How do you debug your Google Analytics tags?

In the wake of the Google tool to debug your tracking code announcement I thought it would be worth sharing some of the experience I gained trough years of implementations of various web analytics solutions, developing the Web Analytics Solution Profiler and conducting web site quality control.

The new Google tool is interesting and useful, but it might be a bit overtly simplistic and still requires a lot of manual intervention. Obviously, this topic is close to my field of expertise and I though I could share some tips.

Quality assurance of tags: an old issue

For the little story, I made the first version of WASP available in October of 2006 and before that I had spent a lot of time doing implementations and was faced with the quality assurance process issue. I guess I have spent a significant amount of time on this! For those who might have missed it, here are some of my previous posts on the topic of tags quality assurance:

• Web Analytics implementation Quality Assurance, a post dating back August 2007 where I referenced several blog articles discussing about common pitfalls of tagging
• Quality assurance using WASP: tag all pages, February 2008, where I was highlighting the benefits of "in context" QA - running within the browser with all the idiosyncrasies it involves rather than crawling from an external context that can't perfectly reproduce the browser
• Quality assurance of web analytics tags implementation, from January 2009, where I described various methodologies/tools for conducting quality assurance of tags.
• Testing web analytics implementation with WASP, from February 2010, where I reacted to a the statement "There is no better test than randomly clicking your site to verify page names." to which I replied "When has quality assurance become a random act of faith?" and proposed the list of "things" that needs to be checked.

How much can you test manually?

There are huge challenges in the QA process cycle. Manual testing is long and error prone (either with Firebug, HTTPWatch, Fiddler, IEWatch, Charles) and external scans (like Observepoint or SiteScanGA) are not always the best solutions for sites under development/behind firewall/secured.

Testing content areas driven off templates is fairly easy: identify a couple of pages using each of your templates and test only those, not the whole site. In WASP, you can start a crawl by specifying a local text file where you simply put the list of specific links you want to test.

Testing "processes" (checkout, registration, etc.) is particularly difficult but if I may preach for WASP again, one of the huge benefit is being "in context" - it can record the data as you go. You can use a session recorder and playback solution (I used DejaClick from AlertSite) but there are whole suites specifically built to facilitate the QA process in web development. Basically, you can record this part of the session and simply play it back whenever you need to test... and WASP will happily record the data so you can export it to Excel and check it out afterward.

A simple approach

Simply put, make tags QA an integral part of the overall web development QA process - whenever a template is modified or a process is touched it should be QA'ed again. There are usually "repro scripts" that are used to make sure the latest bug fix (related to tagging or not) doesn't break anything. Use those exact same scripts for tagging QA. It certainly requires IT & marketing collaboration, but I guess there is no easier alternative. Anyone who's been involved in web development knows no automation tool will magically pinpoint errors on your site... Make "quality" an integral part of your job!

How do you debug Adobe/Omniture SiteCatalyst implementations?

There is a fascinating discussion on "How do you debug Omniture SiteCatalyst implementations?" on the LinkedIn Omniture Enthusiasts group.

People proposed various tools and the conversation is evolving into the tagging QA process. Obviously a topic close to the work I have done on the Web Analytics Solution Profiler.

Quality assurance of tags: an old issue

For the little story, I made the first version of WASP available in October of 2006 and before that I had spent a lot of time doing implementations and was faced with the quality assurance process. I guess I have spent a significant amount of time on this issue! For those who might have missed it, here are some of my previous posts on the topic of tags quality assurance:

• Web Analytics implementation Quality Assurance, a post dating back August 2007 where I referenced several blog articles discussing about common pitfalls of tagging
  
• Quality assurance using WASP: tag all pages, February 2008, where I was highlighting the benefits of "in context" QA - running within the browser with all the idiosyncrasies it involves rather than crawling from an external context that can't perfectly reproduce the browser
  
• Quality assurance of web analytics tags implementation, from January 2009, where I described various methodologies/tools for conducting quality assurance of tags.
  
