Web Analytics in Canada, Part II (Alberta)

An interview with Kathy Shworak, a web analytics consultant and industry speaker from Alberta, Canada.

Do you think there is a difference in the way that businesses approach web analytics in Alberta compared to other parts of Canada?

I suspect that Alberta businesses’ approach to web analytics may not be that much different than the other large Canadian provinces. Alberta with 3.4 million of Canada’s 34 million people is second only to Ontario in Internet penetration. 71% of Albertans have Internet access.

Despite this significant Internet usage, there are two extremes in approaches in Alberta’s use of web analytics. Companies are either in their infancy of web traffic analysis or they are building a clear discipline and in-house expertise to meet business objectives.

The less sophisticated companies are giving minimal attention to web traffic beyond website visits and page views. In many cases web analytics is the domain of the Information Technology department and those employees tasked with creating and managing web pages.

The more advanced companies have a retail focus. Their web analytics is being driven by their Marketing departments. Here they are concerned with driving traffic to their websites in response to specific offers, doing search engine optimization and on maximizing purchase conversions. In either case, web analytics is being used as a tactical business tool and not a strategic one.

What do businesses that contact you want to know?

Alberta businesses are gradually becoming more sophisticated about the concept of web analytics. However, many are still seeking help in creating business cases for their web analytics function. They are struggling to justify funding for an analysis activity. Some companies are looking for help with defining, building and implementing their web analytics processes quickly, so they can demonstrate immediate results to their senior management.

How would you describe the growth for web analytics in your area?

The growth opportunities for web analytics are in businesses expanding their thinking beyond using it for just marketing/sales purposes. In addition, companies need to consider that web traffic analysis is not just for external websites, but for internal web properties as well.

Here are some key reasons for a company to have either Internet or Intranet sites with web analytics tracking and analysis:

• Earn revenues (make sales)
• Migrate customers from offline delivery channels to online (lower costs)
• Acquire new customers (expand market)
• Provide customers value (customer retention)
• Employee satisfaction/retention (lower employee churn)
• Improve internal operational efficiency (automate in-house processes)

Currently Alberta companies are focused on just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to using web analytics to guide achieving their business strategic objectives. There is still a vast amount of potential value to be gained from expanding the role of web analysis in their organizations.

Companies need to start thinking of their web properties as major means for creating business value. If they do, they will become focused on using web analytics to define and monitor key performance indicators to track the progress of their business strategies. When that change in thinking occurs, marketing will not be the only department at the web analytics table. All departments will be concerned with getting the most value out of the corporate web properties to help drive business results.

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Kathy Shworak and her company MeasureQuest works with customer service focused organizations wanting to drive more customers from their call centers to their online customer care by improving customers’ online experience. She has a passion for using web analytics to help companies increase their returns on their Internet investment. You can learn tips and ideas for using web analytics on Kathy’s blog.

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Read this post as well: Web Analytics in Quebec (Canada, Part I)

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