How to analyze the path of Web content analysis

The purpose and problem of website path analysis

As with all analytical work, we need to determine the purpose of this analysis before making a path analysis to the site. What results do we hope to reap from this analysis? What are the problems identified or what are the previous assumptions or judgments?

These clear analysis objectives will help us choose the specific metrics and dimensions that are required for analysis and the specific analytical methods. If you don't have a very specific purpose for the analysis, you will most likely see only a rough path to the site, and if you're lucky, you may find some of the rules of how some visitors flow through the site, but that doesn't bring valuable conclusions or recommendations. More often, these site path statistics themselves may not be accurate at all. We will explain the specific reasons later.

1, the purpose of website path analysis

So for the analysis of the Web site path, what is our purpose? As part of the analysis of Web sites, the purpose of site path analysis is to help specific visitors to complete their tasks at different stages of the visit and to improve the efficiency of the task completion.

Here are two purposes, let's say it separately. The first goal is to complete the visitor's task under the business objectives of the website. The goal is to first identify the site's business objectives and visitors ' tasks, and then unify the two. The site has only one business goal, and visitors may have many different tasks on the site. For example, if selling a commodity is a business goal for a website, it is a goal of path analysis to help potential buyers quickly find merchandise information on the site. It is not the purpose of path analysis to help job seekers understand company or job information. The second objective is to optimize the task related to the website business goal, and to improve the efficiency of the visitor to complete the task.

For the purpose of website path analysis, it is simple to express, but there are many problems in the actual operation. Here we look at the Web site path analysis of a number of common problems.

2, the problem in the website path analysis

The problem of website path analysis mainly comes from two aspects. Are Web analytics tools, analysis of the demand side and managers. The first is the Web Analytics tool itself, web analytics tools to meet the needs of different Web site analysis, provides the most complete based on the page of the site path statistics. Start from the visit until the visitor leaves. But this data is also enough to confuse people, because they are too basic and messy, not the information we want. These path information is only the basic raw material that needs to be organized and categorized in a purposeful way. Second, the demand side of the analysis to see what can be found from the existing data and improve the conversion rate seems to have become the standard analysis requirements. In this case, the analyst has multiple roles at the same time, and the final analysis results are mostly unsuccessful.

Then look at the first mention of the site path statistics in the problem, why are these problems inaccurate? There are three main reasons for this.

The first is the diversity of site visitors ' identities, and imagine who will be visiting your site? First of all, what is your most desirable part of the person, your potential client, and beyond? Your partners, competitors, and in-house employees will visit your site for a variety of reasons and purposes. This leads to the inclusion of various identities in the site path statistics.

The second is the diversity of visitor visits. Do you visit Amazon every time you want to buy something? Even if you exclude the diversity of your visitors ' identities, your potential clients will have different goals for each visit. This is well understood, imagine your daily access habits. Find goods, buy goods, get help, return goods, see Logistics and so on are our daily visit to the purpose of the website. This results in visitors with different access goals in the site path statistics.

The third is the diversity of visitor access paths, and further, even the same identity for the same purpose of visitors, the way to complete the task is not the same. For the most common task of finding a particular item of information, some visitors may step through the Web site's classification navigation, some visitors may search for the product name through the station, and some visitors directly access the product page directly through an external search engine. This leads to the inclusion of complex portals and access paths in the site path statistics.

Due to the above three reasons, the Web site path statistics are confusing and inaccurate. At the same time, you can not mix people with different identities and access goals for path analysis. Not to use their aggregated data to calculate the conversion rate and ROI of the site. This method of calculation is problematic and completely illogical.

To avoid the problems mentioned above, we need to subdivide the site before we do the path analysis. The subdivision of the path analysis is divided into two parts, one part is the subdivision of the visitor, and the other is the subdivision of the task in the path. We need to do some preparatory work before we break the segmentation.

Second, the site before the path analysis of the preparatory work

The preparation work before the website path analysis is divided into steps, the first step is to classify the visitors of the website by the purpose of the visit. and find key visitors to the site. The second step is the need for analysts to fully understand the structure of the site, and the logic of each part of the function.

