Chris Califf - Mist 7500 - Midterm: An Overview And Application Of Web Analytics

Califf 1 Chris Califf MIST 7500 Dr. Piercy October 15, 2009 An Overview and Application of Web Analytics As the World Wide Web approaches its third decade of existence, providing over 1.6 billion people access to any information imaginable, serving as a platform to deliver individuals and businesses any product desirable, and becoming the go-to resource for connecting friends, families, and colleagues, it is important to recognize the potential a website can offer a business or individual (“World Internet Usage”). This potential involves an organization becoming aware of different methods used to maximize search engine ranking, programs used to analyze visitor behavior, and how to properly apply these two key categories for efficient and effective use of their website to align with the overall goals of an organization.

Section I: Web Analytics Web Analytics refers to the process of storing, evaluating, and measuring data related to user behavior for the purpose of formulating strategies for optimization of a website’s intention (“Web Analytics”). Basically, web analytics means tracking information pertaining to how and when a visitor located a website, what they were looking for, how long they stayed, which pages were accessed, etc (“XML.com”). Organizations generally use this information when they want to increase website traffic to specific pages, such as an e-commerce page for the purpose of increasing the potential of purchasing products. Analytics are also a great way for organizations to determine whether certain marketing strategies are working, such as links from Twitter or Facebook.

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What is Measured? As mentioned above, web analytics measures specific data relating to user involvement with a website. Measureable data can be applied to three specific categories: aggregate, segmented, and individual (Burby 4). Aggregate data signifies total website traffic for a defined period of time. For example, when comparing data, it is important to examine total visitors for each individual month and indicating whether specific marketing strategies are working. Segmented data is a more specific use of website traffic and applies to certain situations such as counting the number of new visitors or returning visitors (4). Individual data is basically measuring the actions of a specific visitor, whether it is how many pages within a website he or she clicked or the amount of time he or she spent on certain sections (4). Through using these three categories, an organization can collect a plethora of information relating to visitor behavior and trends. This information includes the number of total page views per visit, the number of page views per individual, and sources for driving traffic to a website which include search engines, referring sites, and direct traffic (“Analytics”). Visitor type is measured as well and is divided into four categories which include unique, repeat, returning and new visitors (Burby 9 – 12). Organizations pay close attention to visitor type because it can provide them information on the market to aim for when developing an optimization strategy. The specific page a visitor enters through and exits from is also measured, as well the amount of time spent on these pages (14 – 17). Other than visitor information, analytic data also includes certain ratios taken into account to analyze content strategy. A bounce rate, which is defined as a single-page-view visit divided by the amount of entry pages, is a highly useful tool when considering whether visitors

Califf 3 are reading site content or not (Burby 31). It tells whether the user is entering through a page and the percent likely they will exit through the same page. Also, a page exit ratio, or the total number of exits from a page divided by the total number of page views of that page is measured, is a commonly used measurement when deciding about content strategy (28). How is Data Measured? The two most common methods to collect analytic data from users are Page Tags and Logfiles (Clifton 3). According to Brian Clifton, a search marketing and web analytics expert, both of these methods of collecting data have certain advantages and disadvantages, which are shown in the chart below. Although these two types of methods are different, they should be used in a hybrid method for optimum data collection and analysis.

Page Tags Page Tags consist of a small piece of JavaScript code imbedded in each page of a website (“Should I Use”). Each time the specific webpage is requested, the code fragment, or tag, sends information to the web browser and is stored in the log file or database of an analytic tool (Clifton 3). Although they are mainly considered a client-side data collection method, Page Tags

Califf 4 can also capture information from the server-side such as screen resolution and screen color depth (“Should I Use”). Page Tags are considered an up-and-coming method of data collection because they interact with more current Web 2.0 technologies (Clifton 4). Logfiles Logfiles are a form of data collected by a visitor’s server rather than by the browser (“Should I Use”). Any requests made by a user are stored in Logfiles, which include things like accessing a webpage, an image, a video, or attachment. This information is usually stored in a plain text file, which can be accessed easily accessed for analysis. Although considered more of a historical method, Logfiles should still be considered as a highly beneficial method of data collection (Clifton 3). Analytic Tools There are vast amounts of tools available for organizations and individuals to take advantage of track website performance. These analytic tools serve as the means for an organization to collect and analyze data for the ultimate goal of constructing a website to mirror user behavior and align with the overall marketing and organizational goals. Some of the most popular analytic tools available on the market today are Google Analytics, Yahoo! Analytics, AwStats, eLogic, ShinyStat, and SiteMeter (Tanson). These widely used analytic tools include free downloads and fee-based options for individuals or businesses to consider.

