Track Report & Optimize Your Web Creations

@EmpiricalPath
Peter Howley of Empirical Path
@EmpiricalPath@phowley99

@EmpiricalPath
‣ Introduction
‣ Status Quo
‣ Count Conversions
‣ Segment Audiences
‣ Test Ideas
‣ Share Insights

@EmpiricalPath
‣ Web analytics, market research and
campaign measurement
‣ Founded in Washington DC in 2002
‣ Atlanta, NM and DC offices
‣ Founder led web analytics at
washingtonpost.com
‣ Google Analytics Certified Partner
‣ Webtrends Agency

@EmpiricalPath
‣ Defend digital investment
‣ Compare online to offline
‣ Right-size digital investment
‣ Re-allocate budget to most valuable
activities
‣ Celebrate and reward successes
‣ Learn from mistakes

@EmpiricalPath
Reports with little context that measure
only how many people entered the
funnel:
‣ Impressions
‣ Visits
‣ Unique visitors
‣ Friends
‣ Followers

@EmpiricalPath
Measure how many times they complete
the funnel (& achieve campaign goal):
‣ Purchases
‣ Social shares
‣ Email signups
‣ Contacts via form & phone
‣ File downloads
‣ Video views

@EmpiricalPath
‣ Track user activity on pages
separately from pageviews
‣ Any Flash-driven element, like a
website or Movie player
‣ Embedded AJAX page elements
‣ Page gadgets
‣ File downloads
‣ Clicks on links to other domains
‣ Form submits without a unique
thank-you URL
‣ Load times for data
‣ Correct Bounce Rate by defining
visits with these user activities as
not Bounces

@EmpiricalPath
‣ Category
‣ Root level of event tracking and is the base level for sorting events
‣ Collect similar actions together, e.g., Outbound Links, Downloads,
Videos
‣ Action
‣ Descriptor for a particular event, described by any string you specify
‣ Verb that describes what user did, e.g., Played, Clicked, Paused,
Downloaded
‣ Not just one per category
‣ Label
‣ Optional descriptor to provide further granularity
‣ Often automatically passed based on code on page
‣ Don’t record Page where event occurred; tracked automatically
‣ Value
‣ Numerical variable can have explicit or inferred values
‣ Economic value of non-commerce action
‣ Estimated value of unmeasured commerce action
‣ Non-interactive parameter
‣ Tells GA that an Event was not initiated by visitor
‣ Counts single-page visits with only these Events in Bounce Rate
calculation

@EmpiricalPath
‣ Core events reports in Standard
Reporting > Content section
‣ Top Events lets you drill down from
Categories
‣ Overview rolls up all Categories,
Events, and Actions
‣ Metrics on total & unique events
‣ And any optional value tracked
‣ Standard tabs also available
‣ Site Usage: Visits, Avg. Duration, %
New Visits
‣ Ecommerce: Revenue, Transactions,
Avg. Order Value

@EmpiricalPath
‣ gaforflash is an ActionScript 3
API for Google Analytics data
collection
‣ 1st, add the gaforflash SWC to
Flash CS3
‣ Quit Flash CS3
‣ Navigate to the location where
you unzipped the GA zip and find
the swc
‣ Create a "Google" directory
‣ Copy the SWC file there

@EmpiricalPath
public function handlePlayTime(event:Event):void
{
//Tracking elapsed time for video for event and pageview
tracker.trackEvent("Videos", "AutoPlayed",
"[VideoTitle]",PlayTime);
tracker.trackPageview("/TDNB/[DomainName]/Videos/[VideoT
itle]");
}
public function handleComplete(event:Event):void
{
tracker.trackEvent("Videos", "Completed", "[VideoTitle]");
}
public function handlePause(event:MouseEvent):void
{
var button:Button = event.target as Button;
if (button.label == "Pause") {
video.stop();
button.label = "Resume";
tracker.trackEvent("Videos", "Paused", "[VideoTitle]");
} else {
video.play();
button.label = "Pause";
tracker.trackEvent("Videos", "Resumed", "[VideoTitle]",
ResumeTime);
}
}
‣ Example Tracking:
‣ http://stanfordhospital.org/events/awareness/stroke.html
‣ http://test.empiricalpath.com/ga-youtube2.html