1, visitor classification and key visitors

The first step in the preparation process is to classify the visitors to the site, which is not based on the identity of the visitor, but on the classification of the visitors by the purpose of the visit. For example, looking for goods, buying goods, getting help, exchanging goods, looking at logistics and so on, these are the purposes of visitors ' visit to the website. We classify and rank the purpose of these visits by the degree of impact on the business objectives of the website and the frequency with which visitors initiate them. For a few of the previous examples of access, the search for merchandise and the purchase of goods is closely related to the business objectives of the website, the most important degree. Therefore, visitors to this type of access are part of the site's key visitors.

2, understand the structure and function of the website

The second step is to understand the structure and function of the site's processes and logic. This is an essential step before the site's path analysis. Here I have a rough description of the need to understand the content and rules of the simple classification.

Site structure

The structure of website content and page

URL rules for different areas and operations of the Web site

Web site process/logic

What features and paths are closed in the Web site

What features and paths are open in the Web site

Which pages, functions, and processes are going to jump

Steps for success and failure in different functions

When to open a new window and when to load it

Which actions trigger the new URL and which do not

Site traffic

Main flow sources and ratios

Main Paid Traffic Landingpage

Third, the key visitors and critical path segmentation

Let's take a look at the work we've done before. First we identified the purpose of web analytics to help specific visitors accomplish their tasks at different stages of the visit, and to improve the efficiency of their tasks. Then we sorted the visitors by the purpose of the visit and identified the key visitors to the site. The access path of the site's key visitors is exactly the path we want to further subdivide and analyze below. In the entire Web site path, we focus only on the access path of the part of the audience that is most relevant to the site's business goals, and if the site's marketing is successful, you will find that this part of the audience is the largest proportion of traffic, and if the site's structure and navigation settings meet business objectives, Then their access path should also be the most important one or several access paths in the site. We call them critical access paths. Below we begin to subdivide the critical access path for the site.

1, subdivide key visitors by behavioral pattern

The process of critical access path segmentation is divided into two parts. The first part is to subdivide the key visitor's behavioral model, which we call vertical segmentation. As mentioned earlier, visitors with the same identity will choose different methods when they complete the task. For example, the same is the search for a product information, some visitors will filter by category, and some visitors will directly search keywords. These two kinds of behavior patterns are also our vertical subdivision criteria, they constitute a different key access path.

Usually we follow the structure and navigation settings in the site to divide key visitors into three categories according to behavior patterns.

The first category is targeted visitors who know what they want, and often they choose to search for information directly through the site. For example, when we buy a book, we directly enter the name of the book to search. This belongs to the purpose-specific type.

The second type of visitor is the target-ambiguous visitor, who probably knows what kind of things they want, but not exactly what they are. For example, we want to buy a men's shirt that will sift through the categories of men's, men's, and shirts. This belongs to the target-ambiguous visitor.

The third type of visitor is a visitor with no purpose browsing, and this type of visitor has no clear goal, just want to see. Usually they start browsing from the recommendation.

Three different behavioral patterns form three different critical access paths for the same purpose. This is a breakdown of critical paths from visitors with the same purpose based on different behavioral models. The key path we're going to analyze at this point is clear, but there's another problem with the complexity of the way visitors use the path. As we said earlier, the way visitors use the site is extremely complex, not only in the visitor identity, purpose and behavior of diversity, but also in the Web site path to the diversity of the portal. For visitors using search engines, each page in the site could be the starting page for the path. Visitors can enter from any part of the site's path and begin to complete the task. For this kind of situation, we should make the horizontal subdivision of each key path according to the task on the basis of the first time breakdown by the visitor behavior pattern.

2, by task to segment the Visitor critical path

The second part of the critical Access path breakdown is by task. By task to the path of subdivision we become horizontal subdivision. Visitors need to accomplish the purpose of the visit through a number of different tasks. For example, visitors will be able to complete the key path by registering, searching for goods, adding shopping carts, and paying four major tasks in a critical path to purchase items. For each of the four tasks, we can split into smaller tasks. For example, the task of searching for goods can be subdivided into more input keywords, click the search button, view the search list, select and click the results of these smaller tasks.

Regardless of which one of these tasks will determine whether the visitor in the entire key path to complete the goal.

