Uncover a gold mine of insights about your website visitors

I just finished reading a new book written by Avinash Kaushik Web Analytics. Here is my review of this excellent book (you can see it at Amazon.com as well).
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Regardless of the fact that this book gives us an excellent and detailed description of Web Analytics, it is not about the ‘clicks’ and software features – it’s about the people and engaging them in making the Web better.

Avinash believes that 10% of the budgets should be spent on software while 90% of it on the people and their training. He also suggests a 20-80 rule: 20% of time should be allocated to presenting data vs. 80% dedicated to unstructured data analysis and thinking. Web Analytics – is a tool but it is people who should make the decision.

Albert Einstein once said “Everything should be made as simple as possible -- but no simpler!” This is exactly what Avinash has managed to do – demystifying the analytics without making it overly simplistic.

Analytics is an incredibly valuable tool available to every webmaster, marketer, analyst or just an amateur webpage maker, does not matter how big or small their site is. The reaction of many readers could be compared to an astonishment someone experiences when discovering that his house is built of gold. Website operators are sitting on the “gold mine” of available data frequently without realizing it. Not just pageviews - there is so much actionable information that could be uncovered using a few simple steps – it will change the Web landscape for years to come.

As a fellow book author, I understand and appreciate how much work Avinash had to put in to make the material accessible and engaging to us, the readers.

Read his blog (www.kaushik.net/avinash/) – an excellent source of information by itself and a continuation of the book. The fact that it has almost equal the amount of content generated by the author and the readers speaks for itself – Avinash stimulates your thinking, engages your curiosity. Be ready for many “Wow – I did not know I can do that!” and “I want to try it myself!” moments that will for sure interrupt the reading of every chapter.

After reading this book, you will agree that Avinash has indeed deserved his title of Analytics Evangelist – at least, he has substantiated my “conversion” and reaffirmed my “faith” – I can’t imagine doing any meaningful analysis of a website now without using the Analytics.