One on One with Alex Yoder of Webtrends

Alex Yoder is CEO at Webtrends, an independent web analtyics company. As such Yoder is responsible for worldwide operations and the overall strategic vision of the organization. He has spent the last seven years at Webtrends in various positions before taking over as CEO, and he has more than 20 years of global business experience. We asked him about the importance of measuring traffic on websites.

FCM: Why should people pay for web analytics when there are packages like Google Analytics available for free?  

AY: The key to this question is a true understanding of the differences between free tools like Google Analytics vs. paid services, such as Webtrends. Fundamentally it comes down to needs. A paid service like Webtrends comes with greater capabilities and is much more robust, and customizable, and provides professional support and help. With software like Webtrends you are allowed unlimited customization and services along with unfettered access to your visitor level data via APIs and the data is yours.

But again, that all comes down to understanding your business and its needs. Possibly the two most important differences are user tracking and data ownership. Many free services like Google Analytics, via their ToS, won't allow any use of their technology to identify people or to send data to a system with personally identifiable information nor do you have rights to keep your data exclusively for your business. That means it would be challenging, if not impossible, to integrate with CRM, data warehouses, marketing automation providers, etc. and in today’s evolving business landscape that’s a decision most businesses can’t make. Also, Google data can be valuable for general trends, but it is sampled, which limits the ability to understand the individual and their intent.  

FCM: Why is it important to measure traffic beyond simple hits on a website? 

AY: The Internet has become a powerful communication tool, with conversations happening on multiple channels on and off of your website. The difference between simply having a website, and building an effective web strategy, can be seen by knowing how many pages are accessed, when they were viewed, who searched on the page, and what they clicked on while viewing the page. If you run a website, you know, or you should be aware of the fact, that understanding how people use your site can help you and your company generate more traffic. Furthermore, while broad traffic measurement is always important, technological advances have allowed the Internet to become a voice and a vehicle for direct marketing (think of the days of database marketing). One of the key differentiators in Webtrends’ strategy is the focus on the individual and the advanced integration with other solutions that provide the ability to leverage the website and the Internet at large for a targeted marketing solution, and not just a traffic measurement tool. 

FCM: What are some key measurements?

AY: There are a number of key measurements that web analytics can track, but a few major ones include visitors, time spent on site, actions completed (signups, purchases, etc.), locations of visitor, etc. 

FCM: Does the type of site determine the measurements? In other words would you measure traffic to a blog differently from an e-commerce site?

AY: We counsel that the type of business you are in should determine the measurements. The different areas of the website will have unique measurement as well. If you are a B2B software company your website and larger web presence (blogs, wiki, etc.) will, most likely, be focused on driving leads to your sales department. As such your measurement strategy needs to focus on metrics that support the introduction of quality leads. Each site may approach its contribution to the ultimate goals a bit differently but the key is to ensure there is a synergy. A comprehensive measurement strategy is one of the first steps in utilizing data to drive decision making within any organization. One of the most common calamities in our space is that organizations frequently and regularly update their content and marketing strategy, but have viewed “having analytics” as a sufficient means of measuring success. The reality is that one’s measurement strategy must be kept contemporary with the marketing strategy and initiatives--a “one size fits all” solution just is not practical in today’s world unless one simply wants to measure the number of pageviews.

FCM: Is all visitor behavior measurable?

AY: Either explicitly or inferred it is. While vendors such as Webtrends provide full and unfettered access to all your customer data (unsampled) sometimes trending information is enough. We are in a world of rapid innovation, transparency and open collaboration. "Unfettered access" to data truly means looking at it first through the customers' eyes. While the industry and customers use of web analytics matures, by providing full access to the data, we fully enable innovation and learn just as much from the partners and customers as they gain value from the open access to us. Put quite simply, if you find that visitor behavior isn’t covered under the scope of web analytics and you’re looking for new ways to measure, the integration of web analytics with any number of other marketing optimization and automation partners will probably do the trick. As an example, the public is mystified by how to embrace “social media” in the context of their web presence and brand sentiment. Webtrends is the first solution to effectively integrate an enterprise social measurement solution with on-site analytics, so that our customers can gain a complete view and understand real conversion drivers.

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