Occam's Razor

AUGUST 12, 2013

There are few things more complicated in analytics (all analytics, big data and huge data!) There is lots of missing data. And as if that were not enough, there is lots of unknowable data. Multi-Channel Attribution Analysis. ~ than multi-channel attribution modeling. " low. Grab a Red Bull.

Modeling 162

Modeling Optimization Marketing Interactive 162

Occam's Razor

JANUARY 7, 2014

Every indicator we have is that companies are investing more in every facet of analytics. There is an analytics ladder of awesomeness each company needs to climb, and it just takes time. First… it is important to realize that big data's big imperative is driving big action. You know what your Return on Analytics is!

Data-driven 142

Data-driven Consulting Reporting Marketing 142

Occam's Razor

DECEMBER 21, 2009

You know what is the one thing stopping you from finding truly actionable insights from your web data? Web analytics gems lie deep in the data and we spend our lives looking at the top ten rows of data. We look at the top ten rows of data because: 1. Too much data from our web analytics tools.

Metrics 94

Metrics KPI Reporting Visualization 94

Occam's Razor

SEPTEMBER 7, 2010

" That quote comes to mind when I think of a new feature in Google Analytics that carries the unassuming name of Weighted Sort. We have a very long tail of data in web analytics. Hence I have persistently evangelized the need for true Analysis Ninjas to move beyond the top ten rows of data to find insights.

Analytics 109

Analytics Metrics Reporting ROI 109

Occam's Razor

FEBRUARY 25, 2013

This blog is centered around creating incredible digital experiences powered by qualitative and quantitative data insights. Every post is about unleashing the power of digital analytics (the potent combination of data, systems, software and people). Let's calculate the ROI of digital analytics. Isn't it amazing?

Analytics 143

Analytics ROI Marketing Modeling 143

Occam's Razor

JULY 12, 2010

That's not including others I actively seek out around the web. I want to constantly be in the know of new and more clever ways of working with data, tools that are often solutions to problems we don't know we have yet or tools that are sometimes seeking problems to solve!! More desire to be data driven.

Analytics 97

Analytics Measurement Metrics KPI 97

Occam's Razor

APRIL 5, 2010

A smaller percent of those Marketers / Web Analysts will move beyond clicks and measure Visits / Visitors and Bounce Rates to measure success. That is truly doing the kind of Analysis Ninja work that solves tomorrow's problems today! You'll work with your acquisition team or your finance team to get the cost data.

Analytics 136

Analytics Marketing Measurement Metrics 136

Occam's Razor

OCTOBER 31, 2011

Data analysis is not easy. I love that the analyst is segmenting the data rather than showing the aggregate trend ("all data in aggregate is essentially crap" – me). But there is something fundamentally wrong about this analysis. That is part of the joy. You are always learning. Found the problem?

Statistics 131

Statistics Testing Reporting Key Performance Indicator 131

Occam's Razor

MARCH 30, 2017

It’s implications are far and wide, even in the narrow scope that I live in (marketing, analytics, influence). Machine Learning | Analytics. Google Photos. Google Photos uses AI to solve this problem. Google Photos has to be able to recognize the content all on it’s own. AI | Now | Global Maxima. Humans took 2.5

Marketing Analytics 166

Marketing Analytics Marketing Analytics Deep Learning 166

Occam's Razor

MAY 19, 2014

There is unlimited amount of data thrown off our digital existences. (Or Or to use sexy term du jour , we have big data!). The people who see the data will ask very different questions. None of the digital analytics tools make it easy to measure true profitability. What's the one thing I should care about?

Metrics 160

Metrics Key Performance Indicator Analytics Marketing 160

Occam's Razor

FEBRUARY 25, 2014

There are three elements to our "big data" efforts, or unhyped normal data efforts: Data Collection, Data Reporting, and Data Analysis. More on that here: DC-DR-DA: A Simple Framework For Smarter Decisions.). Data presentation! Your data presentation is your brand. #2.

Visualization 145

Visualization Key Performance Indicator Dashboards Metrics 145

Occam's Razor

JUNE 8, 2006

I am often asked what we look for when we hire Web Analysts or what quality do good Analysts possess or how to measure if a resource that already exists is optimal or how to mentor / motivate / guide our more junior Analysts to propel them to become great Analysts. We all agree that reporting is not analysis.

KPI 94

KPI Measurement Statistics Metrics 94

Occam's Razor

JULY 24, 2018

The universe of digital analytics is massive and can seem as complex as the cosmic universe. Even simple questions like “ How effective is our analytics strategy? Soon, your digital analytics strategic framework that you hoped would provide a true north to the analytics strategy question looks like this ….

