Monitoring a web site’s health

Web Analytics - Definition Measurement of the behavior of

visitors to a website Which aspects of the website

work towards the business objectives Which landing pages encourage

people to make a purchase

Web Analytic information gathered from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Web_analyti

cs#Web_server_logfile_analysis

Web Analytics - Technologies Web server logfile analysis

Recording transactions in a logfile Page tagging

Passing page request and user information (JavaScript)

Web Analytics – Terms Hit

A request for a file from the web server. Available only in log analysis.

Page View A request for a file whose type is defined

as a page in log analysis. An occurrence of the script being run in

page tagging. In log analysis, a single page view may

generate multiple hits as all the resources required to view the page (images, .js and .css files) are also requested from the web server.

Web Analytics – Terms Visit / Session

A series of requests from the same uniquely identified client with a set timeout.

A visit is expected to contain multiple hits (in log analysis) and page views.

Visitor / Unique Visitor The uniquely identified client generating requests

on the web server (log analysis) or viewing pages (page tagging).

A visitor can make multiple visits. Repeat Visitor

A visitor that has made at least one previous visit. New Visitor

A visitor that has not made any previous visits.

Dashboards

Software for gathering data from business applications

Help managers visualize the collected information.

Example, designed to give a manager up-to-the-minute customer sales data

Create a visual "dashboard" for tracking specific metrics Size of transactions

Assignment

Find one vendor of web analytic service Identify the Primary Service

Offering

Web Site Health

What’s broken? Links Graphics Content

What’s Important? Prioritize Key to business Customer satisfaction

Web Site Health

Prioritize Shopping cart abandonment Repeat visits Bells and whistles Shopping experience Revenue

Cause and effect on the business

Web Site Health

Sporadic problems Caching problems Supplier problems

Problems Consumers Face

0 10 20 30 40

Kicked off page

Malfunctioning search engin

Insufficient, incorrect, orconfusing information

Difficulty logging in

Endless loops blocktransactions

Difficulty navigating

Received error message

Metrics customers value most

0 10 20 30

Download Speed

Easy Cust. Service Access

Ability to compary products

24 hour customer service

Ease of navigation

Confirmation of transaction

Eacs of completing atransaction

Web site security

Google – free analytics Tour

www.google.com/analytics/sign_up.html

Funnel vision Visitor segmentation Geotargeting

Concerns Security Privacy

Other vendors?

Class Work

Each student identify the vendor of web analytics and its competitive advantage

Discuss the assigned case study from Google’s site

Answer: will Google's free service put the vendor out of business. Why or why not?