Measuring Success

For those that are interested e-books (great for copy & pasting code) there is a PDF version of the Google Analytics book – Advanced Web Metrics with Google Analytics book, purchasable from Wiley.

If you have a copy of the Google Analytics Book, you will know the second edition contains a 50% discount coupon for completing the GAIQ test – part of the Conversion University online learning centre. In turns out using this can be a little confusing and you may see a message saying “invalid code”.  This means you are trying to put it in the wrong field…! Don’t put the discount code in the first screen, that is for vouchers, which are different. Instead: From the test start page, click purchase select the GAIQ exam. Enter the discount code from the book in the “Promotional Code” field – see screenshot What is the GAIQ? Back in 2007, while working at Google in London, my view was that there was far too little knowledge “out there” that helped digital marketers, web managers and developers learn the fundamentals of visitor measurement. I wanted [...]

The second edition of Advanced Web Metrics with Google Analytics started shipping from Amazon last week – almost exactly two years since the first book. Like becoming a father (well not quite), it’s a proud moment and milestone for me. If you want to dive straight in, try one of these: Download sample book content: Intro, Table of Contents, Chapter 1 and the Index (1.88Mb PDF) or Read more about the book or Order from Amazon or Barnes & Noble or buy the PDF ebook or leave me your feedback with a comment, retweet or rating… Here’s what industry movers and shakers think about the second edition: “If you’re looking for a practical, tactical guide in how to implement and think about web marketing optimization, look no further. Brian Clifton spells it out by industry, by job function, by Key Performance Indicator, and more.” —Jim Sterne, Founding Director and Chairman [...]

Seriously – don’t buy Advanced Web Metrics with Google Analytics (first edition)…. Why? Because there is a second edition just around the corner. In fact its due in March The first edition is nearly two years old – eons in Internet years (well probably equivalent to dog years). Those two years were a great success – both personally for me (reading reviews of your work form people you have never met before always brings a smile to my face and a glow to my cheeks – it’s a fantastic ego boost. So much so, I have to prick my head occasionally to prevent it getting oversized!) and for the publisher, who figured out the business of printing and distributing it was good enough to invite me to update the original. And that’s how it started out – an update. A few week’s work right, ten at tops. However, within 3 [...]

If you have a copy of Advanced Web Metrics with Google Analytics, or are a potential reader, would you prefer it in your local language? I have always assumed that a local language is preferred. However, I ask because when translated, I loose editorial control of the text and screenshots that can result in a degrade in book quality.