A What-Not-To-Do Case Study

Our assignment this week asked us to research a company and report of their analytics efforts. I am choosing to keep the organization I researched private, but will report my findings nonetheless.

The organization I chose has no brick-and-mortar presence, but sells a wealth of products online via its website. The company uses two different tools for website analytics: Webtrends and Google Analytics. Webtrends was implemented by the IT department as the primary analytics tool. Ownership of the website resides in the sales department and focuses on business goals at the 30,000-foot perspective. Below are two examples of the monthly Webtrends reports that the website owner submits to executive management to illustrate website success.

This report focuses on very basic website statistics such as visits, page views, visit duration, bounce rate, visitor location (domestic or international) and new or returning visitors. It highlights three months of statistics.  This report does not provide information about website sales, traffic patterns, popular pages, or referral traffic.

This second report focuses on website traffic by region.  Unfortunately, it does not delve into the behaviors, purchase or traffic patterns, or additional demographic or psychographics of these visitors.

These reports appear to have been developed using Webtrends by the website owner, but offer little in terms of actionable data.  Below is another example of a customized Webtrends report developed by the website owner. This report shows one of the sales funnels, which have been set up for some of the business lines (books, collections, membership, paid video, papers, standards, and training/education). At first glance, these reports appear to have the potential to be very useful. Until you look closer. Notice that the number goes UP between the third and fourth steps of the funnel.  Clearly, these funnels are not set up properly, or there are issues with the purchase path itself. If this could be remedied, these sales funnels would allow SAE to determine where people are abandoning the purchase process and evaluate those steps/pages and make adjustments to improve conversions.  However, there is one additional issues with the way these funnels are set up. There is no way to determine where traffic originates from, so even if the funnel and/or purchase path issue were to be resolved, this data would still be lacking some key information.

So, Google Analytics was implemented at the request of the marketing department in an effort to better capture data related to marketing efforts. With Google Analytics, traffic from online advertising campaigns can be tracked. 

There are a number of ways that this organization could improve website analytics efforts. Correcting the Webtrends sales funnel reports would be a significant improvement, which would allow the organization to evaluate where and why people are abandoning their purchase part way through the process and make adjustments.

Another big improvement would be to add options for segmentation of sales funnel conversions. Segmenting by referral traffic would provide an opportunity to evaluate each traffic source separately and determine which channels are converting to sales, and which are not. Segmenting by location would allow the organization to evaluate the effectiveness of regional promotional efforts related to organizational goals.

It would be helpful to produce reports detailing sales and other conversions from the website so that executives, and the rest of the staff, can see how marketing and sales efforts are converting month-over-month, and year-over-year.

Finally, it would be useful to set up conversion tracking, via Google Analytics and/or Webtrends, to understand customer engagement beyond the exchange of money. Since many products this organization sells have high price tags and require commitment at the enterprise level, it would be very useful to track other conversions that can ultimately lead to an eventual sale.

Google: Creepy Stalker or Super Assistant?

Of course you already know this, but in case you’ve had a momentary brain lapse, let me remind you that Google is a MASSIVE enterprise. Google is the largest search engine by a long shot. By early 2014, Google had 67.6% of the global search market share with Bing coming in second at 18.7% and Yahoo third with only 10%. As of the 4th quarter of 2013, Google’s Android mobile operating system had a firm hold on more than 77% of the global market share. Google’s email client, aptly named “Gmail,” has more than 500 million users.  More than 1 billion unique users visit Google’s YouTube video network each month, and there are more than 100 hours of video uploaded to the site each MINUTE. The Google+ social network surpassed Twitter in 2013 as the second most popular social network with 540 million monthly active users. Google also has the second most used web browser, with Chrome claiming 20% of the global market share behind Microsoft’s Internet Explorer’s 58% and Firefox sitting in third place with 15%.

Google also has a very popular website analytics product. The company has a huge display ad network and one of the most widely used search ad networks. Google has huge amounts of cloud storage known as Google Drive, along with productivity products that allow users to create spreadsheets (Sheets), documents (Docs), slide presentations (Slides), drawings (Drawings), surveys (Forms) PDFs and more. Google Maps and Google Earth offer users the chance to find turn-by-turn directions and see the world via satellite. Google helps us translate things into different languages, build websites, keep track of our tasks and appointments, and edit and share photos. Google is can be your phone and voicemail, and chat/text messaging service. And now, Google can even act as a wallet – “Google Wallet makes it easy to pay - in stores, online or to anyone in the US with a Gmail address. It works with any debit or credit card, on every mobile carrier” – by connecting to your financial institutions so you have instant access to your money anywhere and everywhere.

Oh, and don’t forget about Google’s self-driving car. They are working on that too…

(Markoff, 2014)

But I digress.

If you’re a Google user, Google knows you. Like, REALLY. KNOWS. YOU. Everything about you. You've trusted Google with all your contacts and their information, your email and chat (and maybe even voice) conversations, your financial wheelings and dealings. Google knows where you are going and when because of your calendar, and how you’re going to get there and how long it will take you thanks to your usage of Google maps.  Google knows that you’re a hypochondriac because of the weird (and random) diseases you've searched for as of late, what jobs you've applied for recently thanks to the new job description and resume additions you uploaded to your Google Drive, and about your secret love of Taylor Swift music videos.

Google knows more about you than your significant other, your mom, your bestie and your dog, all squished together. So how does that make you feel?

As you can see from a screen grab of my recent search on the subject, I’m not the first person to wonder how much Google knows.  The fact that Google captures and retains so much data does freak out a lot of people, and rightfully so.  But you've got to do some research and weigh the pros and cons before you set your Gmail account on fire and swear off the Google Empire for life.

According to Google’s privacy policy, the company collects data in two ways:
1. It collects the information that you give it willingly.
2. It collects information about you as you use its products and services.
Sounds pretty benign really, until you consider the fact that that includes every website that uses the Google Ad Network (or that you browse to using Chrome). And every single item that comes through your email box (and Hangout chat). And everything you do on your Android smartphone or tablet (web searches, app downloads and usage, video views, notes taken, alarms set, reminders created…). And… And… And…

EEK!

So that answers the question “WHAT DOES GOOGLE KNOW ABOUT ME?” But I would argue that the more important question to be asked is “WHAT, DEAR GOOGLE, ARE YOU GOING TO DO WITH ALL MY PRECIOUS INFORMATION?!?”

The answer to this question can be found in two key tenets of the Google way of life.  The first is the initial sentence of the Google Code of Conduct: “Don’t be evil." And who is to follow this doctrine? In short – EVERYONE. Google’s employees, board members, contractors, consultants, EVERYONE. The second is #1 of Google’s Ten Things We Know to be True: “Focus on the user and all else will follow.”  Google’s privacy policy further details this dogma as it relates to data collection:

We use the information we collect from all of our services to provide, maintain, protect and improve them, to develop new ones, and to protect Google and our users. We also use this information to offer you tailored content – like giving you more relevant search results and ads.

In light of the recent data breaches at Target, Home Depot, and Michaels (among others), it’s no surprise that consumers are leery of sharing any personal information anywhere. You can see evidence of consumer distrust in these infographics:

But Google takes security very seriously:

We understand that secure products are instrumental in maintaining the trust you place in us and strive to create innovative products that both serve your needs and operate in your best interest… This includes everybody: the people who use Google services (thank you all!), the software developers who make our applications, and the external security enthusiasts who keep us on our toes. These combined efforts go a long way in making the Internet safer and more secure.

So the real question becomes: Are you willing to trade your personal data in order to save time and make your life easier?  For hundreds and thousands (perhaps even millions) of people the answer to that question is a resounding YES. They choose to see Google not as a creepy stalker, but as a trusted confidante and super assistant.

Take Google Now, for instance. (Click on the screenshot of the widget to see what you see when you open the app.) Google Now uses your email, calendar, travel patterns, web searches and known favorites (i.e. sports teams to deliver the most relevant and helpful content to users all in one place. I love it. It tracks my packages (regardless of carrier), follows my flight statuses and alerts me of changes, tells me sports scores, notifies me of travel times to my appointments based on current traffic situations, gives me weather information, and lets me know what might be of interest near where I currently am based on what Google has learned about me (restaurant preferences, what I might like to watch on TV, ideal photo spots, family-friendly tourist attractions, etc.). Google Now is an amazing tool that I use every day.

So, creepy stalker or super assistant (or both?)...
What is Google to you?

Analytic Smackdown: Webtrends v Google Analytics

There are many choices when it comes to tools for collecting website metrics. So, when it’s time to select one, where should you start? Web analytics guru Avinash Kaushik suggests dividing all these tools into three “buckets” based on platform offerings (2009), which will help determine which tool will be the best fit for an organization’s needs.

In the first bucket, Kaushik places Omniture, Coremetrics, and Webtrends. Each of these tools is very powerful and allows for extensive customization, and each is continuously evolving. He includes tools like Unica’s Affinium NetInsights, XiTi, Nedstat, and ClickTracks in the second bucket. These tools are data driven, yet don’t offer as much in the way of insights. In the third bucket, Kaushik has placed free tools like Google Analytics and Yahoo! Web Analytics (2009). Kaushik recommends selecting one tool from each bucket and researching them diligently to determine which tool will be best suited to the needs of your organization.

For the purpose of this post, we’ll review two category leaders from the first and third buckets – Google Analytics and Webtrends. First we’ll take a look at Webtrends.