@EmpiricalPath
‣ Example Reporting:
‣ https://www.google.com/analytics/web/?#realtime/rt-event/a12625662w34163983p33420663/%3Ffilter.list%3D40%3D%3Dyoutube-
video%25253A3Sk7cOqB9Dk%3B

@EmpiricalPath
Only
cumulative
share data
Only
cumulative
share data

@EmpiricalPath
Hard Way: Manual
_gaq.push(['_trackSocial',
network, socialAction,
opt_target, opt_pagePath]);
SOURCE: https://developers.google.com/analytics/devguides/collection/gajs/gaTrackingSocial
Easy Way: Google +
Do nothing (but get only G+ Social
Actions)
Easy Way: AddThis

<a class="addthis_button"
href="http://addthis.com/bookmark.
php?v=250">
<img
src="http://s7.addthis.com/static/btn
/v2/lg-share-en.gif" width="125"
height="16" alt="Bookmark and
Share" style="border:0"/>
</a>
<script type="text/javascript">
var addthis_config = {
data_ga_property: 'UA-
xxxxxx-x',
data_ga_social: true
};
</script>
<script type="text/javascript"
src="http://s7.addthis.com/js/250/ad
dthis_widget.js"></script>

Easy Way: Google +
Do nothing (but get GA Events, not
Social Actions)

@EmpiricalPath
SOURCE: https://developers.google.com/analytics/devguides/collection/gajs/gaTrackingSocial
Twitter Tweets
1. Implement a twitter button on your page :
<a href="http://developers.google.com/analytics" class="twitter-share-button" data-
lang="en">Tweet</a>
<script type="text/javascript" charset="utf-8">
window.twttr = (function (d,s,id) {
var t, js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];
if (d.getElementById(id)) return; js=d.createElement(s); js.id=id;
js.src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"; fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs);
return window.twttr || (t = { _e: [], ready: function(f){ t._e.push(f) } });
}(document, "script", "twitter-wjs"));
</script>
2. Use Twitter's Web Intents Javascript Events
3. Bind a callback function to the Intent Event
4. Wrap event bindings in a callback function to ensure everything has loaded before
binding events.
function trackTwitter(intent_event) {
if (intent_event) {
var opt_pagePath;
if (intent_event.target && intent_event.target.nodeName == 'IFRAME') {
opt_target = extractParamFromUri(intent_event.target.src, 'url');
}
_gaq.push(['_trackSocial', 'twitter', 'tweet', opt_pagePath]);
}
}
//Wrap event bindings - Wait for async js to load
twttr.ready(function (twttr) {
//event bindings
twttr.events.bind('tweet', trackTwitter);
});
Facebook Likes
1. Set up a Like button on your page using the
following code
<script
src="http://connect.facebook.net/en_US/all.js#xfbml
=1"></script>
<fb:like></fb:like>
2. Subscribe to Facebook's edge.create event
3. Create a callback function to execute the Google
Analytics tracking code.
FB.Event.subscribe('edge.create', function(targetUrl) {
_gaq.push(['_trackSocial', 'facebook', 'like',
targetUrl]);
});
Facebook Shares
FB.Event.subscribe('message.send', function(targetUrl)
{
_gaq.push(['_trackSocial', 'facebook', 'send',
targetUrl]);
});
Facebook Unlikes
FB.Event.subscribe('edge.remove', function(targetUrl) {
_gaq.push(['_trackSocial', 'facebook', 'unlike',
targetUrl]);
});

@EmpiricalPath
NOTE: All data disguised

@EmpiricalPath
Show all, new,
returning, or
campaign, etc.
visits
Show all, new,
returning, or
campaign, etc.
visits

@EmpiricalPath
GA Debug (Chrome) WASP (Firefox)

@EmpiricalPath
Charles (any) Fiddler (any)

@EmpiricalPath
ObservePoint (Chrome) ObservePoint (Firefox)

@EmpiricalPath
Experiment with ideas and use
conversion rate in key segments to pick
a winner:
‣ Landing Page
‣ Ad Copy
‣ Home Page
‣ Offer
‣ Discount
‣ Button color

