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Web Analytics 1.0 and its Limitations, Introduction to WA 2.0. Competitive intelligence analysis and data sources

Web Analytics 1.0 refers to the early stage of web analytics, primarily focused on measuring website traffic and basic visitor behavior. It involved tracking metrics like page views, unique visitors, and click-through rates. While Web Analytics 1.0 provided some useful information, it had limitations in terms of depth and granularity of data. Some of the key limitations of Web Analytics 1.0 include:

  1. Limited insights: Web Analytics 1.0 primarily provided high-level metrics that didn’t offer a deep understanding of user behavior or conversion patterns. It lacked the ability to track user interactions beyond simple page views and clicks.
  2. Lack of context: Web Analytics 1.0 often failed to provide context for the data collected. It didn’t offer insights into the why behind user behavior or the factors influencing their actions.
  3. Siloed data: Data collected in Web Analytics 1.0 was often isolated within individual tools or platforms, making it challenging to integrate data from different sources and gain a comprehensive view of user behavior.
  4. Focus on vanity metrics: Web Analytics 1.0 placed excessive emphasis on vanity metrics like page views or visits, rather than focusing on metrics that truly mattered for business goals, such as conversions or revenue.

To address these limitations, Web Analytics 2.0 emerged as an evolution in web analytics, providing more sophisticated insights and a deeper understanding of user behavior. Web Analytics 2.0 goes beyond simple traffic analysis and focuses on tracking and analyzing user interactions across various touchpoints. Some key features of Web Analytics 2.0 include:

  1. Advanced segmentation: Web Analytics 2.0 allows for more granular segmentation of data, enabling businesses to analyze specific user groups or segments and gain insights into their behavior and preferences.
  2. Conversion tracking: Web Analytics 2.0 emphasizes tracking and analyzing conversion goals, enabling businesses to measure the effectiveness of their marketing campaigns and optimize their conversion funnels.
  3. Event tracking: Web Analytics 2.0 includes the ability to track and analyze specific user interactions, such as video plays, downloads, form submissions, or other custom events that are relevant to the business.
  4. Integrated data sources: Web Analytics 2.0 aims to integrate data from various sources, such as CRM systems, email marketing platforms, or social media analytics, to provide a holistic view of user behavior and marketing performance.

Competitive intelligence analysis is the process of gathering and analyzing information about competitors to gain insights into their strategies, strengths, weaknesses, and market positioning. It helps businesses understand the competitive landscape and make informed decisions. Data sources for competitive intelligence analysis can include:

  1. Publicly available information: This includes competitor websites, annual reports, press releases, white papers, industry publications, and news articles. These sources can provide valuable insights into a competitor’s products, partnerships, financial performance, and marketing activities.
  2. Social media monitoring: Monitoring competitor social media accounts and their engagement with customers can provide insights into their content strategy, customer sentiment, and overall brand perception.
  3. Customer reviews and feedback: Analyzing customer reviews and feedback about competitors’ products or services can offer insights into their strengths and weaknesses from the customer’s perspective.
  4. Online communities and forums: Participation in industry-specific online communities and forums can provide valuable information about competitors’ activities, challenges, and customer interactions.
  5. Competitive benchmarking tools: There are several tools available that offer competitive benchmarking data, such as market share analysis, keyword rankings, ad spend, and website traffic. These tools can help compare performance metrics with competitors in a specific industry.
  6. Surveys and market research: Conducting surveys or market research studies can provide direct insights into market perceptions, customer preferences, and competitive differentiation.

It’s important to note that while competitive intelligence analysis can provide valuable insights