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Advanced Web Metrics with Google Analytics
Are you getting the most out of your website? Google insider and web metrics expert Brian Clifton reveals the information you need to get a true picture of your site's impact and stay competitive using Google Analytics (GA) and the latest web metrics methodologies. Which marketing campaigns work best? How do you quantify their success? What indicators should you track? Packed with techniques and insider secrets not documented elsewhere, this book has the expert guidance you need to enhance your brand and increase your site's ROI.
364 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2008
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
April 2, 2015
As the author of this series of books, I am requesting you do NOT purchase it...
Why?
Published in 2012, my book is a technical "bible" about Google Analytics. Highly regarded at the time, it is now however very out of date -the difficulty of writing about internet technologies! Essentially, I do not feel comfortable with people still purchasing it from Amazon et al... I have requested the publisher (Wiley/Sybex) withdraws it from sale. If fact, I am surprised to find it still for sale.
Tip: for all internet related books, double check the publishing date. If its about a specific tool or technology, anything more than 2 years old is out of date...
Why?
Published in 2012, my book is a technical "bible" about Google Analytics. Highly regarded at the time, it is now however very out of date -the difficulty of writing about internet technologies! Essentially, I do not feel comfortable with people still purchasing it from Amazon et al... I have requested the publisher (Wiley/Sybex) withdraws it from sale. If fact, I am surprised to find it still for sale.
Tip: for all internet related books, double check the publishing date. If its about a specific tool or technology, anything more than 2 years old is out of date...
September 29, 2008
Who wouldn't want to read this book? Okay, well, since I know that no one will ever read this review, I would like to point out that this is the best book on Google Analytics I have read. I think it's also the only one. I will conclude this incoherent review by pointing out that if you are actually still reading this, you are also somewhat pathetic. But not as pathetic as I am :)
November 10, 2008
If you're interested in website analytics (specifically Google Analytics), this is a great foundation book. It teaches you how to measure every aspect of your website so you know how to optimize it for whatever goals you have.
Currently reading
December 9, 2009Very interesting so far and a little scary, Google has so much influence but seem to value engineering and objective data over anything else, equating popularity (number of hits) with value(of information). And then there are those pesky "overlooked " copyright issues....
September 4, 2012
recommended for people trying to make it in online marketing
December 11, 2020
Great book to help you learn Google Analytics. Some of the material is dated, and a couple things are different now, but the book was put out in 2012 so that’s to be expected. The writer explains things in a conversational and thorough way, so it’s a great book to learn the basic concepts with.
June 5, 2021
The book had 12 chapters and it was divided in 3 sections where it was covered metrics, google analytics implementation, set up and integration with third party applications and reports. I liked the book it was very clear and easy to follow and implement at work.
July 22, 2010
I am the author so I am bias...! I wanted to post some further info on what the book aims to achieve and who is is aimed at. The following text is for the second edition.
[ The companion website is www.advanced-web-metrics.com :]
What You Will Learn From This Book
You will learn how to implement and use Google Analytics in a best-practice way. I deliberately emphasize the word use because this is the primary purpose of this book. That is, you will learn how to leverage Google Analytics to optimize your website—in terms of marketing, user experience, and ultimately conversions, all based on solid, reliable data.
Who Should Read This Book
As a great friend and mentor to me once said, “Advanced web metrics is about doing the basics very well and applying it in a clever way.” I wish I had thought of that phrase! It epitomizes everything about my approach to web analytics and this book. Thus, I have attempted to make this book’s subject matter accessible to a broad spectrum of readers—essentially anyone with a business interest in making their website work better. After all, the concept of measuring success (the title of the Part I) is a universal desire.
The content is not aimed at the complete web novice, nor is it aimed at engineers—I am not one myself. Installing, configuring, or using Google Analytics does not require an engineer! Rather, I hope that Advanced Web Metrics with Google Analytics will appeal to existing users of business data as well as readers new to the field of web measurement.
As the title implies, this book is intended for people who want to go beyond the basics of simply counting hits. These can be grouped into three user groups:
Marketers:
These are users who have experience with search-engine marketing (paid and organic search), email marketing, social search, PR, and affiliate management but have not yet managed to find a unified measurement tool to compare these side by side. For this group, most chapters focus on integrating your analytical skills with your marketing skills and require no coding ability.
Webmasters:
These are experienced website builders who have the skill set and authorization to modify a website. For this group of users, the book offers sections and exercises that require you to modify your web page content; after all, web analytics is all about instigating change using reliable metrics as your guide. Therefore, knowledge of HTML (the ability to read browser source code) and experience with JavaScript are required.
Senior managers:
These are decision makers who require guidance on preparing a data-driven strategy and action plan for their organization. I hope to supply these readers with an understanding of what can and cannot be achieved with web analytics and specifically provide information they need to plan the resources and timelines required for building an effective Google Analytics measurement team. My aim for this group is to provide you with the information necessary in order to make “informed decisions.”
With a better understanding of your website visitors, you will be able to tailor page content and marketing budgets with laser-like precision for a better return on investment. I also dis- cuss advanced configurations (Chapter 9, “Google Analytics Hacks”), which are not documented elsewhere. These provide you with an even greater understanding of your website visitors so that you can dive into the metrics that make sense for your organization. In as many areas as possible, I include real-world practical examples that are currently employed by advanced users.
[ The companion website is www.advanced-web-metrics.com :]
What You Will Learn From This Book
You will learn how to implement and use Google Analytics in a best-practice way. I deliberately emphasize the word use because this is the primary purpose of this book. That is, you will learn how to leverage Google Analytics to optimize your website—in terms of marketing, user experience, and ultimately conversions, all based on solid, reliable data.
