Adobe Analytics Tutorial – The Ultimate Student Guide

Introduction

Back in Gregorian calendar month 2013, I wrote a tutorial post showing a way to notice basic analytics knowledge in Omniture, and explaining variations in word between Omniture and Google Analytics. Each platform has seen some changes since then, thus this refresh restores the guide to its original utility.

Before we have a tendency to mire in, detain mind that one amongst the most necessary variations between Google Analytics and Omniture is that Omniture setups are continually custom. As such, installations will vary in what they show by default and the way reports are sorted.

Navigation Basics

Firstly, check that you’re observing the proper report suite – report suites area unit Omniture’s equivalent of Google Analytics’ views:

Secondly, it’s doable that your consumer already has what you’re searching for originated as a dashboard. If they’re not within the favorites menu, Omniture dashboards may be fairly straightforward to miss, Associate in Nursing if nothing else may provide you with an insight into what your consumer is already monitoring:

Metrics

Before we have a tendency to get into reports, it’s important to understand the metrics menus in Omniture – particularly as Omniture usually doesn’t show you the foremost helpful metrics by default.

The report suite shown on top of, for instance, is simply showing 2 metrics for the referring domains report by default – revenue and visits. We will refer to the metric selector victimization, the “Add Metrics” button on the proper hand facet, and drag and drop metrics into the “canvas” within the pop-up window.

Notice at the highest of the list of metrics there’s a dropdown box to pick out between “standard” and “calculated” metrics. sadly you’re aiming to ought to use the calculated metrics box sooner or later – I’ve seen Omniture setups that didn’t have conversion rate as a regular metric, thus let’s run through that as Associate in Nursing example:

If we have a tendency to choose “Calculated” within the drop box, we will click the colorful image next thereto to manage our calculated metrics. To feature elements to the formula, they need to be selected within the menus, and so you’ll click “Add to Formula”.

Name: Order Conversion Rate

Type: % (%)

Decimal Places: a pair of

Formula: [Orders]/[Visits]

Once we’re done we will click “save”, followed by “close and refresh list”, and our new calculated metric is going to be accessible to pull and drop into reports, sort of a customary metric.

What are the Segments for Omniture?

Segments in Omniture work very like they are doing in Google Analytics, and Omniture has currently gained the flexibility to use multiple segments. To access the segments menu, click “Show Segments” at the highest of any report, then search and choose segments from the list within the left sidebar:

To add a custom phase, choose “Create new segment” from this menu. within the following menu, you’ll drag “dimensions” from the left into “containers” on the proper, and outline the scope of the phase as hit, visit or traveler (equivalent to hit, session and user in Google Analytics):

Acquisition

If you’re wont to Google Analytics, then you’re wont to a buying deal summary trying one thing like this:

Unfortunately, this is often fairly exhausting to copy during a default Omniture setup. The highest issue you’ll get is that the Referrer sorts report:

The main drawback here is the lack of separation between PPC and organic traffic. You’ll ought to use the “Search Engines – Paid” and “Search Engines – Natural” reports within the same menu to work that out.

One fascinating report that’s not as straightforward to copy in Google Analytics, however, is “Original Referring Domains” – as you would possibly expect, this shows the supply that guests had on their terribly initial visit to the positioning. in contrast to Google Analytics, Omniture doesn’t exclude search engines from the list of referring domains. This makes this report pretty helpful if you’re fascinated by what guests are discovering your website through, as opposed to what they use to search out it once they understand what they’re searching for.

Audience

In Google Analytics, Associate in Nursing audience summary appearance one thing like this:

Again, this isn’t replicated as a 1 page report during a default Omniture setup, however Omniture will have some pretty fascinating stuff underneath “Visitor Profile”:

This gives you all the choices you would like to envision for browser-specific bugs, geographic knowledge, traffic anomalies and additional. a number of the things you’re wont to seeing underneath “Audience” in Google Analytics is listed underneath “Visitor Retention” in Omniture, and therefore the highest akin to Google Analytics’ amazing “User Flow” visual image is that the “Paths” menu – additional on it shortly…

Behavior and Flow

For me, the foremost helpful applications of Google Analytics’ behavior reports are the flexibility to explore the performance of landing pages and therefore the behavior of holiday makers that land on them. Each area unit replicated during a default Omniture setup, and there area unit a number of alternative neat tools accessible to enrich them.

Landing Pages

A landing page report may be found underneath “Paths” -> “Pages” -> “Entries & Exits” -> “Entry Pages”:

Note additionally “Original Entry Pages”, a very handy report that’s fairly complicated to copy in Google Analytics.

Flows & ways

The ways menu is loaded with amazing tools. First of all you get the regular entry (landing) page and exit page reports you’re wont to see in Google Analytics, then again there’s additionally the page flow reports, which permit you to pick out a page and examine either however folks get there or wherever they’re going from there.

The ways reports area units well value exploring fully, however another particularly great tool is that of the scout Report. The “Sandwich Pattern”, for instance, may be wont to analyze the foremost common routes taken from a landing page to a checkout page.

The ways reports also are Omniture’s best answer to Google Analytics’ flow visualizations. They’re in no way as pretty, and they’re not as helpful for analyzing longer user journeys through a website, however they will still offer identical styles of insights.

