Panning for gold - insight into action.
Analysing performance of a web site is only as useful as the results it achieves. If insight isn’t acted upon and changes aren’t implemented then progress can’t be made and the analysis becomes nice but pointless.
Failing to act on insight that will yield results is probably a bit like panning gold, finding a rock with a rich seam in it and then being too knackered to break it up to gain access to the loot.
Time(ing) and money are often the reasons given for resistance to change. The advent of Google Analytics and shortly Microsoft’s Gatineau means that good quality web analytics data is available free of charge to all that want it. This removes part of the expense in acquiring visitor insight. Much of the remaining expense (depending on the methods used in doing the analysis) is down to resource both in conducting the analysis and implementing the changes.
Additionally, interest is normally around the actions rather than the insight, this is not surprising but it’s important to remember that unless the site is a mess its less likely that actions will present themselves without some level of quantitative and / or qualitative site analysis; a classic chicken and egg situation for many site owners but one which shouldn’t be difficult to resolve.
Before embarking a specific piece of analysis it is worth asking the question:
“If change is recommended, what financial and human resource is available to implement it?”
This should have two effects:
Firstly it will prevent money being wasted on an analysis from which no action can realistically be taken.
Secondly it will help concentrate the analysis on the areas where change can actually be effected. Again, this will help focus resource and avoid waste.
In a large organisation where resource is available timing may be an issue because changes to the site could be restricted to scheduled site update periods. There may also still be departmental budget issues which can act as constraints.
In small organisations that are more agile and where timing may be less of an issue budget availability could prevent action being taken especially if some changes are particularity expensive to implement.
In order to make sure that valuable resource is not wasted at the analysis stage, whatever the size of the organisation, it worth considering the following:
- What are the objectives for the site? This is obvious but always the first thing to consider whatever your intentions.
- Are there any specific areas that need to be investigated? Although it may be preferable “on paper” to start with a blank sheet and let the analysis guide the output, in practice it generally helps reduce cost and focus resource if there is already some idea of where the problem may lie. i.e. acquisition and retention, site stability, navigation, page design etc
- Assuming there is neither time nor budget available to afford the luxury of using all available analytical techniques (quantitative, qualitative, competitor and so on), which one or combination is most likely to yield the desired results, how quickly can the insight be obtained and at what cost?
- If changes need to be made who will make them? Consider the possibility of changes to the design, marketing and back end of the site and think about who will actually implement these changes. Check their schedules over the next few weeks to see if they have any available time.
- Budget availability. This is perhaps more of an issue if any part of the process is outsourced to agencies or other suppliers but can still have an impact if not as some changes might involve buying in new or extra technologies.
Points 4 & 5 are the two main ones. Knowing these opperational parameters in advance should really help concentrate effort.
When the analysis is done it will still be necessary to run a cost benefit analysis to see what kind of revenue uplift can be expected, this is the final stage in persuading the FD - or whoever holds the purse-strings; but, knowing in advance if the resource if even available on all levels will avoid wasted effort in the first place.