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.

Social Channel Selection & the Content Sandwich

Back when the social media revolution began, there were few options available to businesses – blogs, forums and MySpace were the highlights. Shortly thereafter, Facebook, which began as a platform for college students became available to the masses and Twitter launched… fast-forward to today. Social media now takes the form of networks (Facebook, Google+, LinkedIn, MySpace), videos (YouTube, Vimeo, Vine), images (Instagram, Flickr), blogs (Blogger, Wordpress), microblogs (Twitter, Tumblr), chats and video chats (SnapChat, WhatsApp, Skype), bookmarking/content-sharing sites (Pinterest, Digg, StumbleUpon, SlideShare), communities (reddit), music (Spotify, Last.FM, SoundCloud), Q&A forums (Quora, Ask.FM), location-based platforms (Foursquare, Swarm, Yelp), review sites (Yelp, OpenTable, TripAdvisor), and shopping (Amazon, eBay).

Online social opportunities for each and every business are endless. Unfortunately, time and money are not. Think you can just choose your favorite platform and dive-in head first? Probably not a good idea. It’s unlikely that your entire target audience will be devoted to one social site (see below). In fact, they most likely use several different social platforms at different times for different reasons. So try to be everywhere, right? NO. You’ll spread yourself too thin.

(Pew Research Center, 2014)

As Fuel Online CEO Scott Levy said, “Instead of having a sub-par representation in a lot of places, be awesome on a few of them." So what’s a savvy business-owner and/or marketer to do? Research. Get to know the social habits of both your existing and potential audiences. What platforms do they spend the most time on? What types of content are they consuming? What are their behaviors on each platform? You can use platform demographic information that is available from sources like the Pew Internet Research Project or Business Insider’s Social Media Demographics Report. But the best way to determine how, where, when and why your audience is engaging on social platforms is to ask them directly. If you have an extensive email database, consider sending an email survey. You can include a pop-up survey on your website, or at the end of the online purchase process.

One important thing to consider is the mindset of your audience as they are using a specific platform. You may find that a certain segment of your target audience spends a lot of time on a certain social site, but depending on your business objectives and their mindset during usage of that site, it may not make sense for you to try to reach them there.

For example, let’s say you are a sports equipment retailer and one of your key target audience segments is young, professional, educated males. This segment may spend a significant amount of time on LinkedIn, so does that mean you should spend time and money trying to reach them on that platform? Probably not, because they are on the platform with one goal in mind: employment. Your time and money would be better spent attempting to reach this segment via a platform they use when they are in a recreational, relaxed mindset.

Once you have identified the platforms your audience frequents and you understand their intentions and behaviors on those platforms, you need to determine how your business can engage in those spaces.

We’ve all heard it before: CONTENT IS KING. But is that true? Perhaps. But what is a king without his queen? There are two competing theories as to the identity of this queen: Conversation/Engagement and Distribution. Some say that without a proper distribution plan, content will never reach its intended audiences. Others say that without engagement and conversation around your content, it does nothing to foster relationships with your audience.

(Brand Autopsy, 2012)

(EmanatePR, 2014)

(King, 2014)

In order to maximize success, I would argue that all three (the king and his two queens) are equally important. Sure, you can create content, but there is so much content online that the ol’ if-you-build-it-they-will-come Field of Dreams mentality will get you (and your content) nowhere. Your content gives you something to distribute and something for your audience to engage with and converse about. If you aren’t distributing your content, then there is no way for your audience to engage with it. And if you aren’t conversing with the audience about your content once it has been distributed, then you are losing the opportunity to build valuable relationships that create brand loyalty rather than just one-off sales.

So, clearly, the King Content is hardly monogamous. I think a better analogy for the importance of a content + engagement and conversation + distribution triad is a sandwich. Content is the meat – it’s the heart of the meal. Distribution is the bread (or whole-grain wrap, if you prefer) – it’s the foundation that gets the meat to the mouth. And engagement and conversation are all the accoutrements – everything that makes the meat and bread yummier. Sure, you can have any one element without the others, but when you have all three working together, it makes for a perfect meal.

It’s important to consider several things at this point: your content, your distribution plan, and your social engagement and conversation strategy…


CONTENT

Is your content conducive for the platforms your target audience frequents? For instance, you may find out that your target audience spends a lot of time on Instagram. Do you have enticing imagery to post to the platform? If your audience enjoys watching Vines or videos on YouTube, are you creating engaging videos that will capture their attention? If your audience consists of frequent pinners, does your website include vibrant images on each and every page to elicit valuable pins from them?


DISTRIBUTION

Are you prepared to deploy your content via a variety of channels? Have you identified the best days of the week and times of day to reach your audience based on each platform and type of content? Is your content optimized for deliver via all devices (laptops/desktops, smartphones, tablets) and operating systems (iOS, Android, Windows, etc.)?


ENGAGEMENT & CONVERSATION

Are all stakeholders aware of content that is being produced and the timing of distribution? Are members of your marketing and/or customer service teams set up to monitor social channels for opportunities for conversation and engagement? Is staff prepared to address questions, comments and concerns in a timely way, and with messaging and a tone-of-voice that fits within the parameters of the brand? Does each piece of content on your website have a mechanism for easy sharing?


