Web Analytics Action Hero: Using Analysis to Gain Insight and Optimize Your Business

by Brent Dykes

Companies need more than just web analysts and data-savvy marketers to be successful–they need action heroes!

While most of us never battle evil scientists or defuse nuclear warheads, successful web analysts benefit from the same attributes that fictional action heroes embody. As a web analyst, your main goal is to improve your organization’s online performance. You can become an “action hero” by translating analysis insights into action that generates significant returns for your company. How you approach analysis is critical to your overall success.

In this book, web analytics expert Brent Dykes addresses the unique challenges facing analysts and online marketers working within small and large companies, teaching you how to move beyond reporting and toward analysis to drive action and change. Taking a principle-based rather than a tool-specific approach, Brent introduces you to the Action Hero Framework that breaks down the analysis process into three key Prioritize (what to analyze), Analyze (how to analyze), and Mobilize (how to drive action). And he reinforces these topics with real-world examples and practical tips from seasoned analysts at leading companies.

For more action hero resources and information, check out the book’s companion site at www.Analyticshero.com.

"The ideas in this book will take you days (or even weeks) to work your way through, and they fly in the face of the emotional approach to marketing. The question would you rather have your competition lead the way with data and science when it comes to reaching your market, or are you going to go first? That's how it is with action heroes--no guts, no glory."

- Seth Godin
Author
We Are All Weird

"Don't let the jaunty, breezy style of this book throw you off. Brent successfully - and entertainingly - packs years of experience into these pages along with case studies and insightful help on getting the most out of web analytics, adding value to your company and boosting your career trajectory."

- Jim Sterne
Founder of eMetrics Marketing Optimization Summit, author of "Social Media Metrics" and Chairman of the Digital Analytics Association

Genres: Business

235 pages, Paperback

First published November 12, 2011

Reviews

[Tom Tao · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the most organized book I have read so far on digitial analytics. What makes it unique, is this book is published in 2012 and 4 years later very few of them are obsolete.

I will strongly recommend this for any data driven marketer and analyst working for large organizations.

[Ashley Jaden · Rating 4 out of 5]

The title of Brent Dykes' book is a little misleading. Instead of being named, "Web Analytics Action Hero - Using Analysis to Gain Insight and Optimize Your Business," a much more apt title would be: "Web Analytics Novice - Your Introduction to Becoming an Action Hero." Despite what the title suggests, this is not really a how-to book.

Instead, Web Analytics Action Hero (Adobe Press; 2012) provides an overview of what a web analyst actually does. It explains how analysts might use analysis as part of their daily, weekly, or monthly work duties. However, most of the examples Dykes provides are for analysts who work in a large company or corporation. The examples don't really apply to small business owners or self-employed contractors.

One of the main focus points of this book is how an employee might get support for bringing analysis (as opposed to mere number-crunching and reporting) into the company. Dykes asks questions, both implicitly and explicitly, like, Who are your companies' stakeholders? What are their primary business objectives? How could you use analytics to meet these objectives and bring added value? Very important questions, indeed. But again, the focus is on how analytics can be used. Not on how to use analytics.

An exception might be the "Recognize Opportunities" subsection of Chapter 5 (pgs 107-116). In this section, Dykes provides some techniques for analyzing numerical data. For example, he briefly explains how to compare multiple related data sets and offers clear visual aids.

Some experienced analysts may also find Chapter 7 helpful. This chapter, "Analysis in Action," provides real-world examples of how one can pull data, such as traffic volume and conversion rates, from various analysis models and put it into different groupings. An experienced analyst should probably already be familiar with the tasks Dyke mentions in this chapter, but perhaps seeing visual representations of these tasks could help an analyst to think of how to group data in new ways.

While this book probably wouldn't provide much insight to a person already familiar with web analytics, I would definitely recommend this book to a person who is just beginning web analytics, or who is thinking about making a career change. I would also recommend this book to people who work in a field adjacent to web analytics, like advertising or web design.

All-in-all, though, if you consider yourself an experienced web analyst and you learn a lot from this book, then your career probably needs more help than this book can provide.

[Alain Burrese · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are a web analyst, or are seeking a job as one, you need to read "Web Analytics Action Hero: Using analysis to Gain Insight and Optimize Your Business" by Brent Dykes. In an interesting and engaging format, experienced web analytics consultant, Dykes, addresses topics that analysts and online marketers need to know to move beyond reporting and toward analysis to drive action and change within their businesses.

Did you ever think you would be reading about Indiana Jones when reading about web analytics? In this book you do. That's what made this book more interesting and engaging than many dry business type books. The action hero slant was fun and worked at teaching the lessons the author wanted to make.

Action hero and superhero jargon aside, this book really does address some serious issues regarding analysis, and using the action hero model just makes it easier to remember and identify with. I mean, what computer nerd doesn't dream of being an action hero? So now, you can be an action hero behind the computer screen doing analysis.

The format and layout of the book also makes it easier to read and learn the information presented. There are interesting quotes throughout the text, graphs, charts, and side boxes illustrate key points and continue to make it an interesting read. (As interesting and analysis can get anyway.) Some of the side boxes are Insider Insights that provide tips from top people in the field. Others contain Villain Profiles that illustrate things to watch out for and how to defeat these "villains."

The book will help someone become an analyst, and it will help analysts become better. It describes the best environment for analysts and provides a strategy for executing online analysis with a variety of techniques. I especially liked the call for "Action." Data is fine, but the real reason to analyze data is to provide recommendations to act, and to do so in a way that your recommendations are acted upon.

So, while most of the book focuses on transforming data into business insights, the final chapter looks at what a company can do to be more agile and ready for action. I thought that was a very good way to finish the book. Granted, this book has a limited audience. But for those interested in the analyst field, either to enter it, or become better at it, this book is a great resource. Highly recommended for anyone who wants to become a Web Analytics Action Hero.

[Chris Craddock · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is by Dykes. Brent Dykes. He takes the dull subject of web analytics and shows how you can use it to gain insight and optimize your business. How web analytics can make you Smart. Maxwell Smart. He uses the analogy of the action hero to weave his insights on web analytics into an exciting narrative that stars You, Action Hero.

One good analogy is worth three hours of discussion.

~Dudley Field Malone

This is really a good book on this subject. The material is presented with humor, witty diagrams, and pull quotes. It is like a Powerpoint presentation that gets it, that doesn't torture the people who have to sit through it at a boring business meeting, but shows the information, rather than just telling you about the information.

Things should be made as simple as possible, but not any simpler.

~Albert Einstein

The value of an idea lies in the using of it, a review by Chris Craddock of Brent Dykes' Web Analytics Action Hero: Using Analysis to Gain Insight and Optimize Your Business

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought this book was well rounded and dove into every aspect of what makes a web analyst successful, not just the analysis. I admit I felt the book was better suited for management and novice analysts. That said I still enjoyed it as a refresher and reminder of what I need to be doing regularly to drive value to my company through web analysis.

[Marijka · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun book to read and a great book for anyone starting out in the field of web analytics. I especially liked the section that outline the key characteristics of a web analytics professional and what Brent looks for when hiring. This could be useful for someone considering the field.

[Steen Hillebrecht · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very specific book for people working in particular Web analysis department. Not very relevant for people with more broad perspective.
Don't see this book as an introduction to the subject. Seems to consider the reader to have quite a great knowledge about vocabulary and techniques in advance.