Be an Analysis Ninja

Google Analytics Evangelist Avinash Kaushik detailed how to measure the success of a government Web site on Google's Public Sector Blog last week. And his first instruction was not to turn to any of the tools Google offers in its analytics toolset.

Rather, Kaushik recommends stepping away from the data and asking the site's visitors about their experience. Specifically, hey says, ask them if they were able to find the information they were looking for. He moves onto how to mine analytics for insights into prioritizing popular content and determining whether a site has the right information on it, but wraps up his tutorial with a recommendation to try page level surveys as one last means of understanding what citizens want from a particular government site.

Kaushik is all about helping people who work on Web sites become super analysis ninjas, so start your quest and read his blog tutorial in full.