We know that Web Analytics help measure the success of a website.   It is this beauty in the ability to measure and track online activity that our clients are interested in, not necessarily all the grunt work it takes to paint the picture.  As search marketers, I think we all have struggled with presenting this information to the client in a meaningful way.  You know, a way that makes sense and gives them that “Ah-Ha!” moment that proves that we are in fact the expert?   Well, I ran across some valuable tips offered to us by the Web Analytics Guru himself, Avinash Kaushik.

Avinash states six things to consider when presenting this information and how to excite the client about the information:

1. Do not overload the client with the data- It can be overwhelming and quite confusing if someone sends over a spreadsheet full of numbers and data.
2. Be aware of the file size when emailing the information- Large files can fill up an email inbox in an instant.  Being conscious of the file size is important, ensuring that the data is easily accessible without any technical difficulties.
3. Present the results to the client and make them relevant to their goals
4. Make the client look like the hero- If they can understand the results then they will be excited about the outcomes.  This will then get them pumped and excited about sharing the great news with their colleagues.
5. Use what the competitors are doing to your advantage- Looking at this information will help compare the client’s data with the competition.  This encourages the client to consider leveraging recommendations that are based on what the competition is doing.  Again, this ties into helping the client become the hero.
6. Make it FUN- Kaushik recommended holding contests, holding internal conferences and also holding office hours.  Doing this will get everyone engaged in the findings from web analytics.

Remember that the client isn’t really interested in the listening to the gobbley goop of what is considered “traditional web analytics”.  This approach makes their eyes glaze over and they start drifting off into la-la land.  Instead, they will really start listening if you present them with results.  This will keep the client coming back for more and realizing the importance of web analytics.

The overall goal of getting the analytics right is to not only show clients but also prove to our clients that we are keeping our promise to increase qualified traffic, increase brand awareness, increase sales/leads and increase their ROI.  This is what is important and this is what the client needs to be excited about.

So let’s challenge ourselves to follow these tips and work to make analytics work for our clients.
If you have any other tips that you’ve put into practice and have found to be successful, please feel free to comment back to this post.