{
    "version" : "https://jsonfeed.org/version/1",
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    "type" : "single",
    "title" : "You Have the Data, Make the Most of It |Digital.gov",
    "description": "You Have the Data, Make the Most of It",
    "home_page_url" : "/preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/","feed_url" : "/preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2014/06/27/you-have-the-data-make-the-most-of-it/index.json","item" : [
    {"title" :"You Have the Data, Make the Most of It","summary" : "With Web analytics tools you have the data to see what citizens really want on your website and how well you are delivering. You have an opportunity to make informed decisions on improvements to your site to reflect the voice of the customer and get constituents what they need. Here are","date" : "2014-06-27T10:00:44-04:00","date_modified" : "2025-01-27T19:42:55-05:00","authors" : {"sarah-kaczmarek" : "Sarah Kaczmarek"},"topics" : {
        
            "analytics" : "Analytics"
            },"branch" : "bc-archive-content-3",
      "filename" :"2014-06-27-you-have-the-data-make-the-most-of-it.md",
      
      "filepath" :"news/2014/06/2014-06-27-you-have-the-data-make-the-most-of-it.md",
      "filepathURL" :"https://github.com/GSA/digitalgov.gov/blob/bc-archive-content-3/content/news/2014/06/2014-06-27-you-have-the-data-make-the-most-of-it.md",
      "editpathURL" :"https://github.com/GSA/digitalgov.gov/edit/bc-archive-content-3/content/news/2014/06/2014-06-27-you-have-the-data-make-the-most-of-it.md","slug" : "you-have-the-data-make-the-most-of-it","url" : "/preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2014/06/27/you-have-the-data-make-the-most-of-it/","content" :"\u003cp\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"image\"\u003e\n  \u003cimg\n    src=\"https://s3.amazonaws.com/digitalgov/_legacy-img/2014/06/250-x-176-Web-Analytics-FY2014-Q3-report-April-to-June-template-icon1.jpg\"\n    alt=\"250-x-176-Web-Analytics-FY2014-Q3-report-April-to-June-template-icon1\"/\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\nWith Web analytics tools you have the data to see what citizens really want on your website and how well you are delivering. You have an opportunity to make informed decisions on improvements to your site to reflect the voice of the customer and get constituents what they need.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHere are three key steps to help you get started making the most of your data. You can also download and use my \u003ca href=\"https://s3.amazonaws.com/digitalgov/_legacy-img/2014/06/GAOHQ-6967177-v1-QUARTERLY_METRICS_REPORT_TEMPLATE.pptx\"\u003enew quarterly report metrics template\u003c/a\u003e (PowerPoint presentation, 7.9 MB, 2 slides), check out other \u003ca href=\"/preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2014/03/04/creating-awesome-web-analytics-reports-and-presentations/\"\u003ereporting templates\u003c/a\u003e, and read up on \u003ca href=\"/preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2014/05/15/new-google-analytics-for-government-training-manual/\"\u003eGoogle Analytics for government\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch2 id=\"step-1-measure\"\u003eStep 1: Measure\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIf you are using Google Analytics you have access to a ton of data. It can be a bit daunting when you first start. Trust that you know what is important to communicate on your site, and go from there. Consider key questions you have about how your website performs and look to the data to provide you detailed and concrete answers. In my analysis I focus on a core set of questions:\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eHow many people are connecting with our online content?\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eWho are our visitors?\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eHow engaged are they?\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eWhat content were visitors searching for?\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eHow do visitors navigate through our website?\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eWhat’s popular and what’s not?\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003ch2 id=\"step-2-analyze\"\u003eStep 2: Analyze\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eKeep in mind that throughout your analysis, it’s important to interpret your metrics in context.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eConsider the purpose of your site.\u003c/strong\u003e Take your bounce rate, for example, (the percentage of visitors who only looked at one page and immediately left your site). If your site primarily serves to refer visitors to other websites, then you would expect to see a higher bounce rate, perhaps 70% or above. On the other hand, if the purpose of your website is to provide content, you might hope to see a bounce rate closer to 30% or 40%.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eLook at how your metrics relate to one another.\u003c/strong\u003e When looking at your bounce rate, for example, consider how it compares to your other engagement metrics, like time on site. This helps tell a fuller story about the experience your users are having.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eListen to what your users have to say.\u003c/strong\u003e Customer satisfaction information and usability testing can provide valuable context for interpreting your metrics. If you aren’t sure whether your bounce rate suggests users are quickly finding what they want and leaving, or that they simply left unsatisfied, there’s nothing like hearing feedback directly from your users themselves.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eConsider what surprised you in the data.\u003c/strong\u003e You know your site well; if something surprised you, it’s worth exploring.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003ch2 id=\"step-3-act\"\u003eStep 3: Act\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eFocus on key areas where changes could improve users’ experience.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eMake changes that will align with your agency’s strategic objectives.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn thinking about where to start when it comes to making site improvements, keep your strategic objectives in mind. Consider what steps you can take to best support your goals based on the data.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch2 id=\"how-to-tell-a-story-with-your-metrics\"\u003eHow to Tell a Story with Your Metrics\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThink about where you see room for improvement.\u003c/strong\u003e Your ideas for site enhancements can help bring meaning to your metrics in your writing.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePresent your data in style.\u003c/strong\u003e If you would be bored reading your report, chances are so will others, and they may just miss the message (the same rule applies to presentations).**** Don’t be afraid to try something new, and make sure to use meaningful graphics to break up text. Download the \u003ca href=\"https://s3.amazonaws.com/digitalgov/_legacy-img/2014/06/GAOHQ-6967177-v1-QUARTERLY_METRICS_REPORT_TEMPLATE.pptx\"\u003enewest quarterly report template\u003c/a\u003e (PowerPoint presentation, 7.9 MB, 2 slides) today!\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n"}
  ]
}