I was delighted to receive, this morning, a preview of Brian Clifton’s new and fully revised book – “Advanced Web Metrics with Google Analytics”. Just under a year ago I was fortunate enough to see Brian presenting and had the chance to speak with him afterwards. One of the really valuable things I picked up from his presentation was his approach to setting Key Performance Indicators. Armed with his ideas I have subsequently evolved my approach to Analytics based performance reporting, and a number of my clients now benefit from much enhanced and more meaningful reporting as a result.
I should add that I have had the first edition of Brian’s book for some time and it is, in my opinion, the most accessible book of its type that has been published. A new edition is most welcome especially since my current copy is now getting rather dog-eared!
Back to the new book. As one of 30 members of the Advanced Web Metrics group on Linkedin to whom Brian has very kindly sent out a preview I thought I would share some insights. The preview included:
- Introduction – so you know what you are getting into, what’s included and what’s changed since the first edition
- Table of Contents – depth and breath of the work
- Chapter 1 – to set the scene
- Chapter 10 – a key chapter showing how to integrate web analytics data within an organisation
Now I won’t pretend that I have given it full justice quite yet, however Chapter 10 immediately caught my eye, the title being “Focusing on Key Performance Indicators”. This is where I have spent most time dipping in and out of the 58 pages. This Chapter is extremely valuable, and most effectively leads the reader through a very well considered process, starting with setting objectives such that KPI’s are meaningful from a business perspective, through to segmenting them in such a way that they are readily understood by key stakeholders in the business. Clearly there is some similarity with the previous edition, however everything has been brought up to date and new ideas incorporated.
Looking at the contents page it is clear to see that Brian has also updated many other areas, such as the available reports, and setup and implementation options. All of these having changed significantly since the first edition. There is also a new Chapter “Integrating Google Analytics with Third-Party Applications”, this includes sections on importing CRM data, using the Export API and integration of Website Optimizer.
The second edition is due out in March, and I have no doubt that I will be buying a copy!