• Testing web analytics implementation with WASP, from February 2010, where I reacted to a the statement "There is no better test than randomly clicking your site to verify page names." to which I replied "When has quality assurance become a random act of faith?" and proposed the list of "things" that needs to be checked.

How much can you test manually?

There are huge challenges in the QA process cycle. Manual testing is long and error prone (either with Firebug, HTTPWatch, Fiddler, IEWatch, Charles) and external scans (like Observepoint or SiteScanGA) are not always the best solutions for sites under development/behind firewall/secured.

Testing content areas driven off templates is fairly easy: identify a couple of pages using each of your templates and test only those, not the whole site. In WASP, you can start a crawl by specifying a local text file where you simply put the list of specific links you want to test.

Testing "processes" (checkout, registration, etc.) is particularly difficult but if I may preach for WASP again, one of the huge benefit is being "in context" - it can record the data as you go. You can use a session recorder and playback solution (I used DejaClick from AlertSite) but there are whole suites specifically built to facilitate the QA process in web development. Basically, you can record this part of the session and simply play it back whenever you need to test... and WASP will happily record the data so you can export it to Excel and check it out afterward.

A simple approach

Simply put, make tags QA an integral part of the overall web development QA process - whenever a template is modified or a process is touched it should be QA'ed again. There are usually "repro scripts" that are used to make sure the latest bug fix (related to tagging or not) doesn't break anything. Use those exact same scripts for tagging QA. It certainly requires IT & marketing collaboration, but I guess there is no easier alternative. Anyone who's been involved in web development knows no automation tool will magically pinpoint errors on your site... Make "quality" an integral part of your job!

Napkyn - how web analytics should be

Would be analysts, consultants, practitioners and vendors alike often reach out and ask for career advice, coaching, tips & tricks or my opinion of the market. I was lucky to get help, support and advices from Avinash, Bryan Eisenberg, Jim Sterne, Brian Clifton, Joseph Carrabis and John Hossack from VKI Studios early on when I started WASP so I'm happy to "pay it forward". I'm inclined to give a hand as long as it is reasonable - beyond that I'm happy to propose my consulting services, play an advisory role or even defer to other agencies and consultants.

Sometimes I receive job offers, partnership opportunities or very interesting propositions. The answer is usually "thank you - but it took me over 20 years to get my freedom and I really enjoy it!". Plus, my position in the market is due in large part to this philosophy and independence - allowing me to work with many agencies and vendors.

Napkyn: outsourced professional digital analysis services

When Jim Cain, founder, and Nish Patel, first investor in Napkyn, approached me about their new venture, they basically described what could very well be the best approach to web analytics for most organizations: outsourced professional digital analysis services.

There are many ways to get started in web analytics but demand for skilled resources is far greater than availability. Napkyn brings the best aspects of both the consultant and employee approaches.

In short, the benefits of Napkyn are:

• Answer the need for experienced, skilled resources
• Reduce the time to recommendations & improve recommendations frequency
• You take care of your core business while Napkyn's take care of it's own: analytics
• The approach is cost effective - top skilled team at a very affordable price

You can review Napkyn's Web Analysts program advantages. There are other huge advantages I see in their approach: a) practitioners/employees are often pulled in all directions and stuck in internal politics and b) agencies developing your websites can't be judge and jury by also doing your analytics - by outsourcing to Napkyn you get a rigorous, independent and unbiased alternative.

My - independent - role with Napkyn

I found the approach so compelling that I accepted to be on Napkyn's Advisory Board. I'm happy to share my experience and work closely with the team to enhance their offering. In some cases, I had to pass on interesting consulting opportunities - I can now stay involved at a more strategic and supervisory role while Napkyn handles the bulk of the job. I have to say this is a non-exclusive agreement - I made sure to keep my independence and freedom - guaranteeing the best approach for each unique situation. Basically, Napkyn is another agency I'm happy to help out, work with and foster the continued improvement of the Online Analytics Maturity Model.

