Getting educated in web analytics is getting easier

We having a saying here in the UK “You hang around waiting for a bus for ages, and then three come along at once”.  Although there is a perfectly viable reason why that happens , I’m not sure that the same theory applies to the publishing of books on web analytics. Having said that, we have started to see a number of new books being published on the subject this year and no doubt there are more in the pipeline.

Two of the most recent books are “Actionable Web Analytics” by fellow ClickZ columnists Jason Burby and Shane Aitchinson, and “Web Analytics: An hour a day” by Avinash Kaushik, the current Analytics Evangelist for Google. I have to confess that whilst these books are permanently in by laptop bag I have yet to complete them and so I can’t give you a review.  I do hope to be able to do so in the future though and also chat with the authors. At the same time, I became aware last week of the first Italian book on web analytics from fellow WAA Board Director, Laura Paxia, called “Web Analytics Strategies”.

What is great about this is that we are seeing new material coming onto the market that can help train and educate people in the world and ways of web analytics. As anyone involved in our space knows, the growth of web analytics has meant that the demand for people outstrips supply. As consultants such as myself and others are constantly telling organisations to support their technology implementations with appropriately skilled resource, then demand is set to grow. So, then the question comes “Where do I get my web analyst from?”, to which my response usually is “steal one from somebody else or train your own”. My preference is to train as we need to grow the pool of talent in the industry rather than shuffle the deckchairs on the deck and add to the wage inflation. For an organisation, it may be a risky business but in my experience good analysts are not total mercenaries and are as motivated by the type of work that they get to do and the kind of recognition they receive, as they are by the amount they earn.

So, new books are a good thing as they add to the body of learning that new talent can draw on and there will be room for more as the industry continues to growth, develop and tackle new issues such as Web 2.0 and social media measurement which are still in their infancy. Another good sign is the development of more educational courses, particularly from the Web Analytics Association (WAA). The WAA-UBC Award of Achievement in Web Analytics has been going since 2005 and has already seen 300 people take one or more of the courses on offer. More recently the WAA has launched a series of “Web Analytics Base Camps” being run in five cities across the US with others being planned for cities around the world. These one day workshops cover the fundamentals of web analytics as well as looking at issues such as campaign management and site optimisation.

For more in depth understanding a newcomer can also immerse themselves in the subject at an Emetrics Summit or some of the other conferences and workshops that are happening around the world. Check out the event section on the WAA website to see what’s happening when. The great things about events like these are the opportunities to meet and network with fellow practitioners. You can learn a lot (or feel that you’re not the only one with problems) just by chatting with other people in the industry at these events.

If it’s networking you’re after then obviously you should check out whether there is a Web Analytics Wednesday happening near you. These events give you an opportunity to meet informally peers and colleagues and discuss issues in the industry or maybe just catch up and have a chat over a drink. If there isn’t an event near you, why not try and set one up?

So if you’re new to web analytics or looking to get into the industry, there’s plenty of ways you can get on the learning curve with through formal education programmes or informal networking sessions. If you’re responsible a website or the online channel of a business and employ web analyst or are looking to do so, then as well as the investment in the technology and the analyst you also need to think about the investment in training and skills development to maximise your returns.

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