Performing your first Web site analysis just got a whole lot easier. Web Analytics For Dummies offers everything you need to know to nail down and pump up the ROI on your Web presence. It explains how to get the stats you need, then helps you analyze and apply that information to improve traffic and click-through rate on your Web site. You'll discover: What to expect from Web analytics Definitions of key Web analytics terms Help in choosing the right analytics approach How to collect key data and apply it to site design or marketing Techniques for distinguishing human users from bots Tips on using Google and other free analytics tools Advice on choosing pay and subscription services A detailed and accurate analysis is crucial the success of your Web site. Web Analytics For Dummies helps you get it right the first time--and every time.
Before I get properly in to the swing of things, I should start by explaining that I work in social media marketing and so I already have a pretty decent knowledge of web analytics, and I sit next to and work closely with someone who specialises in it. Then we need to consider the fact that this book was published in 2007 – almost all of the tools that it mentions are now outdated, and whilst it does cover Google Analytics in passing, the software is outdated and it’s not given nearly as much attention as it deserves.
But then, that’s to be expected when you pick up a book that’s eight years old, especially when it’s about the internet – everything moves so quickly that a book like this runs the risk of being immediately outdated as soon as it’s released, because the technology has moved on so much between the book’s creation and the proofreading, production and distribution process.
Here, the authors have done a pretty good job of trying to fight off the negative influence of time, by covering the principles and the strategies that an analyst will need to know as well as the technologies that are available to them. I’d estimate that roughly half of this book is out of date now, but that the other half still stands up well to the test of time and gives you a decent grounding in analytics that will come in useful if you work in marketing or on the web.
I still had to rate it a six out of ten though, because there were also a smattering of typos – not loads, and certainly not enough to put you off, but enough to become gradually noticeable as you turn through the pages. It’s possible that this is because of the very nature of this sort of book – you have to get it out quickly for it stay relevant, because otherwise it’ll be outdated as soon as it hits the shelves. Sometimes you have to sacrifice an quality for speed.