Web Analytics Action Hero: Using Analysis to Gain Insight and Optimize Your Business

✍ Scribed by Brent Dykes

• Publisher: Adobe Press
• Year: 2011
• Tongue: English
• Leaves: 258
• Edition: 1
• Category: Library

✦ Synopsis

Companies need more than just web analysts and data-savvy marketers to be successful–they need action heroes!While most of us never battle evil scientists or defuse nuclear warheads, successful web analysts benefit from the same attributes that fictional action heroes embody. As a web analyst, your main goal is to improve your organization’s online performance. You can become an “action hero” by translating analysis insights into action that generates significant returns for your company. How you approach analysis is critical to your overall success.In this book, web analytics expert Brent Dykes addresses the unique challenges facing analysts and online marketers working within small and large companies, teaching you how to move beyond reporting and toward analysis to drive action and change. Taking a principle-based rather than a tool-specific approach, Brent introduces you to the Action Hero Framework that breaks down the analysis process into three key stages: Prioritize (what to analyze), Analyze (how to analyze), and Mobilize (how to drive action). And he reinforces these topics with real-world examples and practical tips from seasoned analysts at leading companies.Defines the type of environment in which action heroes thrive–not just survive–as well as how to defeat the villains of web analytics that stand in the wayArms web professionals with a strategic framework for executing online analysis, as well as an arsenal of analysis techniquesReveals how companies need to be both data-driven and action-agile to drive business value from web analyticsFor more action hero resources and information, check out the book’s companion site at www.Analyticshero.com.

✦ Table of Contents

Contents......Page 10
Acknowledgments......Page 5
About the Author......Page 7
Foreword......Page 8
INTRODUCTION......Page 16
Enter the Action Hero......Page 17
Who Should Read This Book?......Page 19
Why I Wrote This Book......Page 20
CHAPTER 1 WANAMAKER’S QUOTE IS DEAD......Page 22
The Deepening Data Deluge......Page 23
Human Intervention Still Required......Page 24
Who’s at the Wheel?......Page 25
Data-Driven Marketing: Stay Goal-Oriented......Page 26
Everyone Is a Part-Time Analyst......Page 27
Enter the Action Hero......Page 28
CHAPTER 2 ON THE ROAD TO ACTIONLAND......Page 30
Start in Setupland......Page 31
Don’t Get Stuck......Page 32
Myth: Setupland Is Once and Done......Page 33
A Tale of Two Analysts......Page 34
Where Do Reporting Robots Come From?......Page 36
Purpose......Page 38
Outputs......Page 39
Delivery......Page 41
Value......Page 42
Reporting Robot Rehab......Page 43
Break the Reporting Routine......Page 45
Gathering Business Requirements......Page 47
Actionland Is Not Fantasyland......Page 49
CHAPTER 3 THE MAKINGS OF AN ACTION HERO......Page 50
Ability: Attributes of a Good Web Analyst......Page 52
Business Acumen......Page 53
Analytical Skills......Page 54
Web Savviness......Page 55
Hero Factor (H Factor)......Page 56
No Analyst Is Perfect......Page 57
Executive Sponsor: Do You Have a Champion?......Page 59
Strategy: Is Your Online Strategy MIA?......Page 60
Staffing: Do You Have All the Positions Covered?......Page 63
Data: How Useful Is Your Sandbox?......Page 66
Tools: Do You Have What You Need?......Page 68
Accountability: Do They Care About the Numbers?......Page 70
Create Your Ideal Environment by Building Momentum......Page 71
Role of the Web Analyst......Page 72
The Action Hero Framework......Page 76
CHAPTER 4 PRIORITIZE FOR IMPACT......Page 80
The Key Drivers of Analysis Direction......Page 81
What’s Keeping Your CXO Awake at Night?......Page 84
The Anatomy of Strategy......Page 85
Deciphering Key Business Objectives......Page 88
The Nunchucks of Analysis......Page 93
Time for a Reality Check......Page 94
The Action Roadblocks......Page 95
Expanding Your Ability to Influence......Page 97
Follow the Money Trail......Page 100
Analysis Prioritization Grid......Page 103
Context Is Your Constant Companion......Page 105
Owning the Context Wheel......Page 106
Plugging into Tribal Knowledge......Page 108
Be the HUB......Page 110
CHAPTER 5 ANALYZE FOR INSIGHT......Page 112
Online Analysis Meets the Scientific Method......Page 113
Eradicating Errors......Page 115
Annihilating Assumptions......Page 118
When Analysis Isn’t Scientific......Page 120
HEROIC Approach: Turning Over Rocks Strategically......Page 121
Have a Hit List......Page 123
Evaluate Data and Its Context......Page 124
Recognize Opportunities......Page 128
Techniques for Analyzing Numerical Data......Page 129
Techniques for Analyzing Data Visually......Page 132
Obtain Deeper Insights......Page 137
Using Fishbone Diagrams to Find Causes......Page 138
Drilling Deeper with the Five Whys Method......Page 140
Divide and Conquer Your Data Through Segmentation......Page 142
Experience It Firsthand......Page 146
Inspect Monetary Value......Page 149
The Three Amigos of Monetization......Page 150
Choose the Best Options......Page 152
CHAPTER 6 MOBILIZE FOR SUCCESS......Page 154
The Action Hero Mind-set......Page 155
Overcoming Resistance......Page 156
Know the Audience......Page 158
Marketers......Page 160
IT Professionals......Page 161
Product/Content Owners......Page 162
Demystifying Decision Making......Page 163
Don’t Hate the HiPPO......Page 168
Nail the Message......Page 169
Speak the Universal Language of Money......Page 170
Simplify to the Care......Page 172
Data Visualization Matters......Page 175
Storytelling with Data......Page 178
Coming Through Loud and Clear......Page 184
Encourage Discussion......Page 185
Reduce Pre-Decision Friction......Page 186
Test the Path......Page 187
How to Handle a Thumbs Down......Page 188
How to Handle a Thumbs Up......Page 190
Evangelize Your Success......Page 191
Get in the Zone......Page 194
Good, Better, and Best......Page 196
Learn by Example......Page 197
How Can I Optimize Our Marketing Channels?......Page 199
How Can I Optimize Our Marketing Campaigns?......Page 201
How Can I Optimize Our Paid Search Campaigns?......Page 203
What Caused the Spike in Traffic on My Site?......Page 205
Site Interactions Analysis Examples......Page 207
How Can I Improve a Particular Landing Page?......Page 208
What Are the Main Paths of Our Visitors?......Page 210
Which Pages Are Influencing Site Success?......Page 214
Which Products Should I Feature in Promotional Efforts?......Page 217
How Can I Improve Our Onsite Promotional Content?......Page 219
What Links Are Broken and How Do I Fix Them?......Page 220
How Can I Enhance the Effectiveness of Our Internal Search?......Page 222
Where Is Attrition Occurring in Our Conversion Process?......Page 225
How Do I Market to Our Most Valuable Customers?......Page 228
Take These Techniques Further......Page 230
CHAPTER 8 READY FOR ACTION?......Page 232
Data-Driven and Action-Agile......Page 233
How Action-Agile Is Your Company?......Page 234
Are You Ready for Action?......Page 240
Formulate Your Action Plan......Page 241
No Mission Impossible......Page 243
A......Page 245
C......Page 247
D......Page 248
G......Page 249
L......Page 250
O......Page 251
Q......Page 252
S......Page 253
V......Page 254
W......Page 255
Z......Page 256