I’d like to dedicate this section to the books out there that I feel are most important towards web analytics education. The books below have helped me become even moderately successful and I hope they do the same for you!
Web Site Measurement Hacks
By: Eric T. Peterson
Ah, my first book on the subject of web analytics. Purchasing this book was actually a decision I made only after I found myself against a few hard spots when trying to figure out, “Hey, I need to find a way to track _____”, naturally from the title of this book I thought it would help out.
Eric T. Peterson is probably the closest thing the web analytics industry has to a living legend. A founder of the first formal online group dedicated towards web analytics, Eric has been helping organizations and people like myself become passionate about analytics for years. Unfortunately I still haven’t actually had the pleasure to meet Eric, but I hope to soon at this year’s (2007) e-Metrics summit in Washington D.C..
The book itself is a great resource for anyone who is new to the world of web measurement. It introduces the methods available to organizations to collect data, outlines the interpretation of this data and even goes as far to reccomend methods for it to be presented. I haven’t exactly given the book’s full content credit here (Eric, if you’re reading this I hope you’ll forgive me), but I hope it’s enough of a teaser to get you to read it.
Call to Action: Secret Formulas to Improve Online Results
By: Bryan and Jeffery Eisenberg
This book is the perfect companion to any analytics book out there on the market. The real power of analytics lies in its ability to provide direction towards optimizing the web experience of your users so they: buy more, generate more leads, consume more content or get answers they need. Bryan and Jeffery Eisenberg literally changed my way of thinking when it came to optimization strategies by showing that investing in $500,000 site redesigns can often be less effective than 2 hours of looking hard at your site.
Web Analytics An Hour A Day
By: Avinash Kaushik
The author of the well-known and highly respected blog Occam’s Razor, a former “Analytics Evangelist” for Google, and the man currently responsible for pioneering “web analytics 2.0″. Avinash Kaushik’s book not only takes a deep dive into the area of web analytics, it also explores a 360 degree view of your website that’s absolutely necessary to achieve success. From competitive analysis to qualitative surveys, Web Analytics An Hour A Day will help you understand what data is most important to your business. You’ll also find some great tid bits of information on selecting the right analytics vendor for your business.
More books to come on this page, please be patient!