My good friend Stéphane Hamel has had it today, and I pretty much agree with him. In fact, I have had it since Tim O’Reilly started talking about Web 2.0, and that it got to be on everyone’s lips. “Argh! Not again!” I thought, “Buzzwords season is back”. It had to get to Web Analytics, like the flu. That’s the thing with buzzwords, and especially with those coming from the US, Land of the Brand. If it doesn’t have a sticker, it doesn’t exist.
I agree with Stéphane that Web Analytics 2.0 and 3.0 are basically more of the same thing. Just a vision that’s expanding. I mean, back in 2005 when at Bell Canada, I was building partnerships and services with Offermatica and iPerceptions. Was I doing WA 2.0 before my time, without knowing it? Huh, no, ain’t that bright, thank you. Anyone who was spending enough time playing with web behavioral data got frustrated with what was missing, and going attitudinal and testing was just a logical step.
So, we are finally going mobile (again?), and sure, we will need to measure that activity, with all the challenges that different technologies will bring (could be cool and less cultural centric to have a look at what the Japanese are doing in that area), but it’s the same network. No, not the phone, the Internet!
SSDD, right?
Stéphane says something very true:
…it’s amazing how many web sites are so badly constructed that we don’t even need web analytics to optimize them. And then, the relatively small percentage of companies who addresses web analytics are barely using what’s at their disposal… (my emphasis).
Oh! Yeah! You would be very surprised how quickly you could spot what’s wrong with a page if I told you that that particular page has a problem. Look, I’m not crazy enough to say that you don’t need Web Analytics! First, that would be very wrong, and second, I’d be out of a job at a time when things are going very very well!
I am calling for your self-confidence to play a bigger role: if you’ve been in Web marketing for more than 5 years, you know a lot. A lot more than you think. Your problem is that you’re not looking. And Web Analytics is a great magnifying glass, is all!
Do you know why I am an excellent Web analyst? It’s because I’m an awesome Web marketer. Twelve years I have been at it. The most difficult thing to do has been to think the Network, what it really meant to us to plug two computers together back in the 60s (Web 0.1?). The Internet is beyond technology, beyond marketing, beyond capitalism. And it is darn difficult to figure out! We give it version numbers, but it is not changing, it is just us who are learning to play with Connectivity.
It’s a fantastic tool if you have something to sell, and Web Analytics is a great tool box that can help you get better at it. Web Marketing is soon to become Marketing, Web Analytics to become Analytics, and the Internet to become the Market. And sure enough, if I don’t need to wait ‘till you sit in front of a computer to pitch you something, hell, you can bet I’ll be coming at you from every direction. And thanks to Analytics, I’ll be watching.
Some time ago, while speaking with a very wise guy, he told me about “intelligent people, intelligent conversations, no pitch, all about Web Analytics”. That was you!
Using analytics to spot obvious things is not THAT satisfying. Using it to spot and dig out the hidden nugget of gold is much more satisfying 🙂
Keep it up!
Hi Stéphane,
Well, thanks for the compliment, although I don’t look so good with my face all red.
Our point is that most Web marketers can be very good at spotting trouble when they know (i.e. through WA), that something is not working. But they too often don’t look, and think things are just fine. I mean, you can have a 5% conversion rate on total visits (quite good), but still should be obssessed with the other 95% that’s not converting. That’s when that whole arsenal of technology and concepts come into play.