I was on Amazon.com today buying a book on the topic of P3P and see that Jason Burby and Shane Atchison from Zaaz have a new book due out April 2007 — Actionable Web Analytics: Using Data to Make Smart Business Decisions. From the publisher’s description it looks pretty interesting:
Web metrics experts Jason Burby and Shane Atchison go beyond web metrics tools to provide a framework for using web analytics data to help make strategic decisions and set companywide goals.
In Part I, the authors discuss the changing marketing landscape and explore the tricky balance between web data and design.
In Part II, they explain how to create a culture of analysis and delve into common stumbling blocks, such as data accuracy concerns, data overload, undefined metrics and goals, and prioritization issues.
Part III outlines a proven process for using web metrics to make decisions. Topics include defining goals, behaviors, and key performance indicators; assigning values to behaviors and creating monetization models; getting, using, and sharing pertinent data; how to best analyze site performance to identify opportunities; evaluating the effectiveness of home pages and branding content; how to segment traffic to identify behavioral differences; methods for increasing CPM and ad revenue; measuring offline conversions; and techniques for analyzing behavioral, attitudinal and competitive data. The Part concludes with techniques for establishing priorities and moving from analysis to site optimization, including creating test strategies and rolling out tests.
Part IV discusses how to compare your firm’s performance with others in your field with relative indexes.
Part V discusses how to become a data-driven organization and explores everything from effective staffing to selecting and managing partnerships with ad agencies, branding firms, and interactive agencies. Throughout the book are compelling real-world case studies and interviews showing how top companies have dealt with these issues, as well as useful samples, templates, and interesting interactive elements.
Have to wonder though, given their profile, why they didn’t pull a Eric Peterson or 37Signals and sell it direct rather than going through computer book publisher Sybex.