To explode a task in a critical path

For tasks in the critical path, we can subdivide them at the following levels. Start with the task and break down the critical path into different key tasks, which requires you to have a detailed understanding of the structure and functionality of the site in your previous preparations. Then break down critical tasks into key functions or pages, which requires a detailed understanding of the site's page URL rules and the intrinsic logic and processes of the key functions. The page is decomposed into different elements, and finally decomposed into different actions of the visitor.

Measure critical paths and tasks with metrics

After completing the vertical and horizontal subdivision of the critical path, we need to measure the subdivided tasks using metrics. The main indicators used here are three categories, namely, task completion rate, task time and task load. Below we introduce the next three kinds of indicators to measure the content.

Task Completion Rate

Task completion rate refers to the rate of completion of a particular task or operation, which means the conversion rate of the path for a closed critical path. And for the open path, because visitors can access from any page in the path, it needs to be subdivided into key features/page task completion rates.

Task time

A task time is the time that is required to complete a particular task or operation, and for a closed critical path is the time that a visitor spends on the entire path. Whether it's a closed path or an open path, the task time can be broken down into the time it takes to complete a task, the time spent using a key feature, the time it takes to stay on a page, and the time spent searching for a particular page element.

Task load

A task load is an effort made by a visitor when a particular task or operation is completed. These efforts may be to click on a link to open a new page, from the mouse switch to the keyboard action, the time to switch input method, it may be the use of keyboard input text, or even to find key information when the number of mobile mouse or the number of eye movements and distance. Of course, at present it is not so exaggerated, we need to simply record the mouse and the keyboard and the interaction of the Web site can be. (If you are interested in refining this part of the monitoring, you can use the tools recommended at the end of the article for more in-depth tracking and testing), as with the previous two metrics, if it is a closed critical path, then the task load is the number of times the visitor takes the action to complete the goal in the entire path. Regardless of the closed or open path, the task load can be decomposed into the load required to complete the task, the load required to use a function, the load required to find specific information and elements, and the load of judgment and decision.

Four, based on the visitor and the task path analysis

We have done a horizontal and vertical subdivision of the visitor's critical path and task, and set up a metrics system for measuring the path and task, and we begin to analyze the performance of the critical path and tasks in the interview. Throughout the analysis we have based on the assumption that the site's critical path is to help the site achieve business goals, and that a well-designed critical path can efficiently accomplish tasks when visitors visit.

1, establish benchmarks and metrics

Before analyzing, we need to establish a set of benchmark indicators to compare and measure the performance of key paths and tasks. The way to establish a benchmark is simply to record the task time and task load of the critical path and task in the normal range. It should be explained here that the benchmark should be an interval rather than a single value. The following is a detailed introduction to the process of establishing a benchmark range.

Set up a benchmark range

First step

Whether it's a critical path, a task, or a function or page, we first record the time and the load required for each subdivision in the process. For example, in-site search, we will follow the first search of the search results to find the information needed, and click to browse the ideal situation to record the total number of operations required for the entire function and the time required for each step. As for list filtering, we can record the number of operations and the time required by selecting only one of the filter criteria to find the information needed in the first article of the results page. The data recorded in this ideal situation is used as the benchmark range.

Second Step

After we get the line of the benchmark range, we record the time and the load of each subdivision task in the process. For example, in-site search, we follow the visitor's first search and find the required information on the second page of the search results, and click on the browse to record the number of operations required for the entire function and the time required for each action. And for list filtering, we record the number of operations and the time required to find the information we need after all the filtered items have been chosen by the visitor. The data recorded in this kind of reality is the line of the benchmark range.

Step Three

After you have established the benchmark range for the path or task, we also need to consider the level of usage of the visitor. First of all, because of our working background and understanding of technology, the speed of the test will be higher than the real user. Especially when the target user group of the website is traditional industry or middle-aged and elderly users. Second, because we are familiar with the site and the function itself, even the baseline index of the offline may be better than the actual visitors when the situation. Especially in the task time, because we know that we are in the testing process, and very familiar with the function, so usually we do not need to make decision time. This is a lot different from real visitors ' reality. This factor requires adequate consideration when creating a benchmark range.

Fourth Step

In addition to the first three steps, we also need to record each step in the critical path or task, and the order of these operations and the resulting results. This is very important. For example: For site search, these steps and sequence may be to click the search box, enter keywords, click the search button, click Search Results.