Analytics 95

Analytics Metrics Strategy Measurement 95

Occam's Razor

JANUARY 7, 2019

My professional areas of interest cover Customer Service, User Experience and Finance, though here on Occam’s Razor my focus is on influencing incredible Marketing through the use of innovative Analytics. First… The Analytics top ten things to focus on to elevate your game this year…. The Step Change Analytics Obsessions List.

Marketing Analytics 89

Marketing Analytics Marketing Analytics Strategy 89

Occam's Razor

OCTOBER 21, 2013

In late 2011, Google announced an effort to make search behavior more secure. Snowden, Google has now switched almost all users to secure search, resulting in even more user search queries showing up as not provided in all web analytics tools. That of course will mean more referring keyword data will disappear.

Optimization 156

Optimization Reporting Metrics Experimentation 156

Occam's Razor

MARCH 10, 2015

In a Q&A after a keynote a couple of years ago, I was asked: " When will traditional business analysis subsume the web analytics silo? " " My reply: " All business will ultimately be digital, so, if anything, web analytics will subsume business analysis! " Business analysis.

Strategy 153

Strategy Analytics Measurement Business Analysis 153

Occam's Razor

SEPTEMBER 9, 2013

Weather you do online, offline, nonline analysis, or just randomly playing with data, insights arrive faster with segmentation. In fact I've gone so far as to say: "All data in aggregate is crap." This post covers an important evolution in Google Analytics' segmentation power. Come back excited.

Analytics 146

Analytics Metrics Marketing Reporting 146

Occam's Razor

AUGUST 11, 2015

Custom reports allow you to package up entire datasets for deeper analysis. You can download them into your Google Analytics account via one click (along with some lovely Advanced Segments and a Dashboard). Many custom reports are wrong because we mess up the fundamental data model in analytics.

Reporting 159

Reporting Analytics Metrics Key Performance Indicator 159

Occam's Razor

DECEMBER 12, 2011

We have access to more data than God wants anyone to have. Thus it is not surprising that we feel overwhelmed, and rather than being data driven we just get paralyzed. In fact a data driven life is sexiest digital life you can imagine. For Search it is in your Google Analytics or Omniture Site Catalyst reports.

Metrics 153

Metrics Key Performance Indicator Measurement Optimization 153

Occam's Razor

JULY 5, 2021

We are doing attribution analysis. Today, let me unpack the crucial differences between attribution and incrementality to empower you – and your Senior Leaders – to have intelligent discussions about the actual problems you need solved, and justify an investment in additional Analysis Ninjas. So much sand, so little water.

Marketing Analytics 148

Marketing Analytics Marketing Analytics Data-driven 148

Occam's Razor

JUNE 4, 2012

Every Analysis Ninja knows that standard reports are lame. Custom reports on the other hand are, well, hand crafted by you for a specific purpose with a set of guiding principles (" Acquisition, Behavior, Outcomes! ") that ensure that they don't so much deliver data as much as deliver insights. Criminal behavior.

Reporting 128

Reporting Analytics Metrics Advertising 128

Occam's Razor

JULY 1, 2013

Would you believe me when I say that your digital analytics data, from Google Analytics or WebTrends et. We do have A LOT of data in our analytics tools. But sometimes going outside our analytics tools can yield non-normal insights that can deliver a competitive advantage. Perhaps you are skeptical.

Marketing 137

Marketing Statistics Strategy Consulting 137

Occam's Razor

FEBRUARY 9, 2015

Half-way through this post, you'll seriously wonder why you've spent so much time obsessing with Adobe/Google Analytics/Chartbeat or other web analytics tool. When you are done reading the post, you'll be super mad that your marketing strategy is not more influenced by your competitor's data!

Metrics 156

Metrics Reporting IT Advertising 156

Occam's Razor

MAY 20, 2013

The art of analysis often fails to deliver ginarmous success simply because of how limited our worldview is when we go about identifying bottom-line impacting insights. " comfort zone, and out of your Google Analytics, Site Catalyst, WebTrends worldview silo. That data is not in Google Analytics.

Analytics 140

Analytics B2B Advertising Measurement 140

Occam's Razor

SEPTEMBER 13, 2016

Analysis Ninjas are valued less than I would prefer for them to be. The post is also sourced from a recent edition of my newsletter, The Marketing – Analytics Intersect. If you are curious, here is a April 2011 post: The Difference Between Web Reporting And Web Analysis. Just data puking. I heart you.

