Forum - September 2009

an offline member and online payments are immediate, that represents a solid, incremental ROI based on the time value of money. Any CFO will be able to calculate a hard number based upon this difference.

STEP TEST, TEST, TEST

Great care must be taken to establish Analytics on your site, especially when setting goals. Analytics cannot reanalyze historical data the way log analysis programs can. There are no do-overs; you have to get it right the first time.

It is best to allot some time to test goal funnels in a development or staging environment before going live. Doing so ensures that the testing you do is not commingled with “live” visitors. If a development environment is not possible, you should isolate the goal funnel so that no live visitors can access it. Thoroughly test options and monitor results closely. Although Analytics reports in near real

time, that can translate into reporting lag times of several hours.

STEP BEWARE …

Before you make Google Analytics your one and only analytics program, remember: Google has no obligation to maintain the service. It can modify the program and even shut it down. Also, the archive is currently limited to 25 months. After that time, data may be deleted. Google will likely continue enhancing the product and may even offer a fee-based version with guarantees. As of now, however, there are no warranties, and that creates uncertainty.

If uncertainty doesn’t bother you, inconsistency probably will. For that reason, don’t try to compare log analysis output with Analytics output. Values for the same statistics will vary widely between the two thanks to their fundamental differences. If you’ve been providing summary reports to management, care must therefore be taken in how — or if — you should make the

changeover. Regardless, you should keep your existing log analysis system in place.

Probably the greatest issue with Analytics is its breadth. Analytics represents an immense ocean of information. New features are added regularly, which can overwhelm and consume you. Whole days can be lost in its grip.

These cautions notwithstanding, Google Analytics provides tremendous benefits to any association’s Web team. It has quickly become a serious and indispensable tool for measuring online success.

Brian Moloney is managing partner of Chicago-based Imaginary Landscape, a Web development firm specializing in association Web sites. He may be reached at (773) 275-9144 or brian@imagescape.com.