web analytics 101: measuring web traffic
DESCRIPTION
A solid foundation is the key to any major success. Start building that foundation with Web Analytics 101, a series of concepts and techniques. Explore the top advantages and disadvantages to four common web measurement tactics in Web Analytics 101 – Measuring Web Traffic.TRANSCRIPT
Web Analytics 101 MEASURING WEB TRAFFIC
Four common techniques you need to understand.
HistorySince the dawn of the World Wide Web, site owners have been trying to quantify Web Traffic.
Stage 1: 1995-2002Server-side measurement – count the number of server requests generated.
Stage 2: 2002-PresentClient (browser)-side “tagging” is adopted.
Stage 3: 2008-PresentClient and server hybrid measurement and Tag Management develop.
SERVER-SIDE MEASUREMENT
Browser makes requests of web server to render page, web server ‘logs’ number of requests.
1
Advantages• Easy/cheap to implement
• Best option available at the time
Disadvantages
• “Hits” not equivalent to “pages”
• No concept of the User, Visit, etc. at the log
level, must be processed to be useful
• Also captures non-human traffic
• Content Caching can skew web log numbers
CLIENT-SIDE MEASUREMENT
Browser makes requests of web server to render page, upon rendering the
page activates a ‘tag’. Tag sends data to measurement server.
2
Advantages
• Tags tend to be more reflective of actual “human” behavior
• Caching not an issue
• Back-end processing is typically more sophisticated &
scalable
• Can have multiple tags per page
• Rich JS information can be collected
Disadvantages
• Each page must be tagged
• Some tags increase Page Load Time
• Cost of tagging and processing (getting
better)
CLIENT-SERVER HYBRID MEASUREMENT
Web logs and page tracking are enabled, data is combined after collection in a central storage and processing environment.
3
Advantages
• Useful when the content you’re serving is
different for each customer (only the server
knows the differences)
• Enables “whole page unification” across Ads &
Content
• Very powerful when combined with
Experimentation & Targeting
Disadvantages
• More expensive
• Requires excellent data “mastering”
• Lots of storage needed!
• Lots of data skill needed!
TAG MANAGEMENT
Tag management puts a ‘container’ on the page, manage tags from a central server.
4
BeforeWithout centralized tag management systems.
Disadvantages
• Putting a Page Tag on every URL is a tedious
job. Many sites have thousands (or more) URLs.
• Adding, changing, or removing tags typically
requires modifying the HTML of each page…
this is time consuming.
• If you’re manually editing tags, mistakes can
tend to pile up over time, requiring regular
“audits”
NowWith centralized tag management systems.
Advantages
• Companies such as Adobe, Ensighten, Tealium offer
Centralized Tag Management Solutions.
• Instead of putting code on the page, the TMS puts a
“container” on the page, which calls the tags you
wish to invoke. You manage the tags from a central
server.
• If you have lots of URLs and lots of Tags, leveraging a
TMS can drive tremendous efficiency and fewer
mistakes.
Every great analyst needs a solid foundation of the basic web traffic measurement systems that exist.
SOCIETY CONSULTING Presented by
Connect With Us
SOCIETY CONSULTING
@SOCIETY_CONSULT
SOCIETY CONSULTING
SOCIETYCONSULTING.COM