Analytics
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Vanity Metrics: What They Are and Why You Should Avoid Them
Vanity metrics are metrics that make you look good to others, but do not help you understand your own performance in a way that informs future strategies. They feel good to report. They just don’t help you make better decisions.
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Getting Started with R
I started teaching business school courses in 2017–18. I chose R as my teaching tool for analytics rather than focusing heavily on theory — the goal was applied learning. Instructing a scripting language to students with no...
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Building Your Custom Connector on Google Data Studio
This is a technical post. Comfort with code — specifically JavaScript and Google App Scripts — is assumed.
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Data, Reporting and Doing What’s Right
Data is being used to showcase that value has been generated. To do this, the most beautiful reports are created. If you follow Avinash Kaushik and dislike data pukes, you would be aghast at some of the reports agencies in India dish out.
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Data the New Oil
Data and business analysis was until recently a support function — it needed business data to be useful, but the data itself was not the product. The analysis was. That has changed. Data is now being presented and sold as the main...
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Why You Need to Stop Tracking These 5 Metrics
Going digital grants brands access to substantial data volumes. That abundance often leads teams into an obsessive pursuit of metrics without questioning whether those metrics actually matter.
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More Information About Samara Oblast
I previously wrote about bot traffic leaving referral signatures on websites — a phenomenon that became widespread. Moz.com subsequently offered guidance on filtering such data from Google Analytics. Traffic spiked initially but...
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2018, the Year of Numbers
13 Llama Studio began as a full-service agency accepting all projects — websites, logos, app development, product incubation. While that kept the business active, it diverted focus from what I actually care about: working with...
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Using Intelligence Reports in Google Analytics
Google Analytics continues to evolve, gradually bringing premium features to free-tier users. Intelligence Reports represent one such advancement: the ability to ask questions in natural language and receive meaningful analytical insights...
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Shiny Tools Don’t Make a Purpose
I recently bought a Fitbit. Colleagues asked the obvious question: “Has it changed you?” The honest answer was no.
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Data Anomalies in Search Console
Organic traffic has been a key growth driver for online businesses in recent years. Search remains fascinating even when — especially when — the data is incomplete. And it is always incomplete.
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A Success/Failure Method for Analytics
When identifying Key Performance Indicators, selecting appropriate success measures is essential. Most of the work I do occurs in web-based environments, where the fundamental operating principles are consistent. But the approach...
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Importance of Context in Analysing Data
I recently examined user-generated data from a mobile app that delivered content to a niche audience. Users rated each piece with a five-star system, which the design team treated as an objective measurement. The problem: user behaviour is...
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Shifting from _utmz to _ga
I previously wrote about the __utmz cookie — the Google Analytics cookie that stored visitor source attribution data. As Google Analytics evolved from the Urchin tracking system, significant changes occurred in how these cookies...
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Game Theory in Dating: More Towards Understanding Nash’s Equilibrium
Game Theory is compelling when applied beyond theoretical economics — to actual human interactions and collective behaviour. I previously explored its application to SEO. Dating turns out to be another rich area.
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Game Theory and SEO
Game theory examines mathematical models of conflict and cooperation between rational decision-makers. It has applications across economics, political science, psychology, logic, computer science, and biology. I want to apply it to SEO.
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Taking a Look at Jetpack Stats
I prefer Google Analytics. But I wanted to give Jetpack Stats a fair assessment rather than a dismissive one. Here is what I found.
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Using Data Studio to Create Beautiful Reports
In November 2016 Google Data Studio became accessible to all users in India. Previously limited to US users and Google Analytics 360 premium subscribers, the product now allows anyone to create dazzling reports that can be shared with...
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Understanding the __utmz Google Analytics Cookie
The __utmz cookie is the Google Analytics traffic source cookie. It stores information about where a visitor came from — the source, medium, campaign, and keyword that brought them to your site. Understanding what it contains and how...