Getting Results with WebTrends How to Improve Your Business with Web Analytics

Introducing … Web Analytics Product Manager Brian Induni Web Analytics Product Marketing Manager Amy Duryea

Agenda  State of the Web  Today’s Challenges  Setting the Stage  5 Key Areas to Measure  GeoPassage Case Study  Questions and Answers

As the Web Matures… Pioneer Days Great Expectations Pre Wake-up Call 2001 Reality Check Source: Forrester Research, 2001 …the Focus Shifts to ROI

The Value of Web Analytics “It has long been said you cannot manage what you cannot measure. Nowhere is this more true than on the Web – where examining what works and what doesn’t directly influences the bottom line.” – Gartner Group, 2001 “Web Analytics: Getting Down to Business”

Challenges in the Market 1.Scalability  As data volumes increase, business analysts are becoming overwhelmed trying to understand how it all maps together. Source: Aberdeen Group, December 2000

Challenges in the Market 1.Scalability  As data volumes increase, business analysts are becoming overwhelmed trying to understand how it all maps together. 2.Insight-to-effort ratio  Enterprises are challenged that high-end solutions require so much effort. At the same time, entry-level solutions typically offer little in-depth reporting. Source: Aberdeen Group, December 2000

Challenges in the Market 1.Scalability  As data volumes increase, business analysts are becoming overwhelmed trying to understand how it all maps together. 2.Insight-to-effort ratio  Enterprises are challenged that high-end solutions require so much effort. At the same time, entry-level solutions typically offer little in-depth reporting. 3.Aligning the organization to the technology  Technology is only part of the solution, organizations must coordinate across departmental boundaries to be successful at utilizing web analytics to impact change. Source: Aberdeen Group, December 2000

Setting the Stage Quick Review of Terminology & Fundamentals

The Log File - Contents  IP Address or domain name of requesting user  Username (if necessary to access protected pages)  Time/date of request  Status of request (whether or not the request was successful)  The page, image, or other file that was requested  Any parameters associated with a dynamic request  The browser that requested the file*  The page and domain of the request immediately preceding the current request*  How long the server took to transfer the file  The user’s cookie and cookie parameters * Information is available when the server logs in extended file format

Activity for one visitor  default 30 minutes of inactivity  also called a visit Visits (or “Sessions”)

5 Key Areas to Measure

5 Key Areas 1.Top Referrers 2.Content Groups 3.Top Paths 4.Technical Stats 5.Qualified Visits (by product)

#1 How are people finding your site? Gain insight into your SEO strategy * (do you have one?)  What search phrases or terms are people using to find your site?  Which search engines or directories are driving the most visitors to your site?  What sites are referring traffic to yours?

#1 Top Search Phrases

#1 Top Search Engines

#2 What content are your visitors most interested in? Gain insight into:  What specific or top pages are people accessing?  What content areas are they visiting most?  Are there areas of my site that people are interested in but are buried too deep?  What content should you consider positioning on the homepage?

#2 Top Pages

#2 Content Groups

#3 Is the navigation through your site effective? Gain insight into:  Is your navigation leading visitors to desired actions? (top paths through site)  Are they getting to the content you want them to? (top destination paths)  Where are people dropping off? (top exit pages)

#3 Top Paths Through Site

#3 Top Destination Paths  Forward path analysis -- Isolate a page and track where visitors go after that page  Reverse path analysis – Isolate a page and track where they came from to reach that page Where is this important? Leveraging path analysis to optimize conversion events  Check-out process  Registration process

#3 Top Exit Pages

#4 Is your site optimized and free of errors? Gain insight into:  Did any visitors experience errors submitting registration or order forms?  Were there any problems with the servers?  Are any visitors experiencing the forbidden 404 ‘Page Not Found’ error?

#4 Dynamic Page Errors

#4 Server Load Balancing

#4 Client Errors

#5 Is your site supporting your business objectives?  Are you attracting “qualified visits”?  Are you converting visitors to desired actions?  Which “products” are your visitors most interested in?  Are you increasing or decreasing conversion when you make changes to your site? Note:  A “qualified visit” is one that results in specific actions that you define.  A “product” can be any action you wish to track.

#5 Defining Qualified Visits

#5 Qualified Visitor Conversion Ratio  Conversion Formula  (Qualified visits) / (Total visits)  Understand if you’re successfully converting visitors to your desired actions

#5 Visitor Conversion: ROI Summary  ROI Formula  (Total Revenue Forecast) – (Cost this period)  Understand if your return on a specific deliverable outweighs the investment 15.5$61,100.00$31, % $30,000.00$61, %$31, $30,000.00

GeoPassage Case Study

Business Overview  World wide tour company  Customizable planning and booking of travel based on customer interests  Traditional package tours  Destination  Theme

GeoPassage Business Challenge  Measure the effectiveness of expensive search engine submissions and web banner advertising  Increase return visits to site  Gain a better understanding of what it takes to get visitors to convert to customers  Increase newsletter recipient base

GeoPassage Solution  Provide information to decision makers out of the box  Intuitive and easy to use reports  Report on dynamically generated pages  Solution for small to mid sized business with a cost-effective solution

GeoPassage Results – Measure effectiveness of on-line campaigns  Determined which search engines resulted in the most traffic  Measured specific words that generated the most visits  Optimized keyword selection which provided the most visits  Concentrate efforts where they have the most influence  Now a strategic tool for the marketing department

GeoPassage Results – Increase Return Visits to Site  Used Top Destination Paths through Site and Top Exit Page  Track route of visitors through the site  Look for strengths to be exploited  Eliminate weaknesses of path navigation  Home page was top exit page  Experiment with layout and organization  Study Most Requested Pages and Top Destination Paths  Feature top destination countries on top navigation bar  Increased return visitors by 30 percent  Removed the home page as the top exit page

GeoPassage Results – Convert visitors to purchasing customers  Gain a better understanding of what needs to be done to convert visitors to customers  Analyze New versus Returning Visitors to determine how many visits it takes for a visitor to book an online adventure  Typical sale is made only after the purchaser has made 4 of 5 visits to the site previously  Increase revenue by converting more visitors

GeoPassage Results – Increase Newsletter Recipient Base  Constant deliberation of what to feature  Examined traffic analysis reports  Most Requested pages would show what country or activity was creating the most interest  Featured most requested information in newsletter  400 percent increase in traffic

“WebTrends … has proven to be a critical tool used by our marketing and IT departments, allowing us to make strategic, fact-based decisions rather than shooting in the dark. We have been able to prove return on investment (ROI) on our marketing initiatives and spend our money more wisely.” - Arturo Castellanos, System Adminstrator, GeoPassage

To Recap - 5 Key Areas 1.Top Referrers 2.Content Groups 3.Top Paths 4.Technical Stats 5.Qualified Visits (by product)

Questions and Answers

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