Understanding User –Web Interactions via Web Analytics

This lecture presents an overview of the Web analytics process, with a focus on providing insight and actionable outcomes from collecting and analyzing Internet data. The lecture first provides an overview of Web analytics, providing in essence, a condensed version of the entire lecture. The lecture then outlines the theoretical and methodological foundations of Web analytics in order to make obvious the strengths and shortcomings of Web analytics as an approach. These foundational elements include the psychological basis in behaviorism and methodological underpinning of trace data as an empirical method. These foundational elements are illuminated further through a brief history of Web analytics from the original transaction log studies in the 1960s through the information science investigations of library systems to the focus on Websites, systems, and applications. Following a discussion of on-going interaction data within the clickstream created using log files and page tagging for analytics of Website and search logs, the lecture then presents a Web analytic process to convert these basic data to meaningful key performance indicators in order to measure likely converts that are tailored to the organizational goals or potential opportunities. Supplementary data collection techniques are addressed, including surveys and laboratory studies. The overall goal of this lecture is to provide implementable information and a methodology for understanding Web analytics in order to improve Web systems, increase customer satisfaction, and target revenue through effective analysis of user–Website interactions. Table of Contents: Understanding Web Analytics / The Foundations of Web Analytics: Theory and Methods / The History of Web Analytics / Data Collection for Web Analytics / Web Analytics Fundamentals / Web Analytics Strategy / Web Analytics as Competitive Intelligence / Supplementary Methods for Augmenting Web Analytics / Search Log Analytics / Conclusion / Key Terms / Blogs for Further Reading / References Understanding User -Web Interactions via Web Analytics Synthesis Lectures on Information Concepts, Retrieval, and Services ABSTRACT Keywords Preface Acknowledgments Contents Chapter 1 Understanding Web Analytics Chapter 2 The Foundations of Web Analytics: Theory and Methods 2.1 INTRODUCTION 2.2 BEHAVORISM 2.3 BEHAVIORS 2.4 TRACE DATA 2.5 UNOBTRUSIVE METHODS 2.6 WEB ANALYTICS AS UNOBTRUSIVE METHOD 2.7 CONCLUSION Chapter 3 The History of Web Analytics 3.1 SINGLE WEBSITES 3.2 LIBRARY SYSTEMS 3.3 SEARCH ENGINES 3.4 CONCLUSION Chapter 4 Data Collection for Web Analytics 4.1 WEB SERVER LOG FILES 4.2 PAGE TAGGING 4.3 CONCLUSION Chapter 5 Web Analytics Fundamentals 5.1 VISITOR TYPE 5.2 VISIT LENGTH 5.3 DEMOGRAPHIC AND SYSTEM STATISTICS 5.4 INTERNAL SEARCH 5.5 VISITOR PATH 5.6 TOP PAGES 5.7 REFERRERS AND KEYWORD ANALYSIS 5.8 ERRORS 5.9 CONCLUSION Chapter 6 Web Analytics Strategy 6.1 KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS 6.2 WEB ANALYTICS PROCESS 6.2.1 Identify Key Stakeholders 6.2.2 Define Primary Goals for Your Website 6.2.3 Identify the Most Important Site Visitors 6.2.4 Determine the Key Performance Indicators 6.2.5 Identify and Implement the Right Solution 6.2.6 Use Multiple Technologies and Methods 6.2.7 Make Improvements Iteratively 6.2.8 Hire and Empower a Full-Time Analyst 6.2.9 Establish a Process of Continuous Improvement 6.3 CHOOSING A WEB ANALYTICS TOOL 6.4 CONCLUSION Chapter 7 Web Analytics as Competitive Intelligence 7.1 DETERMINING APPROPRIATE KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS 7.1.1 Commerce 7.1.2 Lead Generation 7.1.3 Content/Media 7.1.4 Support/Self-Service 7.2 CONCLUSION Chapter 8 Supplementary Methods for Augmenting Web Analytics 8.1 SURVEYS 8.1.1 Review of Appropriate Survey Literature 8.1.2 Planning and Conducting a Survey 8.1.3 Design a Survey Instrument 8.2 LABORATORY STUDIES 8.3 CONCLUSION Chapter 9 Search Log Analytics 9.1 INTRODUCTION 9.2 REVIEW OF SEARCH ANALYTICS 9.2.1 What Is a Search Log? 9.2.2 How Are These Interactions Collected? 9.2.3 Why Collect This Data? 9.2.4 What Is the Foundation of Search Log Analysis? 9.2.5 How Is Search Log Analysis Used? 9.2.6 How to Conduct Search Log Analysis? 9.3 SEARCH LOG ANALYSIS PROCESS 9.3.1 Data Collection 9.3.2 Fields in a Standard Search Log 9.3.3 Data Preparation 9.3.4 Cleaning the Data 9.3.5 Parsing the Data 9.3.6 Normalizing Searching Episodes 9.4 DATA ANALYSIS 9.4.1 Analysis Levels 9.5 DISCUSSION 9.6 CONCLUSION Chapter 10 Conclusion Chapter 11 Key Terms Chapter 12 Blogs for Further Reading References Author Biography Understanding web analytics The foundations of web analytics: theory and methods Introduction Behavorism Behaviors Trace data Unobtrusive methods Web analytics as unobtrusive method Conclusion The history of web analytics Single websites Library systems Search engines Conclusion Data collection for web analytics Web server log files Page tagging Conclusion Web analytics fundamentals Visitor type Visit length Demographic and system statistics Internal search Visitor path Top pages Referrers and keyword analysis Errors Conclusion Web analytics strategy Key performance indicators Web analytics process Identify key stakeholders Define primary goals for your website Identify the most important site visitors Determine the key performance indicators Identify and implement the right solution Use multiple technologies and methods Make improvements iteratively ^ Hire and empower a full-time analyst Establish a process of continuous improvement Choosing a web analytics tool Conclusion Web analytics as competitive intelligence Determining appropriate key performance indicators Commerce Lead generation Content/media Support/self-service Conclusion Supplementary methods for augmenting web analytics Surveys Review of appropriate survey literature Planning and conducting a survey Design a survey instrument Laboratory studies Conclusion Search log analytics Introduction Review of search analytics What is a search log How are these interactions collected Why collect this data What is the foundation of search log analysis How is search log analysis used How to conduct search log analysis Search log analysis process Data collection Fields in a standard search log Data preparation Cleaning the data Parsing the data Normalizing searching episodes ^ ^^ Data analysis Analysis levels Conducting the data analysis Discussion Conclusion Conclusion Key terms Blogs for further reading. ^^ Presents an overview of the Web analytics process, with a focus on providing insight and actionable outcomes from collecting and analyzing Internet data. The text first provides an overview of Web analytics. It then outlines the theoretical and methodological foundations of Web analytics in order to make obvious the strengths and shortcomings of Web analytics as an approach.