Jason Burby - Actionable Web Analytics

With free programs like Google Analytics, acquiring data is not the issue - the challenge is finding a way to improve your bottom line using that data.

I've seen many business owners (including myself) fall into the trap of making assumptions about what customers need and want.

With today's technology, you no longer have to guess - you simply test your web pages and let the customer tell you which combination of page elements yield the highest conversion rate.

If you haven't started collecting data on your web visitors, now is the time to start. Get Google Analytics installed on your site and then pick up a copy of Actionable Web Analytics: Using Data to Make Smart Business Decisions by Jason Burby.

A Discussion With Jason Burby

Jason is a very busy guy - but I was able to steal a few minutes with him!

Corte Swearingen: I've read hundreds of marketing books over my 18-year career in marketing. Your book Actionable Web Analytics is in my top three. I think where this book really succeeds is in your very simple methodology, which can be summarized as:

1. Define your business goals and Key Performance Indicators.
2. Set up your analytics reports and monitor your Key Performance Indicators.
3. Analyze your data.
4. Use the data to optimize your site and take corrective action

In your opinion, which of these steps do small business owners have the most trouble with?

Jason Burby: Both small and large companies typically struggle with the same thing - and unfortunately it is the foundation of the rest of the process - define business goals up front.

Companies typically just jump right into the tracking tool and start looking at basic traffic data without really stepping back and defining the overall web channel goals. When companies do step forward and define, document and share those goals, the next thing that is needed is to monetize the related behaviors so you can understand the impact and prioritize the behaviors based on the impact to the business.

Unfortunately when the first step of defining goals is skipped, it is really difficult to be successful in the following three steps (outlined above) and nearly impossible to really be successful with Web Analytics.

Corte Swearingen: I've been using Google Analytics and recommending it to my clients for some time. Is there any reason why a small business owner with a limited budget would need to pay for an analytics solution? Are there any major drawbacks to using Google Analytics?

Jason Burby: Google Analytics can be a great way to start for small businesses. I encourage small businesses to start there and get their feet wet with web analytics, once they max out the power of Google Analytics they can step up to one of the more sophisticated tools and really take advantage of the power of those tools. Some small businesses will never advance to that level others may move there quickly.

Corte Swearingen: I run across small business sites every day that just don't generate any traffic. It's difficult to concentrate on conversions when your site is only bringing 10-15 people a day from the search engines. What are the top tactics you would recommend to every small business owner to increase their raw web traffic?

Jason Burby: It really depends on the industry and business you are talking about. But at the highest level, I would consider the following:

• Maximize organic traffic through improving you site to attract search traffic - where are you showing up in your targeted words. If you aren't on the first page you aren't going to get much traffic.
• Experiment with paid search - make sure you are tracking the ROI of that traffic. Spend when it makes sense and as you are building your organic search traffic.
• Social, Social, Social - leverage the many avenues of social media to get the word out about your business. Empower your customers to share their experiences and find ways to generate buzz for yourself.
• Explore affiliate and partner relationships to drive traffic to your site.

Corte Swearingen: From your perspective, what are the major mistakes business owners make when trying to analyze their web data?

Jason Burby: I think the number one problem is focusing just on the high level generic data about traffic rather than really digging into the performance of the overall site goals with an eye towards learning and improving the site.

We talk a lot about the mistake of companies using web analytics data to look in the rear view mirror - what happened last week or month. Ideally we are looking at that data to make better decisions going forward.

Corte Swearingen: What other types of services should small business owners look into to complement their web analytics data?

Jason Burby: Depending on the business, competitive data can be helpful as well as listening platforms to understand what others are saying about your business, products or services in the social space. Attitudinal tools that allow you to survey your customers can really help understand the why behind some of the data patterns you are seeing.

But, if there were only one additional tool outside of web analytics I would recommend companies look at, it would be an optimization tool to help test different content on your site. This will allow you to continually improve your site by understanding what content converts your visitors based on your business goals. Think A/B or multivariate testing - which version of a call to action gets more visitors to click and convert?

Corte Swearingen: I see you're involved with the Web Analytics Association Standards Committee. Describe the recent work you've done with this organization and how it can benefit website owners.

Jason Burby: I was the co-chair for a few years, but stepped away due to time constraints last year. The two current co-chairs are Judith Pascual (of ZAAZ) and Angie Brown (of Elsevier, Inc.) and they are doing a great job of leading discussions and creating industry standards of common terms and measurements within Web Analytics.

When we started the WAA a number of years ago and the Standards Committee all the different tool providers in the space (there were far more players of similar size then) all used different terms for the same thing or the same name for different measurement. It was very hard for marketing people to get in and understand what the data or measurements meant. The intent of the WAA Standards committee is to help formalize a standard group of definitions to make it easier for people to understand what the different measurements mean.

Corte Swearingen: With all the emphasis on the web as a major strategic marketing channel, do you think some companies may be missing out by reducing their concentration in other more traditional areas such as print advertising and direct mail?

Jason Burby: I definitely think it is a risk to have a myopic view of the web channel. We are seeing more and more that the web channel is an important part of the marketing funnel but companies should have many other touch points that play into the decisions of consumers to start or continue a relationship with a company. This could include other marketing channels like print or direct, talking to friends, reviews, retail, call centers, etc. The web is of course a core part but only truly a part for most consumers.

Corte Swearingen: What other books and/or websites would you recommend for business owners that want to learn more about optimizing their business sites?

Jason Burby: Avinash Kaushik's book Web Analytics: An Hour a Day and his blog at www.kaushik.net/avinash. I also enjoy reading (and writing) columns on www.ClickZ.com (my column is at www.clickz.com/jasonburby.)

Corte Swearingen: So just what do you do when you're not teaching about the value of web analytics?

Jason Burby: I spend a lot of time traveling and working with ZAAZ clients to help them maximize their web presence and really understand the value of the web channel to their business. In addition, I enjoy writing, reading, running and skiing as well as spending time with my family.