@EmpiricalPath
Above-the-fold
call-to-action
23% of next clicks
from the
homepage are to
promotions
23% of next clicks
from the
homepage are to
promotions
23% of next clicks
from the
homepage are to
promotions
23% of next
clicks from the
homepage are
to promotions

@EmpiricalPath
Carousel
dominates
above-the-
fold
Copy pushes
everything
but Carousel
below fold
79% of page
views are
entries to the
site

@EmpiricalPath
Revenue per
Pageview
shot up
Bounce rate
improved
Pageviews
dropped as
client cut
PPC
NOTE: Period data disguised

@EmpiricalPath
Visits viewing
page spent 32%
more despite
falling 73%
Oh yeah!
NOTE: Period data disguised

@EmpiricalPath
Winner
Excellent lift in
conversion rate

@EmpiricalPath
Downplay;
few click but
most of those
come back
Shrink;
pushes
products &
prices down
Shrink;
pushes
products &
prices down
Keep; many
entrances
click
Lose; draws
eye from
product art &
headline

@EmpiricalPath
Testing Tool Pros Cons Estimated Costs
Content Experiments
 Free
 No worries re: over-sampling
 Easy to use
 Part of existing GA login and code
base
 No support but GACPs like
Empirical Path
 No multi-variate testing
 Non-intuitive splits between tests &
control
 No visual WYSIWYG editor
 No targeting
 Free
 Includes heatmaps & clickmaps
 Multi-variate testing
 Visual WYSIWYG editor
 Includes targeting
 GA integration
 Customer support via email only
 $49/mo for 10k UVs/mo
 $1,700/mo for 1M UVs/mo
 Live customer support
 Multi-variate testing
 Visual WYSIWYG editor
 Forrester “strong performer”
 GA integration
 Lacks heatmaps & clickmaps
 Smaller early-stage firm
 $1,999/mo for 1M UVs/mo
 Deep support team at Adobe
 Forrester “leader”
 Essentially requires costly support
team
 Worst references in Forrester study
 No GA integration
 $900-$1,300/mo with substantial
incremental costs for each “mbox”
(the area where split-test is
executed, such as a graphic that is
being tested)
 Deep support team
 Forrester “leader”
 Fixed fee lets you test ad nauseum
 High total cost
 Weak on integrations
 “Six-figures” per year

@EmpiricalPath
Create
variations
Edit, add,
move
elements

@EmpiricalPath
Multiple
success
metrics
For each
success
metric

@EmpiricalPath
Measure conversion rate for each key
segment of visitors.
‣ Traffic source (PPC, email, SEO)
‣ Geography
‣ Loyalty (new, returning)
‣ Answers to survey questions
‣ Content interest
‣ Prior purchase

@EmpiricalPath
Unique
content for
each audience

@EmpiricalPath
<script type="text/javascript">
var _gaq = _gaq || [];
_gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-xxxxxxx-1']);
_gaq.push(['_setCustomVar','1', 'Visitor Type',
'Prospective Student','1']);
_gaq.push(['_trackPageview']);
(function() {
var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type =
'text/javascript'; ga.async = true;
ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ?
'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js';
var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0];
s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s);
})();
</script>

@EmpiricalPath
Row for each
segment…in
any report
Conversion
rates for
multiple goals

@EmpiricalPath
1 row for each
link or set of
links worth
tracking
Ties in other
analytics
tools
Tells analytics
which
channel
worked

@EmpiricalPath
Revenue
Other
Conversions

@EmpiricalPath
Get analytics reports, findings &
recommendations to decision-makers
‣ Build useful dashboards
‣ Email reports automatically
‣ Update spreadsheets automatically
‣ Try out mobile apps
‣ Display real-time metrics

@EmpiricalPath
Webtrends
ClickyTouch
ChartBeat
Analytics App

@EmpiricalPath
Questions now?
Questions later:
‣ info@empiricalpath.com
‣ @EmpiricalPath or @phowley99
‣ Facebook.com/EmpiricalPath
‣ +Empirical Path Page

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