Web Analytics Education

In my opinion, while many books focus on web analytics, the following two are great tools to begin to familiarizing yourself with the industry.

Jim Sterne's Web Metrics: Proven Methods for Website Success offers readers a taste of the rationale behind web analytics programs by demonstrating that they are worth the investment. Sterne presents much of the book from a business perspective and illustrates the necessity of a web analytics initiative in every company.

Eric Peterson's Web Analytics Demystified: A Marketer's Guide to Understanding How Your Web Site Affects Your Business  is a great read for newcomers to the industry, particularly the first four chapters. Peterson offers a sound overview of web analytics terminology, processes and practices. This book is written at an appropriate level for those without much prior knowledge of web analytics; it provides readers with a strong foundation to leverage further learning.

 

Attending web analytics events is also a great way to immerse oneself in the world of web analytics. Most of these events offer presentations by experts in the industry as well as the opportunity to participate in workshops and roundtable discussions.

Stratigent and WebTrends will be hosting the 2005 Web Analytics Success Tour this October throughout the Midwest including Detroit, Milwaukee, St. Louis and Indianapolis. This complimentary seminar is a unique opportunity to meet web analytics experts and marketing professionals and learn about the latest techniques for optimizing your web marketing results through the use of best practices.

The e-Metrics Summit is an annual web analytics conference hosted by Target Marketing. This is usually a 3-day event, which features many guest speakers who share their various experiences with web analytics. Upcoming events will be hosted in Santa Barbara and London in the spring of 2006.
The Shop.org Annual Summit offers the Online Retail Bootcamp. This past years event featured a a Black Belt track focused on advanced web analytics techniques and best practices.

The Web Analytics Forum hosted by IQPC is another event that teaches attendees how to leverage web tracking metrics. This year's topic was "Accelerating ROI with New Methodologies for Web Analytics." This event is typically hosted in early summer; however, next year's dates and locations have not yet been announced.

 

The Web Analytics Association, founded in February of 2005, serves as a viable educational tool. Not only does your membership provide you access to white papers on valuable web analytics topics, but it also provides a forum to network with experts in the industry. Participation on WAA committees can provide an opportunity to gain firsthand experience and exposure to web analytics issues, ranging from defining and encouraging the use of industry standards to promoting the implementation of web analytics curriculums at universities.

 

Newsletters, such as this one, are also a worthwhile source for information on web analytics topics. The insight into the industry that they provide is brought to you at no charge and allows you to educate yourself on a wide range of topics.

 

The Web Analytics Yahoo forum  is another means of obtaining web analytics education. This is a valuable tool, whether you are simply reading the correspondence between forum members or are actively participating in the discussions. The forum has discussion topics ranging from very basic to very complex. Additionally, the amount of knowledge and experience within the group is immeasurable. The ability to gain such insights from some of the industry experts in an informal, yet very informative, setting is invaluable.

There are also many web analytics blogs available to the general public. I'd recommend a few in particular. All four of these offer a very informative means to educate oneself and are definitely worth the time to read.

bobpage.net: Information Overload - Bob Page
Coffee, Sun, and Analytics - Xavier Casanova
Chris D'Allesandro

 

Clearly, there are a variety of resources available to educate oneself on the topic of web analytics. There is always a need for continuous education, especially in dynamic technology-related industries. Many of these resources allow individuals to stay informed on current industry-related issues and network with web analytics experts.

 

 

For more information please call 877-427-2900 or email info@stratigent.com.