The current situation of web analytics future and you and me

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The topic of this article was raised by a friend of the group in the evening of Friday, and I think it is a very good topic for every web analytics practitioner (and future practitioners) to be concerned. Just in the past few months to understand the foreign web site analysis Market, I think I can fairly judge the domestic market and future development. In addition, I have some figures on hand, perhaps not very accurate, because a lot from my experience, welcome friends to join the discussion, more correct.

Website Analysis • Market situation

I have mentioned many times that website analysis is very new in China. About three or four years ago, before I wrote this blog, there is practically no special discussion in this field in China, and it is difficult to find articles about Google Analytics, and there are no words to omniture, all learning can only rely on English. And the Web analytics How to translate, also let me move a bit of brain, I really considered at that time should use "The webpage analysis" or should use "the website analysis", but fortunately chose the correct expression way.

While Cnnic has published "Web site access statistics terminology and metrics" in December 1999, the measure of site traffic is almost two metric IP and browsing (PV), while Visit,unique visitor and bounce Rate and other more scientific measures are almost unknown, can be seen in the Web site analysis more than three years ago in the country is almost blank.

Since 2008, however, the term "web analytics" has begun to be mentioned by more people besides me, and some people have begun to use English abbreviations (because they are shorter and clearer). Under the Florian PIHS of the Germans, Beijing began the first online analytics activity in China, the waw at the time, with only 3 people at the start, but still a milestone to celebrate. The first web Analytics blog in Chinese (ie www.chinawebanalytics.cn, formerly known as http://webanalytics.blog.sohu.com/) also appeared earlier in the year, This blog began to compare the systematic introduction of foreign website analysis methods for Chinese readers.

After that, the transition can be said to be dramatic. From the beginning of 2008 to the less than three years of 2010, website analysis was quickly recognized by the Internet industry, people began to talk about this thing, a lot of Web sites are also beginning to realize the importance of this matter, some sites began to ask me how to set up a website Analysis department, and how to recruit Wang station analysis talent. Some sites have previously had data analysis departments, but consider the data analysis Department part of the function to the site analysis direction of the change. I started to receive letters from friends every day, including web analytics and even Web site optimization related to a variety of problems, some overwhelmed (so some letters may I see but forgot to reply, very sorry).

Site analysis of job opportunities began to increase slowly, because of the desire to analyze the site in fact more than the site analysis of the supply of talent, which makes the income of the site analyst to improve, in the later section I will specifically talk about this issue.

Web analytics began to be a concern, but at the same time there are some problems, the most obvious problem is that the site analysis and advertising monitoring and search engine optimization (SEO) confused. Many friends think Omniture is the same tool as DoubleClick, and some people think that web analytics tools are used to monitor and even manage Internet advertising. Similarly, SEO and web analytics are designed to achieve the optimization of the site, it is easier to confuse the two, but in fact, because of the different research objects, web analytics and SEO are independent of each other, and if the use of these two weapons can produce very good complementary effect. Here is not much to talk about, we can see this article: Web site analysis of the top ten misunderstandings and alternates (i), the site analysis of the ten misunderstandings and alternates (ii).

However, the good trend does not mean that the field of hot, if the calculation of a counting, the site analysis as an independent service industry must be far less than SEM, and certainly less than SEO. Most of the time, web Analytics is considered an adjunct, on the one hand, as a measure of the effectiveness of the Internet advertising, on the other hand, it is also a website strategy/technology/Design Branch of the subsidiary, but can not rise to the entire site's strategic height and be taken seriously. This actually inhibits the economic benefits of the site that could have been more superior.

The problem arises mainly from the following reasons:

Website analysis is mistaken for not bringing traffic directly. But in fact, web analytics not only helps to get more traffic, but it also helps optimize traffic quality.

Website analysis is mistaken for just helping to optimize the design of the site. From a certain point of view, this is a good idea, but not as a goal, but as a way. The purpose of web analytics is to optimize the experience of site visitors, and to adapt the site to the expectations of visitors, and even change the behavior of visitors.

Website analysis is mistaken for a cost center. But in fact, the website analysis promotes the transformation at the same time, helps the website to increase the income. Moreover, web Analytics has a strong power to help the site efficiently utilize the resources available, so it is also adding ROI to the help site.

Site analysis of the lack of talent. Site analysis of many practitioners from the SEO or SEM or the site ued design and other areas of transformation, we are groping.

Therefore, we are not difficult to see, when the site analysis abroad is developed into a more than SEO industry, the domestic in fact, I can only very optimistic that we are starting. :)

Web Analytics • Future Prospects

I have been very optimistic about the future of web analytics in China. Based on my shallow understanding of several aspects.

1. China has a huge base of websites and more and more websites are looking to make money through commercialization.

Figure: There are some foreign websites, but the numbers are right, yes, I'm right, there are 323 million websites in China

2. The website profit pressure, must one day make the website from the extensive type "the flow economy" toward "transforms the economy".

3. There are no lack of visionary and detail-focused website owners in China.

4. People (especially advertisers) are increasingly interested in understanding the secrets of traffic, but previously people were only concerned about the amount of traffic. The promotion of advertisers will become a major driving force for the analysis of the website.

5. More and more friends fall in love with Web analytics. In addition to this blog, more sophisticated blog appears (please see my blog Links list), the market in our "evangelist" are driven.