Metrics

After you have created the benchmark range, let's measure the criteria. As noted at the beginning of this section, a well-designed critical path can efficiently accomplish a task when visitors visit. Therefore, in the case of completing the task, the shorter task time and the task load can explain the path and function design is reasonable. Any redundant operation unrelated to the task will result in the increase of task time and load, as well as the possible problems in the design of the path and function. Below we follow this standard and benchmark indicators to start the analysis of the critical path.

2, Success Path efficiency analysis

Our visitors ' access to the critical path is divided into two situations, in the first case when the visitor accomplishes the goal through the critical path. The second condition is that the visitor does not accomplish the goal. We have taken different analytical methods for both of these cases. The first way to accomplish this is to find out where the path or task can be optimized by comparing it to the metrics described earlier.

Time required to complete the task

Think more than the benchmark task time

When a visitor consumes more time in the entire critical path than when the baseline task time is offline, we subdivide the path by task, page/function from the time dimension, and compare it with the base time, which may show that the visitor has encountered a problem in the decision, or it may have been a problem in the operation. It takes more time to browse through more pages or do unnecessary operations. These two issues need to be compared to the base time and the order of operations. If it takes a long time to take the necessary steps, it may be that our pages and information are not expressed clearly enough, and if it is because more operations lead to time-consuming increases, there may be problems with the process itself.

Consider less than the benchmark task time

Also, we need to be concerned when we find that our visitors are consuming less time than the benchmark task time. The method compares the steps of the caller to the order of the base time, checking whether the visitor has shortened the time of a step or omitted the operation. If the operation is omitted it may indicate that the operation is low or that the visitor does not need to take this step at all.

Actions required to complete a task

Consider a situation larger than the number of task operations on a benchmark

When the visitor's operation in the critical path is greater than the baseline task load, we subdivide the path by task, page/function from the task load dimension and compare it to the operating process of the baseline task load to see if the added action is within the baseline load flow or outside the process. If the operation within the process indicates a problem with the process of the critical path or function. An operation outside the process indicates that the visitor may need more information. Here, I suppose, if you find that visitors are always browsing through other product details pages in the shopping cart process, does it mean that they need another one to put the item in the CART and continue browsing other items rather than immediately paying for the item? That's just one of my guesses.

Think less than the number of task operations on the benchmark

Similarly, when the number of visitors to the critical path is less than the baseline task load on the line, we also need to subdivide and contrast, to reduce the operation of the page and function optimization. Of course, this should not be the case if we set up the benchmark on the line when it is idealized enough.

3, Failure path error analysis

In the second failure scenario, we mainly analyze why the visitor left and failed to complete the goal. For the second scenario, we mainly analyze the key points that cause the visitor to leave. In general, there are three main scenarios where visitors fail to accomplish their goals in a critical path. The first is that visitors leave at the critical path entrance, which is what we often say to jump out of the way. The second is the visitor in the key process of the page out of the site, that is, we say exit. The third is that the visitor leaves the key process, but does not exit the site, which is what we say is lost. Let's explain each of these.

Jump out of the key page analysis

In the first case, there are two reasons for visitors to jump out of the critical path, the first reason is the visitor's own reasons, and the second is the reason for the path entry page. The best way to differentiate between these two causes is to compare the performance of different visitors at the same path, and if most visitors do not jump out, it is the reason for the visitor. And how most visitors jump out of the way is probably the reason for the path entry page.

Exit Critical Page Analysis

The second situation where visitors leave the site in a critical path requires us to subdivide the situation and the page. If a visitor leaves the process page of a task to describe a problem in the process or function of a task, if the visitor leaves the site after a task has ended, the next task may be the visitor's own problem, such as interrupted or changed tasks halfway through the task. There may be a problem with the steps between the two tasks. For example: for site search, if the visitor after the search keyword did not click the search results to leave, it may be the search itself function problems, did not provide satisfactory results. If the visitor clicks on the search results and arrives at the information detail page to leave, it is possible that the purpose of this visit is to view the information, or the information details page itself is problematic. needs to be compared and tested for further analysis.

