Analytics & Reporting
Many people typically use reporting and analysis as synonyms or interchangeable words. These terms draw up similar gather web data but they actually have clear distinctions when it comes to purpose, tasks, outputs, value, and delivery.
Majority of the companies today have their own analytic solutions to come up with great value for their businesses. Thus, the main goal for analysis and reporting is to reduce costs while increasing the sales. They are both vital in driving and influencing the actions for higher value of the organization.
Reporting and Analysis Tools
Analyzing web data is focused on utilization of Web analytics tools like Google Analytics, Coremetrics, and Omniture. These tools are developed to manage the analysis and reporting of website data. However, they are not the only tools necessary on the workbenches.
There are numerous tools used for reporting and analysis for onsite data to further understand the customer behavior and performance of the online business. As the development needs of an organization increases, the needs for analysis or reporting tools also increases.
BI Tools or OLAP tools
These tools are found in the reporting field and they include systems like Cognos, Business Objects, and MicroStrategy. Databases like SQL and Oracle Serve may also come with BI functionality. BI tools feature the ability to manage multiple hierarchies from various dimensions.
Visualization Tools
Visualization tool may be a very valuable weapon for the analytical arsenal. Other web analytics tools like Site Intelligence and Visual Sciences have visualization capabilities that are totally powerful. They usually range from add-ons on Excel to more complex applications which are associated with data mining tools.
Data Mining Tools and Statistical Analysis
These tools are helpful in terms of analyzing the customer and web data. Statistical analysis is more on exploration while the data mining is directed to discovery. Through statistical analysis, people are typically testing a hypothesis or assumption like group of customers that can rate their service or product higher than others. Data mining is intended when an individual is searching for relationships or patterns in the data that is unknown.
These tools also cover various methodologies, techniques, and approaches for web analysts. They are categorized as classification techniques, statistical analysis, clustering and segmentation methodologies, text analysis, and forecasting.
SEO Analytics and Reporting
In the field of Search Engine Optimization, analysis and reporting play a vital role, which all marketers should understand. To become successful at Search Engine Optimization does not really need abundant resources or rocket science. It only requires effective SEO reporting and analysis in each step of the process. For an effective SEO reporting, it is better to determine the six truths and these are:
- SEO as a continuous process
- Consistent monitoring
- Setting specific targets is significant
- Competitive benchmarking is required
- Reflection
- Communication
There are now SEO project management tools that can handle SEO campaign reporting aspects. Each of them has their own way of bringing their clients on top of search engines. They have specific features that make them unique and SEO effective which is recognized by different online marketers.