Section II: Visitor Attraction Now that we know how to measure visitor behavior, the different types of measurable data, and some analytic tools used for data collection, we must understand some different methods and tactics used alongside this data collection to promote visitor attraction. These methods are generally encompassed in two different fields known as search engine marketing

Califf 5 and search engine optimization, which are used to improve search engine ranking (“Search Engine”). Search engine ranking is how high or low a website’s position is in the search engine results page after a user enters information into a search engine box. For example, if someone enters the word “technology” into Google, the Wikipedia page about technology is ranked number one. To first understand the capabilities of these methods, we must understand how a search engine works, which will lead us into the different tactics used to optimize visitor attraction by increasing search engine ranking. A website’s marketing potential will depend on fair ranking in the indexes built by search engines as they crawl the web (“How Search Engines”). Crawling Search engine crawling occurs when a search engine, like Google, uses a program that visits, or crawls a website (“How Search Engines”). The crawler looks for many characteristics within the targeted website that effect search engine ranking like content, keywords, <meta> tags, and inbound links. It is important to remember to maintain a high frequency of search engine crawling for best possible search engine ranking. To do this, an organization must utilize search engine marketing and optimization strategies. Search Engine Marketing (SEM) According to a search engine marketing survey conducted by the Search Engine Marketing Professional Organization, or SEMPO, North American advertisers spent $9.4 billion in 2006, resulting in a 62% increase since 2005 (1). Search engine marketing involves exactly that – increasing search engine ranking by using paid advertising placement and within search engines, as well as paid inclusion for a higher search engine ranking.

Califf 6 Paid advertising placement involves companies, organizations, or individuals paying for prime location within search engine results (Hippsley). For example, when typing “college” into Google, the fields at the very top and right side of the page are paid advertising. Paid inclusion occurs when an organization pays a search engine company to include their site in their search engine results page. Yahoo! is the most common example of a search engine company that uses paid inclusion (Janson 1). Many search engine websites use the search engine marketing method, but not without controversy. Some consider this paid form of enhancing search engine ranking unfair to websites that do not contain the same resources as others. Section 5 of the Federal Trade Commission Act prohibits search engine companies, or any other company to commit “unfair or deceptive acts or practices in affecting commerce” (Hippsley). This basically means that search engines have to make sure websites who pay for search engine marketing must be clearly shown on any results page. On June 27, 2002, the Federal Trade Commission made an announcement that requested all search engine companies should make sure that companies who pay for advertising placement and engage in paid inclusion practices are “clearly and conspicuously explained and disclosed” (Hipplsey). The figure below shows exactly where these distinct paid advertisements are placed when searching for “college” in Google. Note: they clearly display the title, “Sponsored Links.”

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Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Different from search engine marketing, search engine optimization refers to tweaking a website to improve its search engine ranking as a result of organic or un-paid methods (“Google’s Search” 1). These methods are only known by the search engine companies themselves, so optimization relies heavily on data collection, past experience, experimentation, and educated guesses. Considering this, an organization can enhance their website in different ways utilizing different strategies to effect search engine performance. When executed correctly, these strategies will result in a higher search engine ranking for an organization, as well as increased visitors and visibility. Some of these strategies include: Content Design The content present on each page is crawled and indexed by search engines, so when a user searches for a specific keyword, pages that use that keyword are more relevant than pages that do not use that keyword (12 – 13). Keywords throughout the site’s content should be catered to the needs of both the knowledgeable and inexperienced visitor for optimum search

Califf 8 engine recognition. The website’s content should also be relevant and reliable for visitors which will promote a positive and well received reputation for the site (12 – 13). Meta Tags Meta tags serve as a summary for parts of the web application, but only the Title,