The Web Analytics Manager is the professional figure in charge of measuring and analyzing web data to create reports that help understand and optimize the online performance of websites, apps, and web platforms. Data analysis is only one part of the job of a data analyst where the effectiveness and goodness of a project are measured. Starting with Google Analytics for measuring web traffic, we can embark on a path to evaluate the results of a campaign in the traditional press as well. How does a website’s traffic change after the launch of a new advertising campaign? Knowing how to read the data and extrapolate a targeted marketing strategy becomes the job of a good business data analyst. To gain professional skills in the world of big data see the program offered by the web analytics course.
Most web analytics processes are developed in four essential phases: data collection, analysis of the information collected (choosing appropriate metrics), identification of KPIs, and creation of an online strategy. Each phase can influence the previous one or vice versa. Sometimes it is the data that influences the online strategy, sometimes it is the strategy that influences our data collection and analysis. In order to better understand the figure of the Web Analytics Manager and his job description, today for the work and digital professions column I interviewed Marco Cilia, Web Analytics Manager, author of the blog goanalytics.info, considered by many to be the main resource on the subject.
Who is and what does the Web Analytics Manager do?
The Web Analytics Manager is the person who coordinates a web analytics department within a company or agency. In recent years, web analytics, the science of analyzing the statistics of websites and all digital properties, has become increasingly important. This means that more and more people are becoming analysts, and consequently, there is a coordinating and supporting figure for web analysts who may be junior web analysts, senior web analysts, etc., so a liaison figure with other company functions and a coordinating figure.
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What is the path that led you to this role?
There is no single path to get into this role. You certainly need great curiosity, familiarity with numbers, and a strong aptitude for web marketing. I have quite a technical background, so I approached the subject from the point of view of tool setup, particularly Google Analytics, and then I discovered the whole world of web marketing. Others, on the other hand, take the opposite route, they are more into web marketing and approach web analytics from the other side. Basically what is needed to become a Web Analytics Manager is a balance between knowledge of the tools, knowledge of web marketing, and the ability to analyze numbers, graphs, and trends.
What skills are indispensable for a successful Web Analytics Manager?
The ability to see beyond the basic data is important. Let me give you an example: often the questions asked by customers are not solved by simply opening a report and reading the numbers, but you have to analyze these numbers and try to understand what the source of the problem is. It takes imagination and above all a lot of knowledge about the specific dynamics of user behavior in individual markets, on individual sites, and in individual situations. The same question asked by a travel customer or an automotive customer may have completely different answers, as is easy to imagine, but above all, they may have completely different methods of investigation because they may have very different dynamics despite having similar sites.
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How has the role of the Web Analytics Manager changed and in what direction is it moving today?
Today we often talk about Big Data, but from my point of view many talk about it, but few actually deal with it. The problem between us and the United States is a problem of scale, i.e. what is today for them comes to us in three years, but above all it comes to us in a tenth, so what is Big Data for us is normal data for them. Real Big Data are things that we would struggle to understand, also because Big Data is not only a problem of quantity of data, but also of normalization of frequency and updating of data. A more complicated thing from how it is often presented. It is certainly a topic that is becoming important to us as well because we realize more and more that it is no longer necessary to do only the analysis of a digital property (website or web application), but we need to unite all the customer data that is useful to give a more complete representation of the user. For example, by merging data from CRM with data from web analytics (website and application), one can calculate the lifetime value of the same user, but this data is in two completely different places, one must first understand how to unite them and then interpret them.
How much does a Web Analytics Manager earn?
Look, I’ve been interviewing people to work with me, but I’ve heard widely varying figures ranging from 30 to 70 thousand a year. Clearly, that’s a wide range, but it depends on the sector you’re in, the company you’re working with, and, as is the case with all jobs, also on your experience. I probably think there are people who earn even more than those figures, but from what is my experience from often interviewing people for my department, those are the figures a Web Analytics Manager can earn. If you are interested in an in-depth course, we recommend our Web Analytics Advanced Course.
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