Loss of critical page analysis

In the third case, the visitor leaves the critical path, but does not exit the Web site. At this point we need to analyze the key page that caused the visitor to leave the path, and find the link that leads the visitor away from the critical path. This is divided into two situations, the first is the visitor through the global navigation to leave, the second situation is the visitor through the other links of non-global navigation, such as referral information or advertising. For the first case, it is the active behavior of the visitor to leave by global navigation. May be the visitor temporarily change the purpose. In the second case, the visitor may leave because of unnecessary and incorrect guidance and should be avoided as far as possible.

Five, the site path problem determination and testing

Finally, we introduce how to determine and test the problems in the Web site path, and recommend some testing methods and tools. The behavior of the visitor in the critical path can be summed up into four steps, namely, entry, discovery, discrimination and action. The subsequent three steps are recycled during the access process. When a visitor has a problem in a critical path, most of them can fall into these four steps. Below we look at the meaning of the next four steps, test methods and related tool recommendations.

1, enter

The first step is to enter. This step only occurs at the entry point of the critical path. The problem that often occurs in this step is that the visitor simply abandons the path entry. This is the same as the key page analysis that we mentioned earlier in the visitor task failure. The main test and optimization method is to distinguish the attribution of the problem by comparing the behavior of different visitors. No longer repeat.

2, found

The second step is to find that when a visitor sees a new page, it needs to be browsed first, and it is not possible to find the entry of the critical path and the important information in each step is a prerequisite for the visitor to move forward. The concern here is whether the key information or elements in the page are prominent enough to be seen by the visitor.

Test method

For this problem we use three methods to test the page. They are eye-tracking tests, mouse track tracking and squint-eye testing. Note that these three methods are tested before the visitor opens the page and does not occur before the mouse clicks. Here is a brief introduction.

Eye Movement Tracking Test

Eye Movement Tracking test tracks the visitor's browsing habits and the different elements of the page to the visitor's attraction effect through the instrument to track the visitors ' eye's movement on the page. This method is more professional, but the cost is also higher.

Mouse Tracking

Mouse trajectory tracking and eye tracking test than a slight delay, his principle is that our mouse movement trajectory will follow the lens movement trajectory, so by recording the mouse trajectory can be found in the visitors to the order of each page. This method cost is lower, in the above figure is through the mouse Track tracking tool record visitor mouse in the website page movement track and the click Behavior, later will have the concrete test tool recommendation.

Squint test

The squint test is meant to narrow the eyes to see the blurred page and test whether the key elements can be found. A more convenient approach is to take a screenshot of the page and blur the process to identify the key elements in the page. The advantage of this approach is that the text and graphics and features in the page are heavily disrupted. In this case, the layout is reasonable, the focus of the page in the fuzzy processing, still can pass the position and color quickly find key elements.

Tools recommended

Mouseflow Mouse Trajectory Tool

ClickTale Mouse Trajectory Report

3, distinguish

The third step is to identify, when the visitor found the key information or elements in the page, you need to identify the above text or content to determine whether the current information is consistent with their own access purposes, and decide whether to continue to take the subsequent click action. Here we focus on the decision process from when the visitor discovers the key information in the page to take action.

Test method

We use time to measure the visitor's decision-making process. From the time when the visitor moves the mouse over the key message to the critical message, we call it the caller's decision time for the information, which is technically called the mouse hover time. Clear and clear information can allow visitors to quickly make judgments, thus reducing the time for decision-making. In the above screenshot shows the visitors in my blog home navigation and some key information decision time. Obviously there are some problems with the "Contact me" section of the main navigation.

Tools recommended

ClickTale Mouse Hover Time report

4, action

The last step is action, and this action is usually clicked. is also our most focused step. Action is the end of a loop for a visitor in a critical path and the beginning of the next loop. When a visitor clicks on a link, it returns to the second step, completing the discovery, identification, and action process in the new page and message. This process cycles through each page and task, driving the visitor forward through the critical path.

Test method

In the final step we use the page to click on the hot zone map and the navigation path to the visitor's clicks and clicks after the flow of tracking and analysis.

Tools recommended

Google Analytics Navigation Path report

Skyglue Click Stream Tracking Tool

CNZZ Panoramic click Hot Zone Diagram Tool

Baidu Statistical Hot Zone Map Tool

Crazy Egg Hot Zone diagram tool

ClickTale Hot Zone Diagram tool

Mouseflow Hot Zone Diagram tool

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