WHEW! That’s a lot to think about… let me recap the takeaways:

• Come to terms with the fact that you can’t be everywhere when it comes to social media. It’s better to do a few platforms well than putting all your eggs in one basket or spreading yourself too thin.
• RESEARCH. Understand your target audience, the platforms they frequent, and their intentions and behaviors while on those platforms.
• Evaluate your content – make sure that you are producing content your audience will find valuable that is optimized for the platforms you are posting to.
• Develop a detailed distribution plan.
• Empower and enable staff to engage and converse with your audience about your content and your brand via social channels.
• Make sure your content is easy to share.

Taking these steps will allow you to maximize both your content and your chosen social channels so you can get the most out of both.

Pumping Up Page Referrals

Page referrals are the biggest indicators of where your website traffic is coming from. The two main types of referrals sources are referral URLs and keywords (Kaushik, 2009). Identifying keywords that are driving traffic to your webpages can help you structure your online marketing campaigns and optimize your page content for those terms most relevant for your audience (Kaushik, 2009).

Referral URLs are also very important to identify, especially when you can couple them with conversion rates.  The cross-section of those two metrics will help you understand which referring sites are most valuable to your organization (Kaushik, 2009).  Once those referrers have been identified, it can be helpful to build relationships with the owners of those sites in an effort to continue driving the incoming traffic from those sites.

Another key element to building referral traffic is to seek out potential influencers and begin to build relationships with them to increase referral traffic.  Ideally, you want to turn these influencers into full-fledged brand advocates.  These brand advocates, especially if they are bloggers with an enthusiastic following will increase both your social referral traffic and traffic from referral URLs.

According to Forbes contributor Jayson DeMars, some strategies beyond building relationships with influencers include offering subject matter experts as guest bloggers for other sites and offering content for syndication.

A recent case study highlightingangling website called Fishidy was featured on BuzzStream’s Blog. Fishidy is an online social networking community geared toward fishing fanatics.  The website features fishing maps and reports, links to tools, and contests, and requires registration for premium content.

The case study highlights a few other strategies the brand used to build external referrals beyond what was suggested by DeMars.  Fishidy focused on creating external editorial content via a planned public relations campaign.  The brand also focused on developing external referrals via reviews and blog comments. Finally, Fishidy focused on developing relationships with government entities and tourism organizations so that links to the site would be included on government licensing pages and tourist-related fishing webpages.

After implementing the above strategies, as well as the ones mentioned by DeMars, Fishidy’s web traffic viareferrals grew by 157%.  The brand increased social referrals by 2,600% from Twitter and 252% from Facebook. Fishidy also acquired more than 60 resource links, which are links on government and tourism sites. These increases are all from relationship building strategies, which means that there is no direct cost for the improvements. The costs are indirect and come in the form of employee time that it takes to build such relationships.

Many organizations cannot afford the staff time to dedicate a huge chunk of time for such complex campaigns, so as time allows, it’s conceivable that you could choose any one of these ideas and develop an implementable strategy, which would deliver real results.  Then, moving forward, you could choose to tweak the existing strategy to further increase referral traffic, or you could choose to implement one of the other strategies to broaden reach.

As Kaushik said, you can ALWAYS grow your referral traffic (2009), so any moment is a good time to start.


Offline Reference

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

Raising Conversions Rates

Websites are created to educate audiences and drive action. According to website analytics expert Avinash Kaushik, “Life is about taking action, and if your work is not driving action, you need to stop and reboot” (2009). The key to determining whether or not customers are taking the actions you are hoping they take is to keep an eye on conversion rates.

There are two ways to define conversion rates. One way is to measure outcomes divided by unique visitors (or separate individuals). Using this method indicates that it is acceptable that a visitor may visit your website repeatedly for research before making a commitment (Kaushik, 2009). Another way is to measure outcomes divided by unique visits. By committing to the latter, you are presuming that each and every unique visit is the opportunity for conversion (Kaushik, 2009). The method you choose to use to measure should depend on your business model.

Outcomes could refer to any number of events. Some examples include subscribing to an RSS feed, signing up for an e-newsletter, download a white paper, registering for a webinar or event, commenting on a blog post, sharing content, or completing a sale.

Comparing your conversion rates to other organizations can be dangerous because, as noted above, conversion rates can be measured differently. It’s best to compare your current conversion rates to your past rates. As Forbes contributor Dave Lavinsky said, “No matter how good your current conversion rates are, they can always get better.”

The KISSMetrics blog highlights a number of ways that companies can test out strategies to improve conversion rates. Below are a few of the easiest ways to improve conversion rates.

This first example highlights the value of testing different text in order to see which headlines and body copy drive the most conversions. In order to determine which variable is causing a change (increase or decrease) in the conversion rate, you need to be sure to only test one variable at a time. In the first example, the brand L’Axelle uses the phrase “Feel fresh without sweat marks,” which is a comfort-driven statement.  In the second image, L’Axelle uses “Put an end to sweat marks!”  This statement is driven by the problem and includes an exclamation point.

As you can see, the ONLY change made to the webpage was the headline.  And the action-driven headline increased conversions by 93% to a total of 33.8%.

Another change that is relatively easy to test is color.  Something as simple as change the color of a call-to-action button can improve the conversion rate.  Here’s an example from HubSpot that shows what a change of color can do.

The call-to-action on the button stayed the same, as did the page design and body content.  The only change was the color of the button from green to red. The assumption was that the green button would convert better because it indicates “go,” or forward movement, while the color red is typically associated with “stop,” or warning. The red button outperformed the green button by 21%.

There are many more complex ways to improve conversion rates for different outcomes on your website, but two easy ways to complete A/B testing with headlines and button colors.  This A/B testing will provide concrete evidence as to which specific elements will increase conversions. 

Offline Reference

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