WAA member? Win a pass to The Art Of Marketing! Montreal, Sept 30th

I have a pass to giveaway for the greatest Montreal marketing event ever: The Art of Marketing, September 30th. There are only two conditions:

1. You can make it to Montreal on September 30th - it would be a shame to waste this opportunity!
2. You must be a Web Analytics Association member.

Contact me on Twitter or email me to enter the draw (I will randomly make the draw on September 1st).

Read more about this great event in my previous blog post.

Web Analytics Association Montreal (WAAM) meetup

You can also register for our next get together at Boris Bistro, September 29th, from 5:30pm until 8:30pm.

Don't miss this event: The Art of Marketing - Montreal, Sept. 30th

In web analytics and online marketing optimization, Avinash Kaushik, Mitch Joel and Seth Godin don't even need introduction. I'm trilled to see The Art of Marketing coming up to Montreal, September 30th: six authors sharing their cutting edge thinking and experience in a jam packed event!

Six speakers - an amazing day!

First, the speakers I've seen and authors I read:

1. Seth Godin: ever heard of Tribes, Lynchpin or Purple Cow? Three marketing best sellers!
2. Avinash Kaushik: web analytics anyone? His books, "Web analytics an hour a day" and "Web analytics 2.0" are on every web analyst bookshelf.
3. Mitch Joel: Six Pixels of Separation - leading authority in social media

and the authors I need to discover:

4. Jeffrey Gitomer: The Little Red Book Of Selling is all about selling, loyalty, customer service and more
   
5. Max Lenderman: Brand New World, honestly havent read his book yet, but "dive into the multi-billion-dollar racket of brand fakery" is sure to be interesting!
6. Andy Nulman: author of POW! Right Between the Eyes!
   

Win a free pass!

Email info@theartofproductions.com with your top five list of marketing books and be entered to win two tickets to The Art of Marketing!

I submitted mine. I’m focused on web analytics and business optimization so my pick list reflects those preferences and how they affected my view of marketing.

1. Web Metrics, by Jim Sterne – considered to be the Godfather of web analytics, Jim was talking about online marketing and optimization way back then. A classic still worth the read!
2. Web Analytics an Hour a day, by Avinash Kaushik – by democratizing access to web analytics, the coming of Google Analytics was a major shift for online marketing measurement. Through his unique communication style, Avinash basically made it even more accessible!
3. Competing on analytics, by Tom Davenport – for demonstrating how data-driven management can lead to a competitive advantage.
4. Marketing Management, by Philip Kotler – the classic intro to marketing and one I really enjoyed during my eBusiness MBA.
5. The Attention Economy, by Tom Davenport – understanding the new currency of business – attention – was an eye opener for me and influenced my marketing strategy recommendations and even the way I conduct business.

Register early!

I will be there and the event is sure to sell out so you should register early! And for you, my esteemed readers, I have a 50$ promo code! When registering, enter SK23 to get the discount.

And there's more!

On September 29th I'll be speaking at InfoPresse day about social media metrics and during the evening we'll certainly do another Web Analytics Association Montreal (WAAM) meetup (stay tuned for details).

It's not me, it's him! Reaction to WSJ "The Web's New Gold Mine: Your Secrets"

The Wall Street Journal - according to their own detailed stats, is read by 3.5M people - "the number speaks for themselves" as they say... I wonder how they gathered all this great knowledge about their readers - but I digress... One would expect such a "leading business publication" to be rigorous, unbiased and seek to get the stories and point of views from all angles.

