Random Analytics

Jon Udell, data formats, and Swivel

Jon Udell's latest goodness: Data formats for digital democracy: XML vs CSV which mentions the Swivel data exploration site and blog. I haven't spent much time poking around yet, but thought all of you might enjoy.

Effectively Communicating Numbers: Selecting the Best Means and Manner of Display

White paper at DM Review, published by ProClarity

This white paper will help you learn to match your message to the right type of display and design each component of your graphs so the data speaks clearly - the most important data speaks loudly.

Dashboard Development and Deployment - A Methodology for Success

White paper at DM Review, published by Noetix Corporation.

The successful implementation of a dashboard is complex and requires a step-by-step process — a methodology that considers all aspects of the project life cycle. This document outlines the process necessary to effectively plan, design, build and deploy a dashboard. The tasks (and their order) will be similar, regardless of the technology that is chosen or the vendor providing that technology.

Results from CafePress.com Tagging Test -- Clicks & Conversions Increase

From MarketingSherpa; read complete article free for 10 days.

Tagging is the new hip Web 2.0 buzzword. Seems like everyone is testing an aspect of it, from Amazon to Burpee. But few have results to share yet.

So, you should find this Case Study particularly interesting. Discover how CafePress.com invented a new banner ad system based on merchandise tags that's improving clicks and conversions, especially for ads run on blogs.

Omniture Adds Optimization Tools for Social Media, Emerging Technologies

From Kevin Newcomb at ClickZ

With the latest release of its SiteCatalyst Web analytics platform, Omniture is packaging up technology and best practices guidelines to help clients optimize their sites to get the most out of external sites like blogs and social networks, and internal technologies like rich Internet applications, dynamic site search, and behavioral profiling.

Anti-Spyware Programs Snare Ad Cookies, Google Cookies Evade All

From Kate Kaye at ClickZ

Cookie deletion has long been a bête noire of the online ad industry. A soon-to-be released report from independent spyware researcher Ben Edelman, however, highlights the degree to which spyware detection software employed by users may be contributing to the cookie crushing phenomenon. Perhaps his most intriguing finding: Yahoo's pay-per-click ad conversion tracking cookies were ensnared by six spyware programs, while none of Google's conversion cookies were caught.

Pitiful Ecommerce Shopping Cart Abandonment Stats

From MarketingSherpa, free access for 10 days

Absolutely Pitiful Ecommerce Shopping Cart Abandonment Stats -- 4 Ways to Improve Yours

I was completely unprepared to hear the horrible truth. We've interviewed dozens of top ecommerce marketers over the years for Sherpa Case Studies, and when we asked them, 'What's your cart abandonment rate?" nearly all told us "around 20-30%."

When we surveyed 1,100 ecommerce marketers this year, I naively expected the data to match up. It didn't. It really, really didn't match at all...

Site Changes? Tag With Care for Better Measurement

From Jason Burby at ClickZ

Many of my previous columns have focused on identifying desired behaviors, setting site goals, then determining and acting on opportunities to improve performance. Goals must be set and action taken, but be sure the site is configured to provide accurate data based on those goals.

It often isn't enough to place a basic standard tag on every site page and assume it will provide the required data.

With all the pressure on budgets and resources, it's unacceptable to roll out a new site or site changes that can't be tracked effectively. And you don't want to be the one to tell higher-ups you don't know how the new site or site changes are doing since the tags weren't placed correctly.

E-Mail Marketing: Measuring and Optimization After the Click

From Shane Atchison at ClickZ

Marketers looking to bring greater efficacy to their e-mail campaigns should take a close look at recent developments in paid search, the darling of online advertising. There, companies are increasingly turning to sophisticated analytics to improve ROI (define). In other words, they're trying to find out what happens after the click.

Customer-Centric Web Analytics

From Neil Mason at ClickZ

If you regularly read my columns, you know I believe Web analytics is too site-centric and not customer centric enough. In other words, people focus too much on site analysis, rather than on analyzing the people who are trying to use the site.

The Risk of Conversion Rate Optimization

From Bryan Eisenberg at ClickZ

What are you doing to increase conversion? ... Which tactic requires the most effort and resources? Why did you choose one tactic over another? Can you articulate the risk of your efforts? Have you tried all the above, only to experience marginal improvement?

Web Analytics: The Results of Tabbed Browsing

From Jason Burby at ClickZ

Web browsing behaviors are constantly changing. As a result, analysis of those behaviors must evolve to match those changes. A recent change that has become more prevalent over the past few months is tabbed browsing. The Firefox browser made tabbed browsing much more common, and now Microsoft has added it to Internet Explorer.

Web Analytics Steering Committee: It's All About Governance

From Shane Atchison at ClickZ

In my last column, we saw how a fictional CMO finally aligned his team to improve accountability and get more value from his Web analytics data. As part of that effort, he established a 12-month series of mandates. Mandate one requires the creation of a site analysis steering committee, led by the marketing organization and including members from across the organization.

Sounds easy enough, but how can you ensure such a committee will be successful? I've often noticed that even when organizations establish a site analysis steering committee, it often lacks the people, resources, and influence to make a difference.

Analyzing Unstructured Data

From Neil Mason at ClickZ

In this series, I've been looking at various techniques and methods to get value from visitor and customer data beyond what you might get from a typical Web analytics tool. Techniques we've looked at include...

Customer Feedback, or What I Learned on My Summer Vacation

From Heidi Cohen at ClickZ

As a marketer, you never really go on vacation as everything you do is seen through a marketing lens. Recently, I researched and booked my vacation online. Before confirming reservations, I checked customer reviews. One hotel reservation was based on a stellar guidebook review, but I subsequently discovered the hotel's low ranking on TripAdvisor. Based on these complaints, I canceled the reservation. Later, however, I received an e-mail soliciting feedback.

Web Analytics: Focusing on the Things That Matter

From Jason Burby at ClickZ

As Web analytics tools become more advanced and more companies adopt new data sources, it's easy to get buried in the data and lose focus on what really matters. Over the past six to 12 months, I've noticed many companies are spending the majority of their time creating key performance indicator (KPI) reports, leaving no time to analyze the meaning behind the KPIs. Without thorough KPI analysis, you may be moving in the wrong direction without even realizing it.

Reality Marketing Series, Part 3: Prescription for Better Analytics

From Shane Atchison at ClickZ

In part one and part two of this series, I introduced an e-mail dialogue between several key players within a typical marketing organization. The CMO has challenged the management team to improve accountability and get more value from the wealth of available analytics data. What follows is a string discussing the recap of the team offsite, where previous frustrations shifted toward solutions.

Forecasting Techniques, Part 2: Qualitative Methods

From Neil Mason at ClickZ

Last time, we started to look at forecasting and investigated a set of methods called time-series techniques. Using these techniques, you forecast purely based on the patterns in the historical data of what you're trying to forecast. For example, you forecast the number of visits to the site next week based on the volume of traffic over the past few weeks. These techniques don't take any external factors into account; they rely mainly on identifying underlying trends and seasonality.

The Power of the About Us Page

From Bryan Eisenberg at ClickZ

Does your site have an "About Us" page? Do you have one simply because everyone else does? What's the real value of such a page? Do you know how to maximize its value?

Web Analytics: Getting Marketers to Act

From Jason Burby at ClickZ

Why is it so hard to get marketers to test things and act on analytics data?