In brief: Web analytics collects, verifies and interprets data about website use in order to support specific decisions about content, product and marketing.
How I use web analytics in practice
Before I start tracking web analytics, I write down its exact definition, data source and the decision it should influence. I check the numerator, denominator, time window, currency and any duplicates. I then read the value in the context of margin, capacity and customer quality; one number without comparison cannot say what the company should change.
What to watch out for
The greatest risk is a report without a decision. When web analytics is measured only because it is available in the interface, the team gets another chart, not better management. Also watch out for comparing periods in which the website, tagging or counting method changed.
Questions for decision-making
- How exactly do we calculate the value, and from which source?
- Which decision will change if the number rises or falls?
- What can distort or duplicate the measurement?
- What do we compare the value with so that it has commercial meaning?