Overview of General Analytics

If you search for the key term “Analytics” in any search engine, there are lots of search results. The simplest definition of Analytics from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Analytics is "the science of analysis". A simple and practical definition, however, would be how an entity (i.e., business) arrives at an optimal or realistic decision based on existing data. Common applications of Analytics include the study of business data using statistical analysis in order to discover and understand historical patterns with an eye to predict and improve business performance in the future.

We need to focus on the questions for which we are looking an answer. Analytics is also a kind of research. The research mainly depends on the research designs. Analytics is based on the two types of research designs.

a) Observational Design

b) Experimental Design

For getting more accurate answer we need to choose the proper design.

Observational Design: All of you have heard about astrology on the web or personal horoscope. They ask you your name, mail id, birth date (sometimes birth time), sex, country etc. Actually what is this information? This is the primary data required to provide your horoscope. This is also a kind of analysis on the basis of supplied data they offer your horoscope.

Analysis of already collected data comes under the observational design.

Experimental Design: In this method you can establish the objectives and processes necessary to deliver results in accordance with the expected output. Web site optimization techniques such as A/B testing and Multivariate testing (MVT) comes under this category. We use factorial experimental design to optimize our website. The process of experimental design is matches with Deming’s PDCA cycle, where P-Plan, D-Do, C-Check and A-Act.

Doing experiments and achieving the expected outcome is a continual process.

We analyze data for the following reasons:

· Testing our assumptions and making decisions

· Predicting the future trends

By doing this we try to find out what happened, what is going on and what should we do to achieve a success. 

About Web Analytics

On March 20, 2007, a search on Google for “web analytics” + definition displayed 642,000 results in 0.11 seconds. On December 31, 2008 a similar search on Google for “web analytics” + definition amazed all, when the search revealed 138,000,000 results in 0.09 seconds. When we looked for the same search on 31, Dec 2010 it depicted 253,000,000 results in 0.07 seconds. In about 2 years, the search results for “web analytics” grew by 83%. This is truly incredible and most interesting revelation!


The birth of Web was in August 1991, but it didn’t become commercial until 1995. Many online businesses boomed, and the use of Internet and web services increased in comparison to many other sales channels like phone and retail etc.


On the net usually online data of the users can be tracked using server Log Files or by adding small JavaScript code on each page of the site, and this was the beginning of a new revolution called Web Analytics.
(Analytics: The branch of logic dealing with analysis or the science of analysis)


What is Web Analytics?
Quite simply the main objective of web analytics is to understand and improve the experiences of online visitors, while increasing revenues of online businesses.
The official definition of web analytics proposed by the Web Analytics Association (WAA) (http://www.webanalyticsassociation.org) is as follows:
Web Analytics is the measurement, collection, analysis and reporting of Internet data for the purposes of understanding and optimizing Web usage.


Here are few reasons of booming of Web Analytics:


Boom in online business:
It is always good to exist online along with offline business. Online marketing costs much less than other. You are easily in touch with your customer at any instance, worldwide while pursuing your own brand. Also 2008 survey shows 55% of US have “always-on” broadband connection leading to a significant change in the way internet is consumed.


Effortless collection of online data:
If you can’t measure it, you can’t improve it. – Lord Kelvin what a practical quote it is! Once you set some basic tags for your site, all visitors’ information get tracked on web analytics tool. Most of the free tools are available in the market.


Easily available data:
As compare to all other channels, online business data will get easily available with lowest cost and time. Tracked information can be available within 36 hours. So you can observe your current data in very few hours.


Understand & take action:
Data is able to reveal instant trends. We can get comprehensive information at a glance by doing analysis of data. Hence we can improve the experiences of online visitors, while achieving the goal of our online businesses.