Web Analytics
Web analytics is the study of online behaviour in order to improve website performance. Generally divided into three categories: competitor web analytics, on-site web analytics and buzz metics.
Competitor Web Analytics
Internet property owners need to know how well their site stacks up against the competition. ComScore and Nielsen Netratings obtain comparative data using representative panels of internet users. While Hitwise uses a combination of panel and anonymised information provided by ISPs. Quantcast uses JavaScript tagging.
On Site Web Analytics
On-site web analytics measure a visitor's click stream or journey through a website. Typically investigating unique visitors, session times, referrals, site conversions, bounce rates, top visited pages and top departure pages On-site web analytics measures the performance of your website in a commercial context. Developing from log file analysis most solutions such as Google Analytics, Omniture SiteCatalyst and Coremetrics now utilise JavaScript page tagging combined with cookies.
Buzz Metrics
Buzz metrics attempts to measure the internet buzz of a brand by tracking mentions of key words or phrases across social media and the blogosphere. Companies such as Onalytica can help businesses measure the mentions of a company or brand name perhaps in conjunction with other words or phrases. Some companies use buzz metrics to head off potential Public Relations problems.
Reading List
Web Analytics: An Hour a Day by Avinash Kaushik
Google Analytics 2.0 by Jerri L. Ledford, Mary E. Tyler