I just launched a book search on Amazon.com with the keywords “Web Analytics”. As of today I receive 1,212 results!!! Just three years ago the same search would have turned less than 150 results.
Web analytics is becoming a hot topic, and as you might imagine authors are churning out books at an amazing speed. No need to say that the quality of all these books is varying widely.
So what are the books that should be on the shelves of every Web Analytics practitioner? I try to read most of the publications that are coming out and I asked many colleagues this same question. The answer (and as well my opinion about it) was almost always the same:
- If you are starting web analytics there are many excellent introductory books out there. If you have an intermediate level you will still find interesting information in books.
- If you want the latest and bleeding edge information, unfortunately, you won’t find this in books. By the time the book is published, the information is already stale. You will have to read on-line information like blogs and newsletters. Additionally you should join the Web Analytics Association and register to the Web Analytics mailing list on Yahoo Groups.
Here are my top choices.
Reference or essential books
1 - Web Analytics an hour a day
Avinash Kaushik 2007
Avinash Kaushik is a leading authority on Web Analytics. He is the well know author of the Occam’s razor blog. The book describe how to implement a successful Web analytics strategy and show you insights and techniques that will help you develop a customer–centric mindset.
2 - Web Analytics 2.0: The Art of Online Accountability and Science of Customer Centricity
Avinash Kaushik 2009
The book provides specific recommendations for creating an actionable strategy, employing tactics for truly listening to your customers, achieving optimal success by leveraging experimentation, applying analytical techniques correctly and solving challenges such as measuring social media and multichannel campaigns. A great book.
3 - Web Analytics Demystified: A Marketer's Guide to Understanding How Your Web Site Affects Your Business
Eric Peterson 2004
Eric Peterson is another leading authority on the subject. The book teaches the fundamentals of web analytics in a storytelling way. Even though the book was published in 2004 the contents are still quite actual.
4 - The big Book of Key Performance indicators
Eric Peterson 2006
This is a great reference manual about KPIs. Each KPI is analysed and detailed on the way to use and the person that should use it. This is quite important, as the CEO needs different figures than the marketer. The book is only available in pdf from the author website.
General analytics strategy
5 - Actionable Web Analytics: Using Data to Make Smart Business Decisions
Jason Burby, Shane Atchison 2007
Even though the book targets more Web Analysts working for large enterprises than Web entrepreneurs, this book is great reading for everyone. It introduces strong business methodologies and frameworks that should be used as often as possible. The chapter about “Monetizing Site Behaviours” is particularly good.
6 - The cult of analytics
Steve Jackson 2009
Fantastic book on how to create an analytic driven culture in your company. It includes different methodologies on how to create and improve KPIs and the REAN model (reach, engage, activate nurture). It teaches how to get detached about the tools and how to focus on insights.
Page optimisation
7 - Landing Page Optimization: The Definitive Guide to Testing and Tuning for Conversions
Tim Ash 2008
This is an incredibly useful book. Not only it helps you to understand why the landing page is so impacting on the final actions of your visitors but also provides you with excellent guidance for analyzing your current website and determining how to make it easier for the visitor to use and, more importantly, easier for the user to do what you need them to do.
A/B testing and multivariate testing
8 - Always be Testing: The Complete Guide to Google Website Optimizer
Bryan Eisenberg, John Quarto-vonTivadar, Brett Crosby, and Lisa T. Davis 2008
A well written insightful and action oriented book about testing. Even though the examples are specifically focused on Google website optimizer, the principles can be applied to any other tool. The book is divided in 3 parts: the Why of testing, the What and the How of testing, and the technical aspects of testing.
Usability
9 - Measuring the User Experience: Collecting, Analyzing, and Presenting Usability Metrics
Thomas Tullis, William Albert 2008
This is by far the best and most comprehensive book I have found about measuring usability. The language is clear and written for a broad analytics audience. Everyone who is confronted with usability aspects (and most Web Analyst will, sooner or later) should read this book.
Google analytics
I was a bit hesitant about citing in the list vendors specific books, but Google Analytics is so widespread (it’s free as well), that any aspiring analytics Ninja should work extensively with it. Also keep in mind that tools evolve quickly and books might get outdated fairly rapidly.
10 - Advanced Web Metrics with Google Analytics
Brian Clifton 2008
This book is a gem. Not only it gives a wide introduction on Google Analytics but it also details several hacks that you can use to customize your data tracking. It has also several chapters dedicated to customizing javascript tags to adapt the tool to your specific needs. The book was written in 2008 and lacks few of the latest features of Google analytics that came out in 2009 (like event tracking). It should be nevertheless on every Google Analytics user desk.
Afterthoughts
Do you have any other books you would like to mention? Any different opinion?Tell me :-)
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