Who Should Read This Book
As a great friend and mentor to me once said, “Advanced web metrics is about doing the basics very well and applying it in a clever way.” I wish I had thought of that phrase! It epitomizes everything about my approach to web analytics and this book. Thus, I have attempted to make this book’s subject matter accessible to a broad spectrum of readers—essentially anyone with a business interest in making their website work better. After all, the concept of measuring success (the title of the Part I) is a universal desire.
The content is not aimed at the complete web novice, nor is it aimed at engineers—I am not one myself. Installing, configuring, or using Google Analytics does not require an engineer! Rather, I hope that Advanced Web Metrics with Google Analytics will appeal to existing users of business data as well as readers new to the field of web measurement.
As the title implies, this book is intended for people who want to go beyond the basics of simply counting hits. These can be grouped into three user groups:
Marketers:
These are users who have experience with search-engine marketing (paid and organic search), email marketing, social search, PR, and affiliate management but have not yet managed to find a unified measurement tool to compare these side by side. For this group, most chapters focus on integrating your analytical skills with your marketing skills and require no coding ability.
Webmasters:
These are experienced website builders who have the skill set and authorization to modify a website. For this group of users, the book offers sections and exercises that require you to modify your web page content; after all, web analytics is all about instigating change using reliable metrics as your guide. Therefore, knowledge of HTML (the ability to read browser source code) and experience with JavaScript are required.
Senior managers:
These are decision makers who require guidance on preparing a data-driven strategy and action plan for their organization. I hope to supply these readers with an understanding of what can and cannot be achieved with web analytics and specifically provide information they need to plan the resources and timelines required for building an effective Google Analytics measurement team. My aim for this group is to provide you with the information necessary in order to make “informed decisions.”
With a better understanding of your website visitors, you will be able to tailor page content and marketing budgets with laser-like precision for a better return on investment. I also dis- cuss advanced configurations (Chapter 9, “Google Analytics Hacks”), which are not documented elsewhere. These provide you with an even greater understanding of your website visitors so that you can dive into the metrics that make sense for your organization. In as many areas as possible, I include real-world practical examples that are currently employed by advanced users.
November 12, 2012
This tome tells all about using Google Analytics to improve your website, your brand, and your bottom line.
This 2012 edition includes social media, visitors, flow, and multi-channel funnels.
Clifton shows Webmasters how to obtain metrics on their websites--daily visitors, average registration/purchase rate, average visit time, geographic distribution of visitors, and many more statistics.
Quite a fascinating read with quite a few complicated tables and graphs, but without much mathematics or equations.
Recommended to those wishing to analyze their segment of the WWW.
This 2012 edition includes social media, visitors, flow, and multi-channel funnels.
Clifton shows Webmasters how to obtain metrics on their websites--daily visitors, average registration/purchase rate, average visit time, geographic distribution of visitors, and many more statistics.
Quite a fascinating read with quite a few complicated tables and graphs, but without much mathematics or equations.
Recommended to those wishing to analyze their segment of the WWW.
April 18, 2014
Published in 2012 and it is ALREADY out dated. :( That is web analytic though. There is however a LOT of really great basic information here that is still very relevant. I like that he discusses not jut reporting, but proper coding and set up which is critical for good reporting.
It was a great refresher as I start to build out a new web analytics dashboard. I agree with the author that for reporting out, you ha to have a dashboard outside of you analytics platform to share with marketing and upper management who will not access that type of tool.
It was a great refresher as I start to build out a new web analytics dashboard. I agree with the author that for reporting out, you ha to have a dashboard outside of you analytics platform to share with marketing and upper management who will not access that type of tool.
March 13, 2015
completely outdated. most of the names for things have changed in google analytics, which makes this very confusing. this book was published in 2012 so it refers to classic analytics rather than the new universal analytics. that means all the code in the book is no longer relevant either. its basically just a slightly expanded version of the google analytics help website in book format, so you may as well read the documentation online and not confuse yourself with outdated names, techniques, and code.
January 7, 2015
I should caveat this rating by saying those 4 stars are for the book when read back in 2009-2010. Since that time, the changes in GA have rendered much of this book null and / or incomplete.
That said, there are still great nuggets of information to be gained and Brian Clifton provides lots of useful tips for those getting started with web analytics. I can't speak to later editions (this was the first or second edition) of the book but hopefully its been updated accordingly.
That said, there are still great nuggets of information to be gained and Brian Clifton provides lots of useful tips for those getting started with web analytics. I can't speak to later editions (this was the first or second edition) of the book but hopefully its been updated accordingly.
Read
November 10, 2012A couple parts of chapter 11 are already out of date, but the new information can be found online. Things just evolve so fast in the Internet world.
I think I'm prepared for the certification test now, but I've already been applying what I've learned.
I think I'm prepared for the certification test now, but I've already been applying what I've learned.
June 17, 2014
Very helpful book, but a generation out of date. Does not cover universal analytics or the new user ID collection but is a great foundation as long as you know this. I'll buy the next edition when/if it becomes available.
January 27, 2012
It helped get me certified in Google Analytics. However, with the changes Google has made, the book is going to need an update. Now.
January 7, 2015
I'm currently reading the 3rd edition. So far so good.
July 18, 2013
A comprehensive overview of how to set up, customise and get the most out of Google Analytic's including best use for the 100 plus reports that can be generated for measurement purposes.
Currently reading
October 6, 2012It is interesting. Very informative.
April 2, 2013
Review in Slovak http://j.mp/YsmYjT
Read
March 16, 2015A bit outdated now, but has good parts still.
January 21, 2016
Great way to advance your way of usig Google Analytics. Very usefull. I borowed it to read, but I would like to buy it now.
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews