My 2011 National LITA Presentation. I fried my laptop right before the presentation and just revived this file from that poor machine.

1. Open Analytics!
A Case for Sharing Website Use Data
Tabatha Farney |University of Colorado | e: tfarney@uccs.edu

2. Definitions
The Basics
Web Analytics
“the measurement, collection, analysis and
reporting of Internet data for the purposes of
understanding and optimizing Web usage”--
(Web Analytics Association, 2008)
Open Analytics
“the process of sharing web analytics data with
others” – (me, 2011)

3. What do Web Analytics
Do for You?
• User Behavior – How do they find your site?
How do they navigate through your website?
• User Engagement – How long are they on your
site? How many pages do they view in a session?
• High/Low Use Content – What are your
most/less hit webpages?
• User Technology – Are you compatible with
your users?
And so much more…

4. ????
Who has Access to your library’s
Web Analytics Data?

5. Typically…
Web Managers or team can
access the data.
…which is ok if you are a one-
person army that manages
the all the libraries web
presences.

6. However…
Many libraries have multiple web presences
with multiple content creators.
…some of whom have no experience with web
design and most likely are not familiar with
web analytics.

7. Case Study #1
LibGuides!
• very popular tool in academic libraries
• anyone with a librarian account can create online
guides for a variety of uses
• No HTML or Web
design experience
required!

8. Case Study #2
Content Management Systems
• Systems designed to manage
websites (eg Drupal, SiteCore, etc.)
• CMS users can create content
or entire webpages
• Depending on the
system, no HTML or Web
design experience necessary

9. ????
Who should have access to web
analytics data?

10. My List
Content Creators Administrators Website Advisory
Committees
Regular reports
Need the feedback
about usage. Go Any person or group
to create better
beyond that “annual involved with the
content. Show them
report.” decision making
how their users
behind the library’s
interact with the
website.
content.

11. Sharing Web Analytics
Tips to Succeed
• Give them “custom reports”
• Define the data
• Give them the data they need, not the
entire website
• Regularly share the data

12. Content Creator
Example
Don’t be afraid to put
Report Type: Page(s) Level that data in perspective
by comparing it the
Suggested Data Included: website averages.
– Visitors – total overall, total unique, new and returning users
– Links clicked – what links are being used?
– Time on page – how long are users on the page?
– Traffic sources – where did the user come from?
– Bounce rate – who’s automatically leaving that page?
– Entrances/Exits – are users are starting or leaving?

13. Administrators
Example
Report Type: Website Level
Suggested Data Included:
– Visitors – total overall, total unique, new and returning users
– Most/Lease Popular Webpages
If you have identified goals for your website, see if you can measure
those goals with web analytics.

14. Website Advisory Committees
Example
Report Type: Website Level & Page(s) Level
Suggested Data Included:
– Visitors – total overall, total unique, new and returning users
– Most/Lease Popular Webpages
– Bounce rate – website and webpage level
– Top Entrance/Exit pages
– Traffic sources
– User technologies

15. Sharing the Data
Data Already Available
Some systems, such as LibGuides, has built-in
statistics tools accessible to account holders

16. ????
What’s Your Web Analytics
Tool?
http://www.polleverywhere.com/multiple_choice_polls/LTIxMzYyNTgxMQ

17. Why Google Analytics?
 Widely recognizable web analytics tool
 Advanced functionality for a “free” system
 Has easy access to the Google Analytics Versions
Data Export API Although currently in beta, this
presentation uses Version 5 to
demonstrate data sharing
options.

18. Sharing the Data
Data from Web Analytics Tools
The Options:
1. Just give them access to your web analytics tool.
2. Export the data manually.
3. Automate the data export through a program.

19. Share Access to your
Web Analytics Tool
Setup: Add all individuals to as Users
to a Google Analytics Profile.

20. Share Access to your
Web Analytics Tool (con’t)
Pros Cons
• After the initial setup, no • Easy to get lost or
work on your part confused in Google
Analytics*
• Can customize the data to
their own needs (no • Too much work to learn a
middle interpreter) new system (potential
user perception)
• Create custom reports for
them to directly access • User email must be a
registered Google Account
* If this is an issue, just share a link to a custom report.

21. Manually Exporting
Web Analytics Data
Setup: Retrieve a report in Google Analytics and then
export it via CSV or TSV each time you need it.

22. Manually Exporting
Web Analytics Data (con’t)
Pros Cons
• Don’t have to worry about • No direct PDF export (no
creating accounts “pretty graphs”)
• Can create custom reports • Cannot export multi-
to give users exactly the tabbed custom reports in
data they need one export
• Users don’t have to learn • Time consuming for the
a new system person managing the
analytics data

23. Automatic Exporting
Excellent Analytics
What is it?
• Google Analytics MS Excel Plug-In
• Free, just
need a GA
account
• Based on
Google API

24. Automatic Exporting
Excellent Analytics (con’t)
Setup: Have to download and install the plug-in on the
machine you will be accessing it from.
System Requirements
- Windows XP and up (sorry Mac users!)
- Excel 2007 or 2010
- Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5 (included in MS Office Suite)
- Google Analytics Account

25. Automatic Exporting
Excellent Analytics (con’t)
How it Works…
Basically, like a GA Custom Report.

26. Automatic Exporting
Excellent Analytics (con’t)
Pros Cons
• Run and save multiple • No automatic update of
custom queries in one query results
document
• Must understand what
• Build graphs in MS Excel each metric includes
to share with others
• Time spent on running
• Don’t have to learn the queries and sharing the
Google Analytics interface data
• No programming required • Compatibility issues

27. Automatic Exporting
Google Analytics Export API
• Google launched in 2009
• Create applications that request data from a Google
Analytics account
• Supports applications in JavaScript, Java, .Net, or
Python – so programming is required
• Authentication is also required
ClientLogin, AuthSub, OAuth

28. Automatic Exporting
Google Analytics Export API (con’t)
Setup: Lots
Steps Involved
1. Select the client library & authentication method
2. Implemented the authentication code and client
library
3. Program the getDataFeed Method (data queries)
4. Share the data!

29. Automatic Exporting
Google Analytics Export API (con’t)
How it Works…
After authenticating, users
are taken to customized
Google Analytics reports.

30. Automatic Exporting
Google Analytics Export API (con’t)

31. Automatic Exporting
Google Analytics Export API (con’t)
Pros Cons
• Setup once and the data • Web server and access to
updates itself scripts required
• Can be designed to allow • Must be comfortable with
users to interact with data advanced programming
• Flexible and customizable • Depending on setup, a
user accounts must be
• Gives you more control
created in Google
over data access
• Since its web based, cross
browser testing necessary

32. Conclusions
Before You Start:
• Empower and educate your users about web analytics
• Create some starting documentation
• Plan & Test
• Keep it manageable for you

33. References & Sources
Excellent Analytics. http://excellentanalytics.com/
Google Analytics Developer Docs. http://code.google.com/apis/analytics/docs/
Google Analytics Data Export Authorization.
http://code.google.com/apis/analytics/docs/gdata/gdataAuthentication.html
Creating Dashboards with the Google Analytics Data-Export API. Ecommerce
Developer.http://developer.practicalecommerce.com/articles/2621-Creating-
Dashboards-with-the-Google-Analytics-Data-Export-API
Another Example:
Google Analytics Data Export API with Google Chart Visualizations. jenbits.
http://www.jensbits.com/2010/06/23/google-analytics-data-export-api-with-
google-chart-visualizations-2/

34. Q&A