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John Lovett of Forrester recently published a report evaluating the current stage of Web Analytics while providing a forecast of the role it will play for organizations into 2014. Having spoken with John a handful of times before, and having met in-person recently, I’m well aware of the valuable insights into the web analytics industry he shares amongst our tightly knit community.
It seems to me there is a tremendous opportunity for web analytics to continue to grow while building on the new sets of data (Twitter, Facebook, blog comments, etc.) where the players in our space we can now analyze and offer to our customers valuable insights. As the web expands, so do the possibilities associated within web analytics.
Additionally, John notes that “while the industry has experienced some setbacks from an overall financial growth perspective, it is thriving.” It’s no surprise that the current micro-economic situation has resulted in some minor discomfort for sales among web analytics players, but the ‘awkward stage’ (as John puts it) of web analytics will be outgrown and will move onto a positive future.
Webtrends recently announced the Digital Marketing Maturity Model (DM3), our benchmark for measuring the maturity of your digital marketing campaigns. We feel strongly that addressing a maturity model within our industry is an appropriate next step to analyzing the effectiveness of all marketing spends and consequently your web analytics use. Being self-aware is a critical component to getting the most from your data and the tools you are using. In a call with John recently he made the comment (and I’m paraphrasing) “Do you think it is appropriate for a vendor to lead a maturity model discussion?” My answer to him was brief, and to the point. No. I want to reinforce that this (the DM3) is not a program that can, or should, be lead by a vendor. To that end we are in discussions with the WAA to discuss how the Web Analytics Association governing body could take this effort to the next level. In the meantime, we feel like it is the right investment to make in the industry and will continue to push forward this vendor agnostic model.
It is often the case with web analytics that customers have a powerful tool to analyze a
comprehensive set of data but lack the knowledge to effectively utilize the tool and make sense of their data. I, and we at Webtrends, believe the web analytics industry needs to begin discussing the proliferation of data access, such as APIs, new applications, etc., that make sense for customers. Piggybacking on John’s ‘learning to swim’ analogy, I believe that it’s up to Webtrends, and the web analytics industry as a whole, to continue to provide the necessary support and training so our customers can take off their floaties and enjoy the full length of the pool.
Growing up I remember people using the phrase, “last one in the pool is a rotten egg.” With this in mind Webtrends is actively taking the steps to ensure that our customers will be fully supported in their marketing campaigns and with their web analytics tools. We don’t want anyone being referred to as “rotten eggs.” 
Thanks for reading.
Jascha
Jascha – thanks for the acknowledgement and insightful post.
Here's a true story…as a kid on the Jersey Shore, I took swimming lessons from a guy named "Flash". His motto was "I splash with Flash". He told me to ditch the swimmies and jump in the deep end. I was terrified, but haven't looked back since.
Here's to making it to the deep end of Web analytics.
Cheers,
John