6. The impact of continuing foreign business models cannot be overlooked.

But the challenges are obvious:

1. Talent. Understand the Web analytics tool friends in the increase, but on the basis of tools, how to analyze, how to think of a challenge. I always think that the tool is not the most important, the human mind is the first important. The number of websites analysts in China's real sense is still very limited. But it can be implemented, and can be analyzed, but also to test the all-round talent is less.

2. When the website is rich: Extensive flow economy, bold and unconstrained investment, actually diluted the site for intensive cultivation needs.

3. When the website has no money: for example, the overall profitability of E-commerce site is not clear, and the analysis of the site has a "cost center" misunderstanding, both the need for Web site analysis to help increase the profitability of the site, but can not make the site analysis to play its due value.

So, the 2nd and 3rd can be merged into one: the consciousness is not in place to reduce the demand.

4. Professional nature. Most of the time, there is no place for professionalism in China. Web Analytics is a very professional field that makes it complicated to accept it. In addition, because the site analysis is a relatively subdivision of the field, it is not likely to help a website from design, to build stations, to

The dual role of these opportunities and challenges, in fact, makes it a less easy job to predict the future market trend of the site. On the one hand, I can certainly be sure that the market size and importance of web analytics will be further enhanced in the next 3-5 years, because the past three years is the best corroboration, the site analysis in China, after all, become the interconnection of a force can not be ignored; On the other hand, how the market size will increase, It is not so easy to estimate, because some services will come to the surface in the future, what these services will be, and how to develop them, it is indeed difficult to predict today.

However, I still comparable forecast, just to open up our thinking.

In the next 3 years, independent third party, tool-independent website analysis and website optimization organization will certainly appear. This institution is not a dependency of some tool manufacturers, but can provide customers with web analytics and optimization services based on the tools used by the customers. They may appear inside some of the best-known Internet analytics consultancy firms, or they may be able to establish independent companies entirely. If you can win big customers, the market size of this model will be very potential, and can do a vivid.

In the next 3 years, the penetration rate of web analytics tools in China's internet industry will increase. The number of websites that buy paid-for-business tools will be 5 to 10 times times larger than it is now.

In the next 3 years, the competition between the Web analytics tool manufacturers is certainly fiercer than the present. The hardest-working manufacturers in the education market will not necessarily get the biggest slice of the pie, and I hope that the Chinese market will be more competitive with tool providers that match China's internet characteristics.

In the next 3 years, every web analytics tool manufacturers have their own to provide customers with web Analytics consulting services specialized departments. Products and services walk on two legs for synergies, monopolies and higher incomes.

In the next 3 years, the website analysis training will become more and more popular, has the more solid basic skill specialized does the website analysis the specialized talented person will really emerge.

In the next 3 years, the site analysis not only emphasizes the analysis itself, testing and orientation will become the site analysis of another tipping point, I think it will account for the total size of the industry 30% to 50%.

So, overall, I do not say that web analytics will let us become millionaires in 3 years or make a pot overflowing, but I believe there are many opportunities to take this road, and "the older the more popular."

Web Analytics • Job Opportunities

The job opportunity of the website analysis is bigger than the talent's supply, this is I very clear feeling. I don't want to mislead you, but all my facts are based on two points.

First, there are a lot of friends let me help them find the site analysis of the talent, and the salary is not low. Some have been looking for 3 months and haven't found anyone yet. Colleagues, a well-known international web analytics tool companies, need to understand the site analysis of the consultant, at least 8 months to recruit to find this person. Therefore, I specifically opened a website analysis of the recruitment site: CWA Web analytics and digital marketing talent recruitment channel.

Second, my former team colleagues, after I left the company, also have a better job, and the income than the previous work has significantly improved. And there is no intermission between the old and new jobs.

At present, the site analysis of talent needs of employers mainly:

Digital Advertising/Marketing companies, such as Ogilvy, Acer, or some other media agency, also include agency for big clients, such as agenda (an Jetta).

E-commerce website. Needless to say, some traditional business to e-commerce migration site, the analysis of the Web site more attention. E-commerce site also has a lot of people need to analyze the site, such as my good friends before junchen their passers-by cattle nets.

Web Analytics Tools Inc. I said earlier, these companies will have an independent consulting division, will certainly need to site analysis talent for their customer service.

Internet Business consulting firm. At present, this type of company also has a relatively few recruitment site analysis talent, but the next 3 years will certainly have more job opportunities.

The internal Web sites of large companies, such as Lenovo's new-market analytics posts, are still vacant and are being treated fairly well.

There are many job opportunities, but the requirements are not very low. Here I talk about some of the basic qualities that I think is good for a website analyst:

Fundamentals of the Internet and understanding of basic technical knowledge. See also: "Reader letter" novice How to learn Web analytics? And how beginners should learn Web analytics Ii.

Understand at least one of the commercial web analytics tools, Google analytics free, can be used as a basic learning, but to the site analysis as a career, it is best to know omniture or webtrends.

For some work, English is not necessary, but I still quite stressed English, because foreign resources, more books, in order to learn, English is still very important.

Proficient in the basic principles, metrics and analytical methods of website analysis. See: Http://www.chinawebanalytics.cn/site-map/.

Have a little knowledge of internet advertising, sem, and SEO. At least not small white.

Learn about the common Internet business models and internet marketing methods. This does not directly affect web analytics, but it has a very significant indirect effect.

Well, that's about it. I think the purpose of this post is not for me to say, but to ask. I hope you can put the questions you want to ask in the message box. is a problem, I will reply to one.

Then, see you next week in Shanghai! I wish you a Happy new week.