.

…which is ok if you are a one-person army that manages the all the libraries web presences.

Typically…

Many libraries have multiple web presences with multiple content creators.

…some of whom have no experience with web design and most likely are not familiar with web analytics.

However…

LibGuides!• very popular tool in academic libraries • anyone with a librarian account can create online

guides for a variety of uses• No HTML or Web

design experience required!

Case Study #1

Content Management Systems• Systems designed to manage

websites (eg Drupal, SiteCore, etc.)

• CMS users can create content or entire webpages

• Depending on the system, no HTML or Web design experience necessary

Case Study #2

Who should have access to web analytics data?

????

My List

Content Creators

Need the feedback to create better content. Show them how their users interact with the content.

Website Advisory Committees

Any person or group involved with the decision making behind the library’s website.

Administrators

Regular reports about usage. Go beyond that “annual report.”

• Give them “custom reports”

• Define the data

• Give them the data they need, not the entire website

• Regularly share the data

Sharing Web Analytics Tips to Succeed

Report Type: Page(s) Level

Suggested Data Included:– Visitors – total overall, total unique, new and returning users– Links clicked – what links are being used?– Time on page – how long are users on the page?– Traffic sources – where did the user come from?– Bounce rate – who’s automatically leaving that page?– Entrances/Exits – are users are starting or leaving?

Content CreatorExample

Don’t be afraid to put that data in perspective

by comparing it the website averages.

Report Type: Website Level

Suggested Data Included:– Visitors – total overall, total unique, new and returning users– Most/Lease Popular Webpages

AdministratorsExample

If you have identified goals for your website, see if you can measure those goals with web analytics.

Report Type: Website Level & Page(s) Level

Suggested Data Included:– Visitors – total overall, total unique, new and returning users– Most/Lease Popular Webpages– Bounce rate – website and webpage level– Top Entrance/Exit pages– Traffic sources – User technologies

Website Advisory Committees Example

Some systems, such as LibGuides, has built-in statistics tools accessible to account holders

Sharing the DataData Already Available

http://www.polleverywhere.com/multiple_choice_polls/LTIxMzYyNTgxMQ

????

What’s Your Web Analytics Tool?

Why Google Analytics?

Widely recognizable web analytics tool

Advanced functionality for a “free” system

Has easy access to the Data Export API

Google Analytics Versions

Although currently in beta, this presentation uses Version 5 to demonstrate data sharing options.

The Options:

1. Just give them access to your web analytics tool.

2. Export the data manually.

3. Automate the data export through a program.

Sharing the DataData from Web Analytics Tools

Share Access to yourWeb Analytics Tool

Setup: Add all individuals to as Users to a Google Analytics Profile.

Share Access to yourWeb Analytics Tool (con’t)

• After the initial setup, no work on your part

• Can customize the data to their own needs (no middle interpreter)

• Create custom reports for them to directly access

• Easy to get lost or confused in Google Analytics*

• Too much work to learn a new system (potential user perception)

• User email must be a registered Google Account

Pros Cons

* If this is an issue, just share a link to a custom report.

Manually ExportingWeb Analytics DataSetup: Retrieve a report in Google Analytics and then export it via CSV or TSV each time you need it.

Manually Exporting Web Analytics Data (con’t)

• Don’t have to worry about creating accounts

• Can create custom reports to give users exactly the data they need

• Users don’t have to learn a new system

• No direct PDF export (no “pretty graphs”)

• Cannot export multi-tabbed custom reports in one export

• Time consuming for the person managing the analytics data

Pros Cons

Automatic ExportingExcellent Analytics

What is it?• Google Analytics MS Excel Plug-In

• Free, just need a GA account

• Based on Google API

Automatic ExportingExcellent Analytics (con’t)

Setup: Have to download and install the plug-in on the machine you will be accessing it from.

System Requirements

- Windows XP and up (sorry Mac users!)- Excel 2007 or 2010- Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5 (included in MS Office Suite) - Google Analytics Account

Automatic ExportingExcellent Analytics (con’t)

How it Works…Basically, like a GA Custom Report.

Automatic Exporting Excellent Analytics (con’t)

• Run and save multiple custom queries in one document

• Build graphs in MS Excel to share with others

• Don’t have to learn the Google Analytics interface

• No programming required

• No automatic update of query results

• Must understand what each metric includes

• Time spent on running queries and sharing the data

• Compatibility issues

Pros Cons

Automatic ExportingGoogle Analytics Export API• Google launched in 2009

• Create applications that request data from a Google Analytics account

• Supports applications in JavaScript, Java, .Net, or Python – so programming is required

• Authentication is also requiredClientLogin, AuthSub, OAuth

Automatic ExportingGoogle Analytics Export API (con’t)

Setup: Lots

Steps Involved

1. Select the client library & authentication method

2. Implemented the authentication code and client library

3. Program the getDataFeed Method (data queries)

4. Share the data!

Automatic ExportingGoogle Analytics Export API (con’t)

How it Works…After authenticating, users are taken to customized Google Analytics reports.

Automatic ExportingGoogle Analytics Export API (con’t)

Automatic Exporting Google Analytics Export API (con’t)

• Setup once and the data updates itself

• Can be designed to allow users to interact with data

• Flexible and customizable

• Gives you more control over data access

• Web server and access to scripts required

• Must be comfortable with advanced programming

• Depending on setup, a user accounts must be created in Google

• Since its web based, cross browser testing necessary

Pros Cons

Conclusions

Before You Start:

• Empower and educate your users about web analytics

• Create some starting documentation

• Plan & Test

• Keep it manageable for you

References & Sources

Excellent Analytics. http://excellentanalytics.com/

Google Analytics Developer Docs. http://code.google.com/apis/analytics/docs/

Google Analytics Data Export Authorization.http://code.google.com/apis/analytics/docs/gdata/gdataAuthentication.html

Creating Dashboards with the Google Analytics Data-Export API. Ecommerce Developer.http://developer.practicalecommerce.com/articles/2621-Creating-Dashboards-with-the-Google-Analytics-Data-Export-API

Another Example:Google Analytics Data Export API with Google Chart Visualizations. jenbits.http://www.jensbits.com/2010/06/23/google-analytics-data-export-api-with-google-chart-visualizations-2/

Q & A