Online and offline resources for learning about Web Analytics from a marketing viewpoint.
OR there's no point having all that data if you don't know what to do with it.
OR learning how to put 'e' as a prefix to any marketing term.
(Me as a South Park character courtesy of www.vexatori.de/zib/spstudio.html.)
Web Analytics Courses
Some with a dash of Marketing
- The Institute of Direct Marketing's Digital Marketing Courses
- These two courses are aimed at Marketers. Both contain aspects of WA and how it fits in with Digital Marketing. (I'm doing the Certificate.) They can be completed online or offline and can take up to 18 months.
- The University of British Columbia Award of Achievement in WA
- An online only course, co-authored by the Web Analytics Association. Probably the most compact WA-only course I've found. It was 'sold out' when I started my course.
- Hurol Inan's WA Workshops
- If you're in Australia, these might be worth a butcher's. The workshops say they are for "anyone responsible for ensuring a successful website". Isn't that most people by now?! Hurol wrote the first ever textbook on web analytics.
- e-consultancy Public Training Courses - UK
- One of THE places to go to find information about online marketing and e-commerce in the UK. They have a free newsletter, although some of the most interesting information requires paid subscription. You can also find out if you're an e-bore. (I'm 70% an e-bore, which is above average, but I need to analyse it.)
- A/B Testing Course - MarketingExperiments Journal
- A/B Testing is a core competency of WA. It is not something I know a lot about, but this course may be useful if giving you a grounding in A/B Testing. (I know of one of the Tutors, Nick Usbourne - a respected copywriter.)
- Marketing Experiments - Online Testing
- This looks interesting. A certification course for Online Testing Professionals. If you are going to try testing on your website - and I think everyone is now encouraged to do this - maybe a quick course (USD 595) before you start might help prevent screwy results.
- Web Analytics: Optimizing Site Traffic and Interactions
- Pointed out to me by an e-quaintance of mine, June Li, who is the instructor:
"Intensive 2-day in-person introductory course at the University of Toronto, offered by the Faculty of Information Studies' Professional Learning Center. This course can be taken stand alone or as part of the Certificate in Web Development. Not just lectures, participants get to poke around a couple of web analytics demos and have plenty of opportunity for wide-ranging discussions. Toronto's just a short hop from the north-east USA, and with the second day of the course being a Saturday, flights to and from Toronto can often be had at a discount."
Things I found out while searching for WA Courses
- There aren't as many online courses as you would expect - considering the amount of websites and the amounts of people writing/designing/improving websites.
- Proper structured courses can be expensive. Ask your employer to pay for it - they're the ones who will benefit in the short term.
- There are many, many courses (especially degree courses) that contain a little taster of WA. The more I learn about this subject, the more important it is to understand WA fully and in the wider context of marketing. Just knowing the difference between log files and page tagging isn't enough.
- Books and free online advice and newsletters are abundant. Follow the leaders and you can't go far wrong.
- WA is a small world. You'll keep bumping into the same names, the same companies, the same ideas. Reassuringly, they all seem to be preaching the same message - WA is about customers.
Relevent Books on Amazon
eMarketing eXcellence (Chartered Institute of Marketing)
This is my course book for the Institute of Direct Marketers. Very well written. The subject can obvioiusly be a bit dry, this style of writing helps.
Amazon Price: (as of 10/13/2008)
Web Analytics Demystified: A Marketer's Guide to Understanding How Your Web Site Affects Your Business
Eric Peterson is the star who got me interested in WA. Beginners guide and well-structured introduction.
Amazon Price: $59.95 (as of 10/13/2008)
Permission Marketing : Turning Strangers Into Friends And Friends Into Customers
Ah, Seth, Seth. My guru of marketing. OK, not strictly about WA - but you can't use WA to any effect unless you know WHY you're doing it.
Amazon Price: $16.50 (as of 10/13/2008)
Measuring the Success of Your Website: A Customer-centric Approach to Website Management
I believe this is one of the first WA texts, if not THE first.
Amazon Price: (as of 10/13/2008)
Search Analytics: A Guide to Analyzing and Optimizing Website Search Engines
February 2006 released. I've got it, haven't read it yet.
Amazon Price: $19.99 (as of 10/13/2008)