Modeling 128

Modeling Reporting Strategy Consulting 128

Occam's Razor

AUGUST 11, 2014

My last post, perhaps provocatively, called for a reduction of data in executive dashboards (digital, online, offline). More English (IABI, specifically) would lead to a smarter understanding of performance, and of course glory for data practitioners. This is an easy module to create in Google Analytics (or any other tool).

Metrics 148

Metrics Dashboards Key Performance Indicator B2B 148

Occam's Razor

DECEMBER 6, 2010

In a world where we are overwhelmed with data and metrics and key performance indicators and reports and dashboards and. To share with you three custom reports that I find to be super valuable when I am doing web data analysis. Web Analytics or Site Catalyst or WebTrends.]. #1: So you, and I, do nothing.

Reporting 126

Reporting Analytics Metrics Cost-Benefit 126

Occam's Razor

AUGUST 9, 2016

The outcome of book smart is rarely better for analytics practitioners then folks trying to learn how to fly an airplane from how-to books. Hence, I have been obsessed with encouraging you to get actual data to learn from. This is all the way from Aug 2009: Web Analytics Career Advice: Play In The Real World!

Analytics 110

Analytics Metrics Reporting Strategy 110

Occam's Razor

NOVEMBER 24, 2009

Sadly execution and analysis of these new social media channels has been hobbled by old world thinking. When it comes to marketing because of the old world thinking from the worlds of sTelevision and Magazines, and when it comes to measurement because of the world of traditional web analytics. My new book Web Analytics 2.0

Metrics 125

Metrics Analytics Measurement Visualization 125

Occam's Razor

MAY 2, 2017

The very best analysts are know what matter’s the most are not the insights from big data but clear actions and compelling business impact from usually a smaller subset of key data. They are from my post The Biggest Mistake Web Analysts Make… And How To Avoid It! Remember: All data in aggregate is crap, segment or suck.

Metrics 143

Metrics Key Performance Indicator B2B Measurement 143

Occam's Razor

DECEMBER 12, 2016

There is, almost literally, an unlimited number of things you could focus on to create a high impact data-influenced organization. And, as if unlimited is not enough, nearly every month your analytics vendors release new features, you discover new analytics solutions, and as your business is more successful (hurray!)

Analytics 142

Analytics Data-driven Strategy Consulting 142

Occam's Razor

MARCH 23, 2010

There are more mistruths and F U D about Web analytics out there than I think is reasonable. Part of it is fueled by a vocal minority genuinely upset that 10 years on we are still not a statistically powered bunch doing complicated analysis that is shifting paradigms. The web is changing too fast. This is sad.

Analytics 119

Analytics Consulting Metrics Experimentation 119

Occam's Razor

JUNE 10, 2013

It is not quite about web analytics, not quite about data you can just get from WebTrends or Google Analytics, and not quite about just making yet another pretty chart. We have too much data on the web. They are hardly unique in creating compound metrics in the social analytics space.

Metrics 142

Metrics Analytics Key Performance Indicator Measurement 142

Occam's Razor

MAY 5, 2016

I am not, and this post is all about getting the data to show you that I am indeed not being sarcastic. I am insanely excited that we can track ad blocking behavior in Google Analytics, so easily. Technical how-to implement enhanced code guidance (Google Tag Manager or direct). Ad block: #wth. Honestly, it is that easy.

Metrics 104

Metrics Reporting Analytics Advertising 104

Occam's Razor

FEBRUARY 10, 2016

If you don't have goals, you are not doing digital analytics. We were brain storming about the next cluster of coolness for Analytics, the conversation quickly went to what Analysts need to look at on a daily, weekly and monthly basis. A vast majority of us out there are data rich, information poor. : (.

Analytics 81

Analytics Metrics Key Performance Indicator Slice and Dice 81

Occam's Razor

JULY 6, 2016

Analysts, honestly, make the world go round when it comes to any successful business – yes, data is that important. I've written about the biggest mistake web analysts make. Today's post is an adjacent mistake: The cardinal sin of spending too much time with data and in reports! BUT I Want Data-First!

Testing 87

Testing Marketing Experimentation Cost-Benefit 87

Occam's Razor

JANUARY 7, 2007

So to make up for that this post covers some of the “technical” best practices around tracking with your web analytics tools, especially if you are using JavaScript tags. Often the job of implementation is left to the friendly neighborhood IT person and your web analytics vendor. This is sub optimal.

Analytics 93

Analytics Data Collection Reporting Marketing 93