Almost all organizations, large and small, have websites. For their promotion and development, which affect the efficiency of the company, a qualitative analysis of information is needed. It is handled by a web analyst.
Web analytics as a professional field appeared in the early 90s of the last century – at that time the Internet began to be actively used. Large IT companies created special counters that were installed on websites and showed the number of visitors. Later, a commercial version appeared with tables and graphs – they clearly showed how much time the user spent on the site, what buttons he pressed, what he looked at. By the beginning of the new, twenty-first century, web analytics has become an integral part of the development of any business.
Initially, the sphere was perceived as purely technical, but over time it became a multifunctional tool with which the profits of companies began to grow rapidly. Now professional web analysts work “in conjunction” with SMM specialists, programmers, advertising managers and other employees responsible for the development of the company, its promotion and efficiency.
Who is a web analyst?
A web analyst is a specialist who collects information about site users, analyzes it using software, identifies patterns in the behavior of visitors, and, based on the information received, determines the company’s development trajectories.
The task of a web analyst is to identify problems that affect the low traffic of the site, to generate data that helps to increase the base of subscribers or customers at minimal cost. To achieve the desired result, the web analyst sets up analytical systems on the site, monitors user behavior and contextual advertising traffic. Then he analyzes the information received and, based on it, makes recommendations to improve the efficiency of the site.
In the work of web analysts, various tools are used, but all of them are conditionally divided into two types: analyzers and counters. For example, Google Analytics is a standard program for counting clicks, visits and conversions. In addition to classic tools, there are additional ones: for data visualization, for analyzing competitive sites, for tracking company mentions in social networks, on other platforms. As an add-on, web analysts can learn programming languages to understand how a site functions.
Benefits of being a web analyst
The benefits of being a web analyst include:
- high level of wages;
- demand;
- not too high competition;
- accessible education;
- the ability to work remotely.
Disadvantages of being a Web Analyst
Despite the obvious advantages over, there are certain disadvantages in the profession of web analytics:
- work often requires knowledge in related areas (targeted advertising, SMM);
- difficult to get a job without experience;
- sedentary work at the computer.
Education
To work in the field of web analytics, you need knowledge from different areas, which often have to be applied in practice: computer science, sociology, marketing, advertising. These are the areas that are taught in universities. Often specialists from these areas come to web analytics.
At the same time, we note that higher education is not at all a prerequisite for employment. Often, companies invite newcomers who have just completed specialized courses to work. The main thing is to have the necessary knowledge and skills for the assigned tasks.
Web analytics courses
The variety of web analytics courses is impressive: online and offline format, number of hours to choose from, job security, in-depth study of analytics tools. Those who decide to develop in this area will definitely find a suitable option for themselves.
Employment and career
Web analysts can work for themselves, freelancing and fulfilling orders from different companies. Or get hired by a company. The beginning of a career largely depends on the knowledge gained during the training, but all web analysts start at the Junior level. On it, specialists are just beginning to understand the intricacies of the profession, read statistics and look for patterns that will help improve the operation of the site, application.
The second level is Middle Web Analyst: a professional already owns well-known data analytics services and knows the basic principles of the Unit economy. In addition to expanding the knowledge base, the web analyst interacts with other employees and draws up technical tasks.
The top level is Senior Web Analyst. Specialists of this level mainly work on large projects and lead a team. Comprehensive analysis and automation of data collection at this stage of work is especially important.
Prospects for the future
Web analytics is a fairly new field, but in a couple of decades it has developed to an impressive scale. More and more qualified specialists appear on the market, but at the same time, employers are constantly in search of new people for vacancies. Analysts specializing in Internet marketing see the advantages in freelancing as well: you can independently create your own work schedule.
The need for this profession is discussed from different angles: without a web analyst it is impossible to imagine the development of a business, its promotion and improvement. But there is an opinion that companies in the future will focus on reducing the amount of data stored – hence the conclusion that analysts will lose their value. Vadim Nekhai, CEO and CMO at Depositphotos, at the round table of the Analyze! spoke out on this issue. He believes that soon the historical data will indeed be reduced in volume, but there will be much more impersonal data, with its own special trends.
What Books Should You Read About Web Analytics?
– A timeless classic that must be read is Avinash Kaushik “Web Analytics 2.0 in Practice”. Of the top books, I would also name Mark Schaefer “ROI: the profitability of influence.” Here about numbers, web analytics: you need to be able to digitize and count everything.
The two main tools for web analytics, no matter what area of online marketing they work in, are Google Analytics. We often start with books written by different authors, which contain information that is rapidly losing relevance with each passing day after publication. Data is better to get first hand: Google has detailed help on how to work with these tools.
I co-authored the Google Analytics tutorial published by Ingate. We compiled the book in such a way that it does not lose relevance over time: we focused less on details, gave more recommendations that will not become outdated, despite changes in the interface and the emergence of new features. The book can be downloaded for free on the Ingate website, I recommend reading it.
Can a web analyst work remotely?
– The year 2020 gave the answer to many IT agencies: the fear of reduced efficiency in the case of remote work of the majority of employees turned out to be exaggerated. A web analyst can successfully work in a workgroup, all communications of which take place over the Internet. There are only organizational issues here. I think that in the next 5-10 years we will see a tangible acceleration of the partial or complete transition to remote work of all employees who work with data, numbers, virtual objects and who do not need to directly “stand at the machine”.
How to become a web analyst from scratch?
- There is an invariable rule: take it and do it. Success directly depends on the amount of accumulated time: the sooner you start, the sooner you will achieve success.
The first step can be education, courses and internships. It is worth paying attention to the offers of large market players: large agencies in the field of Internet marketing. To get the most out of the courses, it is better to go on an internship or get a job at the same time. With the help of this approach, it will be possible to master the material more deeply and begin to apply it in practice.