This is certainly not the case in a recent article by Julia Angwin entitled "The Web's New Gold Mine: Your Secrets". The article is getting a lot of attention on social media, generating tons of comments and being perceived as a good educational piece and eye opener... But it is raising strong critics from the web analytics industry thought leaders including John Lovett, Anil Batra, as well as Omar Tawakol on Adage, the CEO of BlueKai cited in the WSJ article. Jim Sterne, the "godfather of web analytics", incidentally wrote on this very topic in You Say, "Creepy." I Say, "That's What I Want", just a few days before the WSJ article was published.


Update 2010-08-05: other blog reactions from Andy Beal and Alex Yoder, CEO of WebTrends

Confusion and sensationalism

Should I say there is a lot of confusion? Do you hear me shouting "THIS IS A MESS!"

• Ad networks, behavioral targeting, business analytics, web analytics are all mixed up into one big melting pot of "spying and bad boy". Yes, the DNA of business is data - be it your local grocery store owner welcoming a "20-something female" or Expedia "looking at visitors coming from New York seeking for a trip to Los Angeles" or using cameras to optimize the flow of highway traffic during rush hour, it's all about marketing & optimization: understanding the client and making the right offer. There is nothing bad or evil about the desire to understand people, their behavior, and please them ethically, honestly and with respect.
• Yes, there are spoiled apples in the lot, but serious organizations take great care about the way they collect, manage and use data - one of their most, if not THE most valuable asset. The WSJ article is a sensational piece playing on strongly biased common cultural fear, uncertainty and doubt about "evil spying"...
• Some reactions have been "look at the WSJ, they use ad networks, web analytics, behavioral targeting and know a hell of a lot about me!" or "others are doing it". However, this is not the right reaction - imagine the thief telling the judge "yeah, but they stole much more than I did!"...

What to do?

As web analytics professionals, as a young and mostly unregulated and disorganized industry, I believe we need to do three things I would call the SIT approach (yes, I love acronyms!):

• Self-regulate ourselves before legislation does: several countries are in the process or have already defined laws setting the boundaries of privacy and data disclosure. Whenever regulation looks into something like this, the remedy is often worse than the illness, so we would be much better taking matter in our hands and set very strict guidelines and best practices.
• Identify spoiled apples among us: an independent auditing process and frequently reviewed stamp of approval should be apposed to sites and solution vendors abiding by the above mentioned rules. Just like their are "certified organic" food or "secure seal" on ecommerce sites, there should be a "privacy conscious" stamp of approval for those who merit it.
• offer full Transparency: sites generally have privacy policies but they are often out of data or incomplete. Furthermore, the common use of 3rd party scripts to enrich and augment the user experience often leads to additional data being collected without even the site manager being aware of it. When I created WASP it quickly gained popularity among non-technical/non-analytics people because it conveniently showed exactly which data was being collected - and if any of it was considered to be harmful by the user. During the development process, I asked several vendors for detailed descriptions of their analytics tags - most of them didn't have the info readily available or plainly refused to disclose what each value-pair of data means and is being used for. We should be able to go on any site privacy page and get a detailed view of all the data being collected, their purpose, time of retention and how to clear them.

In the past we've said we need to "educate" and do "marketing" - we are beyond the obvious. We need to act.

Who can do it?

There is only one organization positioned to offer the independence, leadership and global recognition to address those three points: the Web Analytics Association. Yes, I am biased: I'm closely involved with the WAA and I'm on the Board of Directors, but my wish is there will be more vendors coordination and openness, more vendors, agencies and large organizations alike becoming corporate members, unite and speak our voice. We need to counterbalance the fear and misinformation being spread by articles such as the WSJ or privacy lobbying groups mixing up everything into a big poisonous soup.

How to do it?

The WAA is a volunteer based organization - both a blessing and a curse. On one hand it gives lots of opportunities for those who want to get involved, on the other it makes it difficult to invest in long-term initiatives. SIT can only work if a) there is fund, b) there are dedicated people, c) vendors and large sites enters the program... so a) create a special fund, b) contract/hire the right people, c) start with WAA corporate members.

When do we start?