Web Analytics in Spain (Europe, Part XI)

Fernando Maciá answers questions.

How has web analytics evolved in Spain during the last three years?

I think that we could say that Spanish companies are using just a little bit of the true potential that actual web traffic analysis tools have to offer. We have seen the emphasis put in raw data such as Unique Visitors and Page Views and not so much on Key Performance Indicators and Conversion. I guess that most companies are using these numbers just for advertising purposes and not so much to analyze what are the reasons why their visitors visit them and how to convert those visits into cash or, at least, a better customer experience. That is the reason why tools like Nielsen/NetRatings are preferred among big firms where they can share a rank and compare themselves against their competitors. Also, we have seen that Nielsen data is taken mostly as a “standard” against the data obtained using different tools where the differences in the measures are considered a deviation from the “true” numbers of Nielsen/Netratings. Also, we find a number of companies that prefer to export raw data from their web traffic analysis tool and import it into Excel to data mine the data. And if we had to take small business into account, I would say that most of them are just starting to discover web traffic analysis right now!

What is the biggest challenge regarding web analytics in Spain at the moment?

Perhaps the biggest challenge is having a certain consensus in the sector about what we mean by the different concepts involved when we are dealing with Page Views, Unique Visitors, Session, etc. We need to define a standard so that the different data obtained through different tools can be somehow equally compared. Also, I would say that translating the raw data into business concepts that non-technical staff can easily identify and understand is a pending subject. Most tools have a way to go in terms of usability and intuitive understanding and displaying of the different measures. Also, lack of Spanish versions of many tools are a true barrier for a more general acceptance of web analysis.

Name the Spanish business that you think is currently using web analytics in the most exciting way.

Perhaps the two businesses that have the most to win abroad: real estate web sites and tourism related sites: travel, accommodation, etc. These companies find a lot of useful information in the way their visitors are searching for them in the search engines and the way their visitors browse through the different sections of their websites. They find market opportunities identifying patterns and centers of interest such as the type of home that people from Great Britain prefer to buy in Spain, the locations that are preferred and those that gain interest against those others that are losing interest, how much they would expect to pay etc.

What similarities do you see for web analytics in different European nations?

Our company works mostly for clients in Spain and Latin America, so I don’t have the experience to answer to this. But I hope that my contact with WAA will give more insight about this sector in Europe in the future.

Fernando Maciá is located in in Alicante, Spain, and is the owner of Human Level Communications .