Web Analytics Goals and B2B Marketers

Web analytics tools, especially the industry standard Google Analytics platform, are powerful tools more commonly used on a regular basis by B2C marketers as opposed to B2B marketers. For B2B marketers the number of hits and visitors, entry and exit pages, geographic and demographic, and other forms of data don’t always translate into productive information. B2C marketers, often generating revenue from advertising, get immediate value from those types of stats.

For B2B marketers, the real value comes from understanding qualified prospect behavior, something a marketing automation system provides. In addition to using micro web analytics tools provided by marketing automation systems, B2B marketers should take advantage of goals in Google Analytics to understand activities that add value. Here are some examples goals from a recent Search Engine Watch article:

• Set 1: Contact actions
  • Contact form complete
  • Newsletter sign-up
  • Email link clicked
  • Etc.
• Set 2: Site engagement
  • Blog comment
  • Feedback/poll widget completed
  • Etc.
• Set 3: Downloads
  • White papers, brochures, etc.
• Set 4: Micro-conversions
  • Contact page viewed
  • Product pages viewed
  • Etc.
• Set 5: Engagement metrics
  • Time spent on site
  • Pages per visit

Notice that the focus is on items directly related to lead generation and nurturing. My recommendation is for B2B marketers to use goals and work to improve those results when using macro web analytics tools.