In this interview, we discuss about the Marketing Optimization industry today and tomorrow with Web Analytics titans Justin Cutroni and Jeff Gillis.
We discuss interesting developments seen during the last eMetrics Marketing Optimization Summit. Justin points us to the fact that the conference keynotes were delivered by large enterprises such as Dell, Ebay and IBM and how they are using Web Analytics as a driver for inovation and accountability; we are now starting to be an essential part of the most developed organizations on the market. Jeff tells us about new developments on Adwords’ new search funnels, which is a big step towards a better campaign attribution understanding. He also talks about new companies that are solving the hard task of implementing tags, which ultimately will let companies focus on the big picture instead of dealing with technical implementations. Daniel talks about new targeting technologies and how they can help websites create more customized experiences.
Jeff and Justin also share their view on the convergence / divergence of the market in terms of tools: are different techniques likely to converge into one tool or to keep segmenting into different solutions? Jeff talks about different Google tools (Analytics, Website Optimizer, Webmaster Tools): even though they might not have the same reports, they are all build with the objective to help improving websites results; his personal view is that Website Optimization tools should converge. Justin shares his experience from Webshare where Web Analytics, Testing and Usability are already a hybrid effort, and he sees this as a strong trend.
As very experienced analyst, they shared tips on finding insights that can help analysts or executives to improve their websites. Justin’s tip: asking why three times in order to understand the business behind the analysis. Jeff’s tip: test in order to improve website results.
Regarding the directions to which we are heading as an emerging industry, Jeff believes that tools should be made easier so that website owners can use them more. Justin sees the industry evolving in two directions: one is the growing market that is just starting the conversion optimization journey and need the education and tools to help them, and the other is the super advanced companies that need more and more capabilities to optimize websites.
Below you can find more information about the participants on the interview.
Jeff Gillis
Jeff Gillis has been working with Google Analytics since before it’s launch in November, 2005, currently as a product marketer and lead author of the Google Analytics blog. He previously worked with AdWords, and currently helps manage marketing for conversion related products at Google. Jeff graduated from Stanford University with a BA in Modern Thought and Literature.
Justin Cutroni
Justin Cutroni is currently the Director of Digital intelligence for WebShare, an online marketing and analytics firm based in Phoenix. He writes a blog called Analytics Talk, where he provides actionable tips on Web Analytics and has published two books: Google Analytics (O’Reilly, June 2010) and Performance Marketing with Google Analytics (Wiley, 2010).
Daniel Waisberg
Daniel Waisberg is the Owner of Conversion Journey, a consultancy that provides insights on improving the performance of websites. He is also the founder & Editor of Online Behavior. He is a frequent speaker at industry conferences and member of the Advisory Council of the eMetrics Marketing Optimization Summit. You can follow him on Google+ or on Twitter @danielwaisberg.