Yahoo! Web Analytics: Tracking, Reporting, and Analyzing for Data-Driven Insights

426 Pages·2009·16.92 MB·English

by  Dennis R. Mortensen

Advance Praise for Yahoo! Web Analytics
In Yahoo! Web Analytics Dennis Mortensen manages to do the impossible by adding real value to our
knowledge of web analytics in an already crowded market. His clear language and excellent examples
make this book required reading for any web analytics practitioner interested in extending his use of
freely-available tools. Dennis is one of the best and brightest in the web analytics industry, and Yahoo!
Web Analytics reinforces that with every page.
—Eric T. Peterson, author of Web Analytics Demystified
Dennis doesn’t just know what he’s talking about, he’s built it, grown it, consulted on it, and sold it to
Yahoo! Now—finally—he’s written the book. Don’t let Dennis’s smile and positive attitude fool you—
he has the proverbial steel-trap mind and doesn’t miss a thing. You get the advantage of his insight, his
wisdom, and his unerring ability to tell it like it is. He can explain the “why” of web analytics very
well but is stellar at showing you the “how.” Specific variable settings, actual conversion tracking, and
getting the most out of your search marketing dollar—it’s all here. If you want to actually derive value
from these tools rather than just look at the pretty reports, Dennis lays it all out. This is a book you can
count on.
—JIM STERNE, Founder, eMetrics Marketing Optimization Summit
Web analytics is complex, but Dennis prefers things to be simple. As the individual who drove the ini-
tial development of Yahoo!’s Web Analytics tool, he managed to conquer mind-numbingly complex
issues by presenting them in a simple and useful way. It’s no wonder that he did it again with his Yahoo!
Web Analytics book. Dennis takes you behind the scenes of this robust web analytics application and
explains how to implement it in just about every situation so that you get what you need out of this tool.
Whether you use the Yahoo! Web Analytics or not, this book belongs on any serious web analytics pro-
fessional’s desk.
— BRYAN EISENBERG, New York Times bestselling author of Call to Action and Always Be
Testing, cofounder of FutureNow, Inc.
As insightful as it is inspiring, this is the definitive book for making the most out of Yahoo! Web Analytics.
It is a guiding light for navigating the solution’s capabilities and detailed enough to be a step-by-step
guide. And who better than Dennis to write it! It is clear that Dennis has poured his experience from
uncountable numbers of client conversations into this work. It is worth the equivalent of 100 hours of
consulting from the well-known figurehead behind Yahoo! Web Analytics.
— AKIN ARIKAN, Multichannel Marketing author and Internet marketing product strategist at
Unica Corporation
In Yahoo! Web Analytics, Mortensen does more than just give insight, tips, and tricks about the tool—he
provides the details about the impact Yahoo! Web Analytics can have on your business with a laser-like
focus on moving from data to true business insight and action. It’s a must-read for those interested in not
only web analytics, but for those interested in improving their business online!
— JASON BURBY, Chief Analytics & Optimization Officer, ZAAZ, and coauthor of Actionable
Web Analytics
Measurement, testing, and constant improvement are at the heart of all successful online marketing
campaigns. This book is a detailed and practical guide to using Yahoo! Web Analytics to turbo-charge
your business performance. Dennis is eminently qualified to be your guide—he was instrumental in
building the software. Get the book before your competitors do!
—TIM ASH, CEO of SiteTuners.com and bestselling author of Landing Page Optimization
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Yahoo!®
Web Analytics
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Yahoo!®
Web Analytics

Tracking, Reporting, and Analyzing
for Data-Driven Insights
Dennis R. Mortensen
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Senior Acquisitions Editor: Willem Knibbe
Development Editor: Susan Herman
Technical Editor: Mihaela Popa
Production Editor: Dassi Zeidel
Copy Editor: Liz Welch
Production Manager: Tim Tate
Vice President and Executive Group Publisher: Richard Swadley
Vice President and Publisher: Neil Edde
Book Designer: Franz Baumhackl
Compositor: Chris Gillespie, Happenstance Type-O-Rama
Proofreader: Kathy Pope, Word One New York
Indexer: Ted Laux
Project Coordinator, Cover: Lynsey Stanford
Cover Designer: Ryan Sneed
Cover Image: iStockPhoto
Copyright © 2009 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana
Published simultaneously in Canada
ISBN: 978-0-470-42424-7
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online at http://www.wiley.com/go/permissions.
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limitation warranties of fitness for a particular purpose. No warranty may be created or extended by sales or promotional
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shall be liable for damages arising herefrom. The fact that an organization or Web site is referred to in this work as a citation
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Wiley also publishes its books in a variety of electronic formats. Some content that appears in print may not be available in
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Mortensen, Dennis R., 1972-
Yahoo! Web analytics : tracking, reporting, and analyzing for data-driven insights / Dennis R. Mortensen.
p. cm.
ISBN-13: 978-0-470-42424-7 (pbk.)
ISBN-10: 0-470-42424-9 (pbk.)
1. Yahoo! Web analytics. 2. Web usage mining—Computer programs. 3. Internet users—Statistics—Data processing.
4. Web sites—Statisics—Data processing. 5. Consumer preferences—Data processing. I. Title.
TK5105.885.Y34M67 2009
006.7—dc22
2009009722
TRADEMARKS: Wiley, the Wiley logo, and the Sybex logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of John Wiley & Sons,
Inc. and/or its affiliates, in the United States and other countries, and may not be used without written permission. Yahoo!
is a registered trademark of Yahoo, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Wiley Publishing,
Inc., is not associated with any product or vendor mentioned in this book.
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Dear Reader,
Thank you for choosing Yahoo! Web Analytics. This book is part of a family of premium-
quality Sybex books, all of which are written by outstanding authors who combine practical
experience with a gift for teaching.
Sybex was founded in 1976. More than thirty years later, we’re still committed to produc-
ing consistently exceptional books. With each of our titles we’re working hard to set a new stan-
dard for the industry. From the paper we print on, to the authors we work with, our goal is to
bring you the best books available.
I hope you see all that reflected in these pages. I’d be very interested to hear your com-
ments and get your feedback on how we’re doing. Feel free to let me know what you think about
this or any other Sybex book by sending me an email at [email protected], or if you think you’ve
found a technical error in this book, please visit http://sybex.custhelp.com. Customer feedback
is critical to our efforts at Sybex.
Best regards,
Neil Edde
Vice President and Publisher
Sybex, an imprint of Wiley
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Acknowledgments
For me, writing a book goes like this. I wake up early Saturday morning and wobble
out to the kitchen. I fix bowls of cereal for the girls, who’ve been up for hours for
some reason, hit the shower, and get ready for work—writing another chapter.
We’ll put on our jeans and T-shirts, stumble out the door as soon as we can,
and on most days, stop by Murray’s Bagels and get some supplies—which include
the obligatory Red Bull for me.
Then it’s off to the Yahoo! 18th Street office, where we spend the entire
Saturday working before heading home late in the evening. Lather, rinse, and
repeat for 5 months.
And finally I can email the final chapter to the amazing people at Wiley!
And for this, I would like to thank Elisabeth, Victoria, and Vibeke for their
lovely support.
To everybody else, and you know exactly who you are, thank you so much
for your wonderful support in everything I do and in making this book a reality.
I would hate to mention anybody by name in danger of actually forgetting some.
That wouldn’t be fair!
Cheers :-)
Dennis
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