Web analytics are more complicated than ever. Even small businesses are marketing across a half dozen channels, each with its own tracking scripts and reporting interface. Cumbersome implementations, attribution issues, conflicting reports and the feeling of being overwhelmed by data overload are all too common. Executives, marketers and even analysts are frequently hindered by powerful tools that cannot be used. Platforms often emphasize overwrought tables or clever visualizations that look good in demonstrations but struggle to connect to actionable decision-making.
Guiding clients and users through this landscape is one of our core tasks on the Pace Analytics team. We encourage readers to take a deeper dive into this topic with our white paper Understanding Omnichannel Campaign Performance: Solving the Data Usability Crisis. This white paper describes, in detail, our process and solutions for dealing with current data usability issues. It explains how we focus on the process and end goals to create a holistic reporting structure that solves for issues related to multiple channels, attribution and usability. We provide the technical expertise to connect to virtually any third-party system (provided there is an API) and business intelligence to home in on KPIs that are most linked to cause-and-effect results. The result is a report that is intuitive, encompassing, interactive and visually aligned with each stakeholder’s specific needs.
A Successful Transition from Data Chaos to Holistic Web Analytics That Clearly Drive Strategy
How do we get there? We provide a consistent process customized to the specific needs of each client. We begin by listening to our clients’ needs, defining their ecosystem (analytics platforms, social media insights, paid channel interfaces, email providers, etc.), creating a measurement framework, and determining the reporting model that best aligns with end objectives. Beyond that, we put heavy emphasis on data-driven attribution models that uniquely track revenue and conversion to the channel or channels that served as the root cause, driving repeatable and predictive modeling for forward decision-making. The best reporting tells end users where to focus next efforts and what they can expect from those efforts.
Effective Data Analytics Ecosystems Are Highly Adaptable and Willing to Evolve.
We aim to be wherever our clients are. In addition to our own platform recommendations, we incorporate numerous third-party platforms that are already staples in ecosystems. When tools evolve (see the newest version of Google Analytics, GA 4 Property), we are ready to take advantage. Adaptability is key to any effective analytics. Old tools change and new tools emerge. Seamlessly integrating this into a reporting output yields confidence to inform forward strategy.
Web Analytics Reporting Must Work for You and Your Business Objectives.
Ultimately, the best result is reporting that works for you. It must be accurate, usable and predictive to provide value for forward business decision-making. We combine this into one report (or a few) to ensure that the key stakeholders are informed on current performance/trends and what is driving the present metrics, while highlighting additional opportunities for improvement or issues of concern.
For more information on this topic, please visit Understanding Omnichannel Campaign Performance: Solving the Data Usability Crisis.
