June Dershewitz on Web Analytics

Where You'll Find Me in February and March

Last week you would have found me sitting beachside in the tropics, drinking out of a coconut and reading Japanese crime fiction.  From this point onward, however, you'll find me involved in the world of web analytics.  Here, here and here:

Omniture Summit

On March 4-7 I'll attend the Omniture Summit in Salt Lake City.  I'm looking forward to seeing Lance Armstrong's presentation (and, wow, a Flight of the Conchords show!!), but even more so I'm looking forward to catching up with my Semphonic clients, my  own former colleagues, and anyone who cares enough to read this blog.  If you see me there please say hello, and if you'd like to meet feel free to send a note in advance.  I'm [email protected]

Web Analytics Wednesday

On February 6 and March 12 (and onward, monthly) I will gladly participate in my favorite local event, Web Analytics Wednesday.  On the agenda for February: a trip to the movies.  We're going to see Untraceable, the newly-released web analytics thriller that Ian Thomas filed under "humour" on his blog.  Thank you Web Analytics Demystified, Inc. for providing this event's sponsorship.

Stay in the loop regarding San Francisco Bay Area WAW events by joining our Yahoo! group and/or Facebook group.  We cross-post all announcements.  Also, if you have attended WAW in the past and can vouch for how much fun it is, please share your experience on the WAW site.

In "Print"

Oh, and I'm online 24-7: fellow web analytics consultant Anil Batra has just published an interview with me on his blog.

How to Prep for Site Redesign Measurement

I've been blogging for a few months now and it's been really fun, especially when it comes to choosing topics to write about.  So far I've posted about career development, events I attend and host, data integration, user-generated content, ... heck, I've even posted a picture of my family's pet chicken.

Now, in an attempt to say more about what I actually do at Semphonic, I thought I'd tell you about one project I'm currently working on.  Without giving out any identifying details about my client I'd like to share some tidbits that will be generally useful if you find yourself in a similar position.

So I'm doing a site redesign analysis project.  My client has recently made some major structural, interface and content changes to their site, and I'm comparing visitor behavior (and outcomes and sentiment) before and after the  launch of the new site. 

Redesign analysis is something I've done numerous times throughout my career in web analytics.  Simple fact:  sites get redesigned over and over.  Analyzing the impact of redesign is mostly about picking the right things to measure and then coming up with an interesting story to tell project stakeholders.  Let it be clear that I'm talking about sweeping changes to a whole site that happen at the flip of a switch, not incremental changes made by way of testing. 

Sometimes a redesign launches and I - as the measurement person - have looked back and said, "D'oh!  I should have thought of that in advance!"  In the remainder of this post I'll list out 3 ways I prepare for a site redesign measurement project.  Setting up these things ahead of time will allow you to avoid some known pitfalls.

Redesign Prep #1: Take Screenshots

What to do:
Take "before" screenshots of all the major pages on your site and put them aside for safekeeping.  Yes, you may be able to dig archived pages out of a content management system, but screenshots are a more reliable bet.

Let me just say I absolutely love the screen capture utility called SnagIt, especially the scrolling window functionality.  I recently discovered that SnagIt can also preserve links on a web page, which is quite useful. 

Why to do it:
Because you'll need to know what the site looked like prior to redesign, and  you may want to include these screenshots in your analysis presentation.

Redesign Prep #2: Decide on Timing

What to do:
Take out your calendar, pick "pre" and "post" windows of time to analyze, then pick dates a little farther out from that when you'll be able to share your analysis findings. 

It's a bit of a balancing act.  Invariably site owners want to know immediately whether or not their effort was a success, but from the analysis standpoint it's advisable to wait until a sufficient period of time has passed before you draw any conclusions about the impact of redesign. 

In my current project I'm doing a 2-week quick check-in followed by a 1-month post final analysis - that way I'm able to give some immediate feedback while I wait for the data to roll in and then use the longer time period in my final presentation.

Why to do it:
Because being proactive rather than reactive about data analysis is simply good form, plus it gives redesign project stakeholders some dates to look forward to.

Redesign Prep #3: Grab Data

What to do:
Figure out  if there's any historical data you won't be able to get after the site launches.  This varies depending on what tool you're using, but browser overlay and "Next Page" reports are the most commonly affected.   

What I mean is, you may only be able to view the browser overlay for the period of time when your page looks exactly like it does today.  For dates in the past when the page looked different, your browser overlay report may be unintelligible.

Know what's fleeting, then go in and grab data for your "pre" time period(s) while the data is still available.  If, like me, you choose to analyze two different windows of time - a short period and a long period - be sure to collect both of these snapshots.  Be thorough.

Why to do it:
Because you don't want to be faced with gaps in data as you pull together your analysis. 

So, how do you prepare for measuring redesign?  Anything you'd like to add to what I've mentioned here?  I welcome your comments. 

Web Analytics Salary Research: 4 Complimentary Approaches

Whether you're employed in web analytics now or thinking of entering the field, whether you're looking for a new job or preparing to talk to your current employer about compensation, it's important to know the going rate.

So ... what kind of research should you do in order to find a reasonable salary range for your position in web analytics?  Here are 4 different, complimentary approaches to try:

1) Seek out surveys

Eric T. Peterson recently released a study on salary distribution in the web analytics industry.  By all means read Eric's 10-page report and then go check out the Web Analytics Demystified site for more data.  Other surveys exist, as well.  Anil Batra just released some research of his own in the past week.

2) Search the job boards

Try this:  Visit your favorite job board and search for your favorite job.  Most postings you turn up will not explicitly state a salary, but a few will.  Use what you find as a point of reference. 

To make this task easier, job search aggregator Simply Hired has an advanced search that allows you to isolate postings with salary info (there's a checkbox in the green section).  My personal favorite job listing site, Indeed.com, has a salary search function where you can compare average salaries for jobs containing certain keywords. 

3) Talk to people

But please ... only if you promise to do it tactfully and sparingly.  The entirely inappropriate question, "How much do you make?" need not be spoken!  However, checking in with a trusted peer or two can help you figure out if you're on the right track during a job search. 

Try talking about ranges rather than absolutes, and never press people to divulge their personal details.  How about, "So, I'm job-hunting and I've done some research and the positions I'm looking for are offering in the $X-$Y range.  Does that seem reasonable to you?"  At the least your conversation partner can answer yes or no, or if you're lucky they might give a few more words on the subject. 

4) Keep an open mind

Think about other forms of compensation - not just money - and figure out what will give you the most satisfaction with your career.  I know that's hard for us - we're numbers people, after all - but it's so SO important.  A blog post I wrote last fall sparked a nice conversation thread on this topic.  Read what my commenters have to say, think about what compensation means to you (tangible and intangible), and then determine your own acceptable salary range in light of the bigger picture.