Managing Web Analytics

I'm real pleased to start blogging for Semphonic. I'll be using this space to write about Web Analytics Management.

What is Web Analytics Management (WAM)?

Let's start with this definition:

Conducting strategic and tactical activities related to planning, coordinating and implementing the web analytics initiative.

OK, but what does that mean exactly?

In my experience, organizations that succeed in implementing web analytics initiatives adhere to a 6 point framework where the following items are addressed strategically and managed tactically:

1. Commitment - from senior management: financial and mission importance/from middle management: resource allocation and program management/from subject matter experts, content, marketing and application owners: using data for driving web channel tactics.
2. Organization - resources and roles that include a senior management champion, web analytics project manager, IT resources (dependent on license/contract and data collection models, as well as data integration sophistication, may include developer, system administrator, database administrator, application administrator), web data analyst and web metrics consumer/stakeholder (content, marketing, finance, operations,IT and so on)
3. Metrics - focus on analysis of site activity associated with revenue, cost savings, avoided cost and user experience.
4. Process - implementing work flows, policies, governance and tools that support metrics development, data collection, quality assurance, data archiving and back up, system administration, user access, report and analysis distribution, and analysis recommendations.
5. Solutions - coordinating integration and use of all web site measurement and testing tools and methods, i.e., web analytics, site performance (i.e., server response time and errors), site compliance (i.e., Section 508), usability testing, focus groups, surveys, panel testing, call center customer feedback, competitive intelligence and so on.
6. Communications - All of the preceding elements are dependent on clear communication...top down, bottom up and across the board.

I expect that you may have a slightly different take on this framework. If you'd like to contact me directly with your thoughts, I'd love to hear from you. Just email me at pkemelor@semphonic.com

PS - Some of you may be familiar with my work on the CMS Watch Web Analytics Report. I'll continue to cover vendor selection issues and analysis on CMS Watch.