1. Like any machine, a website is the sum of its parts. Web analytics are the tools used to transform ordinary sites into high performance money making machines.

2. Simple tools provide simple answers These answers are the building blocks used to answer more complicated questions like: How many people visit your website every day? What do they do there? Which features are most popular? Was that big redesign worth the money? TOOLS

3. Data-tracking needs are similar for all organizations, including: e-commerce nonprofits retail brands small businesses large corporations However, given the vast array of analytics tools, knowing how to make sense of it all can be challenging. This can lead to: Paralysis by analysis DATA

4. Which Data Should You Analyze? Needs can vary from simple traffic-monitoring to complex analyses on the behavior of specific user groups, support for multivariate testing, and more. Let's keep it simple: Who What Where DATA

5. WHO? The first thing you want to track is an accurate measure of how many people are using your site, which is neither as easy nor as clear-cut as you might think. Metrics which address this statistic include: Hits Visits Unique Visitors Page Views

6. WHAT? Next, you'll want to know what visitors are doing when they visit - in other words, what site features and pages engage them? Which ones go ignored? Metrics to help understand these factors include: Bounce rate Top Entry and Exit Pages Visitor Information Click Paths Conversion On Site Search

7. WHERE? It is beneficial to track where visitors to your site are coming from. This can help you find similar sites or better understand the types of things that lead people to you. Metrics include: Referrers Search Terms

8. THE TOOLS Site counters Analytics packages All data is corrupt - focus on macro trends Professionals