WEBTRENDS

Webtrends touts itself as “the only solution in the market today with unlimited data collection capabilities.” The brand prides itself on being able to capture data across all digital channels. Webtrends’ dashboard system and “spaces” concept allows for users to create a one-stop outlet for data on all websites, mobile and social platforms. A marketer could set up spaces for Sharepoint (internet or intranet), Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, HootSuite, mobile websites, and mobile apps. Webtrends also lets you separate spaces by mobile platform (Android, iOS, Windows, Blackberry), so that data is integrated to show a bigger picture perspective as to how customers are engaging with your brand based on their mobile operating system.

Another aspect that the company puts a great deal of weigh on is the platform’s openness – there are no restrictions as to what types of integration are available so it is not inhibiting anything an organization wishes to do with the platform. One example of this in practice would be an organization that wanted to incorporate email marketing campaign data into Webtrends.

If data privacy and security is a concern, Webtrends will be glad to put your mind at ease. The company is quick to reference (frequently) that YOUR data will remain YOUR data. Webtrends claims to have “stronger data security and privacy protocols than any other digital marketing vendor in the industry.”

Webtrends also prides itself on being the master of targeting and segmentation, which they say happens as a result of existing visitor behavior data combined with any CRM data available. According to their website, “Only Webtrends targets the right content for each site visitor based on a combination of what that person is doing in the moment and everything else you know about that customer.”

That all sounds great, right? Well, it is. But Webtrends can also be a bit cumbersome to implement. And once you have the platform implemented, there is still the matter of retrieving and analyzing the data. There are some out-of-the-box reports, but to realistically make use of all data being captured, it will take a significant amount of work to create each necessary report. Additionally, there are varying levels of access, so it’s critical to ensure that the correct staff members (which could be some combination of marketing, IT, sales, customer service, and goodness knows who else) not only have access to review data, but are also properly trained on the platform and are able to create their own reports and dashboards so each stakeholder is viewing data sets and analysis that are relevant to their needs.

Now let’s take a look at what a free alternative has to offer…

GOOGLE ANALYTICS

Google Analytics provides data collection and analysis across all web properties and mobile apps. While it does track traffic and conversions from social sites, it does not offer the option of tracking a brand’s metrics on social media platforms (other than Google+).

If you’re looking for customization, Google Analytics does offer access to APIs so there are options for those looking to customize their experience, but it does not offer the open system that Webtrends provides.

When it comes to data ownership, Google is the boss. All data (although Google calls “yours”) technically belongs to Google, but the company promises that it is secure. And while Google is very transparent about how they collect and use all data, the very fact that they own it makes some uncomfortable.

Google Analytics offers extensive options for segmenting and targeting visitor data, but it does not work in concert with any CRM platforms. And there is significant options for improved online advertising with AdWords integration, as well as remarketing opportunities.

As far as implementation goes, it doesn’t get any easier that Google Analytics. You simply sign up for an account, establish your account properties, and copy and paste your tracking code into the HTML of your website. VOILA! Now you’re collecting data! There are a number of reports already established within Google Analytics, but it’s easy to create additional reports based on segmentation and/or goals (which are outcomes or conversions). Many different staff members can access Google Analytics and there are several different access levels, but each access level allows that person control over their own reporting and what types of data they see via customizable dashboards.

* I should note that these parameters for Google Analytics are referring only to the free version. The Premium version has additional offerings and flexibility.

So… which product comes out on top?

As Kaushik stated, it depends on your needs (2009), and it also on your resources – both financial and human! If you have a significant budget and staff to server as your Webtrends Masters, then that platform may be your best bet. If you have little (or NO) budget, Google Analytics is definitely the best product for your resources.

Other things to consider when determining which of these two platforms may be best for your organization:

• Do you want to capture data from your social platforms as well?
• Do you plan to do significant online advertising?
• Do you have a lot of different stakeholders who will be interested in reviewing different data points?
• Do you have significant IT support, or are you comfortable relying on the platform’s technical expertise?
• Is your website extremely complex with a number of different subdomains and hoops that visitors jump through during the clickstream?

Answering these questions can help shed light on which of these platforms could hold the most benefits for you.

One last thing to leave you with…

In a recent TrustRadius poll, which asked enterprises which website analytics tools they had implemented and their level of satisfaction with those tools, one contender clearly came out on top: Google Analytics (the FREE version!). The platform had the highest implementation rate, plus an average satisfaction rate of 4.5 out of 5. Webtrends had a higher implantation rate, with only Adobe and Google Analytics ranking higher, but had the lowest satisfaction rate of less than 3.0 out of 5, well below the median of 4.1.

Do these rankings impact your impression of either platform?



Offline Reference

Kaushik, A. (2009). Web Analytics 2.0: The Art of Online Accountability and Science of Customer Centricity. Wiley. Kindle Edition.