Site Speed

Site Speed reportage may be found underneath “Site Metrics” -> “Performance.

Omniture collects knowledge from Apple, Amazon and Adobe, UN agencies use Omniture to gather usage statistics across their product. it’s potential to choose the Omniture data-collection system, and to dam the following.

Omniture.

Dun dun duuuuun! Nothing like beginning at the highest, eh? Omniture is that the analytics business unit of Adobe Systems [acquired in ‘09] UN agency brought you such gems as Adobe inventive Suite [including Photoshop, Lightroom, artist, etc.] and Adobe jock, the PDF resolution to the heads of Europe—and everybody else. Omniture options a spread of product, however once folks square measure talking regarding Omniture in Associate in Nursing analytics context, they’re possibly talking regarding the premier product called SiteCatalyst.

In a word, everything. Omniture may be a veritable applied math wonderland for analytics geeks and is speculated to do everything however wash the dishes. Once more per Avinash Kaushik, Analytics Demigod, Omniture SiteCatalyst can virtually do something you would like it to with an Associate in Nursing ever increasing set of options (Kaushik, 2007). However, does one like everything? Let’s explore that notion as I compare Omniture SiteCatalyst to the ever widespread and widely used Google Analytics.

Google Analytics vs. Omniture SiteCatalyst: the most Event

To shed additional light-weight on the assorted positive and negative aspects of each platform, Associate in Nursing to presumably facilitate the choice method for people who notice themselves sorting out an analytics platform, i’ll discuss the 2 through the lens of many key parameters which will have an effect on your company. Those parameters can include: value, implementation, custom variables, following and reportage.

Cost.

OK, this can be quite a biggie—especially for smaller corporations and people UN agencies may be beginning out. Google Analytics and Omniture SiteCatalyst square measure each implausibly subtle and powerful analytics tools that may give valuable insights into client behavior, however they’re separated by an enormous opening once it involves value. Omniture SiteCatalyst will value a corporation within the range of $5000 to $9000 per month, or the maximum amount as $100,000+ p.a. (Know on-line Advertising, n.d.)! That’s an enormous head of lettuce in spite of how you slice it. Google Analytics on the opposite hand is free. Yes, you scan that properly, I aforementioned it’s FREE. So, if you’re a start-up, or a really tiny company desirous to take charge of your web site improvement for the primary time, you’ll be able to in all probability stop reading currently. FREE versus $100,000 a year may be a terribly sturdy incentive to “make do” with Google Analytics. However, is it extremely a compromise? Let’s see.

Omniture Implementation

Omniture is an Associate in Nursing SaaS (Software as a Service) product that has to be put in and absolutely tailored for every company. Full implementation will take a number of months. A technical supervisor is required for the installation, and important IT support is needed for current maintenance. Google Analytics on the other hand, is put in by the user in some unspecified time in the future (taking up to twenty four hours to initialize) and doesn’t need in-house maintenance. Omniture will provide 24/7 phone support to main contacts among a corporation, whereas Google Analytics users square measure mostly on their own, with the exception of some on-line tutorials and a Google Analytics Forum that’s supposedly monitored by Google.

Following and reportage

This can be the biggie folks! Customizable interfaces and also the different bells and whistles don’t mean something if the core analytics square measure is lacking. this can be wherever the rubber hits the proverbial road; therefore let’s see however these 2 analytics giants pile up.

Omniture has the flexibility to trace multiple variables and so breakdown the reports with calculated metrics. It additionally has the flexibility to trace custom events, custom conversions and custom traffic, albeit with considerable personalization and potential additional value (Semetis, 2011). On the flip aspect, Google Analytics is somewhat less customizable letting solely five custom variables. but Google will yield Adword integration whereas Omniture doesn’t, which may give a retardant for a few AdWord users. (Know on-line Advertising, (n.d).

Google Analytics solely starts following and reporting funnel knowledge once the funnel has been gotten wind of, however Omniture will give retroactive user knowledge, which might be useful once examining a customer’s path from entry to sale

Google Analytics doesn’t yield CRM integration whereas Omniture will, which is a true deal breaker for a few larger info promoting adjusted corporations (Know on-line Advertising).each platforms yield real time traffic reportage.

What’s The Verdict?

As I discussed within the intro, Kaushik equates selecting an Associate in Nursing Analytics platform to purchasing a car—you simply got to drive it to understand. I agree. The factor in reality in mind, is that each of the platforms have the flexibility to capture and report the eight important net metrics that embody visits, visitors, time on page, time on website, bounce rate, exit rate, conversion rate, and engagement (Kaushik, 2010). On the far side of the important eight, after you begin making multiple goals, client ways and sales funnels, the platform you decide on is perhaps getting to be less important than the personnel you decide on to run/monitor it. Net Analytics tools square measure simply that—tools, and while not the correct talent sets and personnel behind them, their colorful dashboards square measure nothing over painter paintings.

The reality of the matter is, despite all the recent katzenjammer regarding “big data ” and prognostic analytics; solely regarding 20-30% of all promoting selections need advanced analytical techniques, if that. the opposite 70-80% is learned by nearly Associate in Nursing vender and dead on an stand out program (Jain, 2013). That’s one thing to consider once considering prices.