Actionable Web Analytics: Using Data to Make Smart Business Decisions

Getting ROI from the Web Is Everyone′s Job
Right now someone is clicking on your website, and knowing everything you can about those clicks and the people that make them is a business imperative. That′s the first of a set of compelling business lessons distilled from the authors′ decade of experience with the world′s most powerful online brands. These lessons help executives, marketers, web managers, designers, and developers take action based on the actual behavior of site visitors.
This book is about the why, not just the how, of web analytics and the rules for developing a "culture of analysis" inside your organization. Why you should collect various types of data. Why you need a strategy. Why it must remain flexible. Why your data must generate meaningful action. Inside you′ll learn to demonstrate real ROI from your website.
Learn to use web analytics data to help make strategic decisions and set corporate goals
Ask the right questions when planning your website
Recognize how your data reflects the perceptions of your customers, information on your competitors, and your marketing costs
Develop criteria for choosing an agency to help you interpret your data
Discover how successful your marketing efforts have been
Create a culture of analysis within your organization
"Relationship marketing continues to evolve in new and exciting ways, and Actionable Web Analytics provides a clear and concise guidebook for the marketing executive. Burby and Atchison have captured the essence of creating relationships online, which lead to meaningful customer dialogues, and then measuring the success of those efforts."
—Lester Wunderman, Founder and Chairman Emeritus, Wunderman
"We have been fortunate enough during the past decade to see our business grow in parallel with and in partnership with the team at ZAAZ. As true thought leaders in the web analytics and marketing sp ace, Burby and Atchison have captured the important issues facing marketers and business people every day and explained them eloquently in Actionable Web Analytics."
—Josh James, CEO and Co–Founder, Omniture
"Burby and Atchison have spent close to a decade helping a wide variety of companies optimize their advertising spend, supersize their website value, and maximize their online marketing ROI. These guys are in an amazing position to help you figure out all of the above. But that′s just the half of it. While their position is nice, their scary IQ, their awesome curiosity, and their uncanny ability to drill down to bona fide business value make this book a must read."
—Jim Sterne, President of the Web Analytics Association and Producer of Emetrics Summit

Spis treści:
Foreword.
Introduction.
Part I The Changing Landscape of Marketing Online.
Chapter 1 The Big Picture.
New Marketing Trends.
The Consumer Revolution.
The Shift from Offline to Online Marketing.
Instant Brand Building (and Destruction).
Rich Media and Infinite Variety.
The Analysis Mandate.
ROI Marketing.
Innovation.
Some Final Thoughts.
Chapter 2 Performance Marketing.
Data vs. Design.
Web Design Today.
The Web Award Fallacy.
When Visual Design Goes Wrong.
Where Data Goes Wrong.
Performance–Driven Design: Balancing Logic and Creativity.
Case Study: Dealing with Star Power.
Case Study: Forget Marketing at All.
Recap.
Part II Shifting to a Culture of Analysis.
Chapter 3 What "Culture of Analysis" Means.
What Is a Data–Driven Organization?
Data–Driven Decision Making.
Dynamic Prioritization.
Perking Up Interest in Web Analytics
Establishing a Web Analytics Steering Committee.
Starting Out Small with a Win.
Empowering Your Employees.
Managing Up.
Impact on Roles beyond the Analytics Team.
Cross– ;Channel Implications.
Questionnaire: Rating Your Level of Data Drive.
Recap.
Chapter 4 Avoiding Stumbling Points.
Do You Need an Analytics Intervention?
Analytics Intervention Step 1: Admitting the Problem.
Analytics Intervention Step 2: Admit That You Are the Problem.
Analytics Intervention Step 3: Agree That This Is a Corporate Problem.
The Road to Recovery: Overcoming Real Gaps.
Issue #1: Lack of Established Processes and Methodology.
Issue #2: Failure to Establish Proper KPIs and Metrics.
Issue #3: Data Inaccuracy.
Issue #4: Data Overload.
Issue #5: Inability to Monetize the Impact of Changes.
Issue #6: Inability to Prioritize Opportunities.
Issue #7: Limited Access to Data.
Issue #8: Inadequate Data Integration.
Issue #9: Starting Too Big.
Issue #10: Failure to Tie Goals to KPIs.
Issue #11: No Plan for Acting on Insight.
Issue #12: Lack of Committed Individual and Executive Support.
Recap.
Part III Proven Formula for Success.
Chapter 5 Preparing to Be Data–Driven.
Web Analytics Methodology.
The Four Steps of Web Analytics.
Defining Business Metrics (KPIs).
Reports.
Analysis.
Optimization and Action.
Results and Starting Again.
Recap.
Chapter 6 Defining Site Goals, KPIs, and Key Metrics.
Defining Overall Business Goals.
Defining Site Goals: The Conversion Funnel.
Awareness.
Interest.
Consideration.
Purchase.
Website Goals and the Marketing Funnel.
Understanding Key Performance Indicators (KPIs).
Constructing KPIs.
Creating Targets for KPIs.
Common KPIs for Different Site Types.
E–Commerce.
Lead Generation.
Customer Service.
Content Sites.
Branding Sites.
Recap.
Chapter 7 Monetizing Site Behaviors.
The Monetization Challenge.
Case Study: Monetization and Motivation.
Web–Monetization Models.
Top 10 Ways Monetization Models Can Help Your Company.
Ho w to Create Monetization Models.
Assembling a Monetization Model.
Monetization Models for Different Site Types and Behaviors.
E–Commerce Opportunity.
Lead Generation.
Customer Service.
Ad–Supported Content Sites.
Recap.
Chapter 8 Getting the Right Data.
Primary Data Types.
Warning: Avoid Data Smog.
Behavioral Data.
Attitudinal Data.
Balancing Behavioral and Attitudinal Data.
Competitive Data.
Secondary Data Types.
Customer Interaction and Data.
Third–Party Research.
Usability Benchmarking.
Heuristic Evaluation and Expert Reviews.
Community Sourced Data.
Leveraging These Data Types.
Comparing Performance with Others.
What Is a Relative Index?
Examples of Relative Indices.
Customer Engagement.
Methodology: Leveraging Indices across Your Organization.
Case Study: Leveraging Different Data Types to Improve Site Performance.
Recap.
Chapter 9 Analyzing Site Performance.
Analysis vs. Reporting.
Don’t Blame Your Tools.
Examples of Analysis.
Analyzing Purchasing Processes to Find Opportunities.
Analyzing Lead Processes to Find Opportunities.
Understanding What Onsite Search Is Telling You.6
Evaluating the Effectiveness of Your Home Page.
Evaluating the Effectiveness of Branding Content: Branding Metrics.
Evaluating the Effectiveness of Campaign Landing Pages.
Segmenting Traffic to Identify Behavioral Differences.
Segmenting Your Audience.
Case Study: Segmenting for a Financial Services Provider.
Analyzing Drivers to Offline Conversion.
Tracking Online Partner Handoffs and Brick–And–Mortar Referrals.
Tracking Offline Handoffs to Sales Reps.
Tracking Visitors to a Call Center.
Delayed Conversion.
Tracking Delayed Conversion.
Reporting in a Timely Manner.
Recap.
Chapter 10 Prioritizing.
How We Prioritize.
The Principles of Dynamic Prioritization.
Traditional Resour