The hard reality today is that our servers and websites receive and exchange information which we can see and interpret but just don’t use to improve our market performance. There are applications and software programs available to help with this, but for now, most businesses apparently choose to largely ignore the transparency this precious source of information can provide.

Yet, it goes much deeper that that. There is a chasm between traditional business and modern technology that most are aware of but probably choose not to acknowledge. After all, if things work as is, why stir in the mud to trouble the waters? If we all know that “knowledge is power”, there are but precious few among us who choose to look at the possibilities. Isn’t there a saying that goes: “never change a winning team” ?

I quote from the white paper that Eric T. Peterson, CEO and Principal Consultant at Web Analytics Demystified published in October 2009, “The Coming Revolution in Web Analytics” wrote, sponsored by SAS.

Today, a majority of companies are dramatically under-invested in analyzing data flowing from digital channels. Even when business managers have committed money to measurement technology, they usually fail to apply commensurate resources and effort to make the technology work for their business.

Instead, most organizations focus too much on generating reports and too little on producing true insights and recommendations, opting for what is easy, not for what is valuable to the business.

This to me, literally screams opportunity. Here we have a fast rising market and an obvious need. It is about middle management being able to do a part of their jobs properly, that is, not only generating reports but including meaningful insights as to what these reports are actually showing and saying.

It boils down to allowing those who can see to contribute to the “kaizen” principle, you know, that alien notion of continual improvement, that so many like talking about and so few put into actual practice, by making the information available and acting upon it.

The other hard fact here is that nobody likes bad news or whistle blowers. When we start reading the signs, chances are they will probably also point to areas where improvement is long overdue or to “hot spots”, segments of the organization that are past their failing point and generating costs.

The fact that sometimes this is exactly the situation that leaders want to maintain in some areas, be it either for political, strategic or tactical reasons, will surprise only the naive. The point is, that when this situation arises, leaders will want anlytics to be shut down, which will be a hard thing to do. Analytics bring more transparency and that needs to be carefully controlled for obvious reasons.

This atavistic fact is hard wired into our subconcious minds and the wisdom of the masses reflects this through sayings like “don’t kill the messenger” or “throwing out the baby with the tubwater”. With analytics, this is in fact what usually happens. People read reports and look without seeing. The exceptional few who can see are cautioned to be utterly discrete.

Mr. Peterson, who writes: “opting for what is easy, not for what is valuable to the business“, forgets to mention that usually, those who are responsible for this work get a very limited mandate, the unspoken cardinal rule being “mind your own business”, to which I would add:…”or lose your job”…

We stand at the eve of the third revolution in web analytics. Current evolutions like cloud computing, cheap large data storage facilities and the integration of mobile technologies line phone and GPS are opening new possibilities.

The availability of this data, coupled with an organization’s increasing willingness to mine the information for insights, is leading to an analytical revolution. Soon companies that historically relied on small samples, third-party data and gut feel will have access to huge data stores of information about their customers.

This data will span the analog and digital realm and, in Web Analytics Demystified’s opinion, power new businesses, new business models and entirely new relationships between businesses and the customers that support them.

We can speculate about making available free mobile phones for the right to monitor the phone user’s movements. One can imagine free access to the Internet in exchange for the right to monitor the browser’s page visits and even imagine important discounts to allow the seller to share the client’s data that is collected during the sales process. We can add the twist of the privacy issues this will create.

Let us not deny that this situation already exists!

Google is most visible among a handful of online companies that have learned that data about the transaction is as valuable as the transaction itself. And while some may respond that “Google is limited in what they can do with our information,” the reality is they are not. If Google wants to start using our data in a way they believe will create more value for Google, all they need to do is offer us something in return.

We have trained a generation to react on the Internet practically only to what is free. In the “make money online” segment, the proof of this is abundant. These days, the only offer that still work are free give aways coupled to an OTO or a free membership deal on trial with thousands of bonuses.

There are a number of search terms that come up when we think of our website’s performance and how we can track,  analyze or check up on how well a website is doing and there is a very active market that offers a diversity of solutions to choose from.

The most common are: stats, analytics, urchin, counter, hits, traffic, visits and track.

In Keyword Catcher’s case, we have tackled the question from the angle of the “KISS” principle. (keep it surprisingly simple)

There are but few among us who like or understand statistics mathematics, the idea alone conjures images of abstract complexity which most prefer to avoid or even flee and it is a hard learning curve climb.

Yet the question remains: what can one or should one do with webstats and is tracking analytics useful? A large percentage of website owners, until recently, to my great shame, I was among their numbers,  never look at them or when they do, can’t make heads or tails from the data that has been gathered.

Is it any wonder? No. The site statistics most get served by their hosting providers are a tough read, keeping in mind that they were probably designed by software engineers for their peers.

Most website statistics tracker software providers silently thank the engineers for this because it created a need (a market) to which they could provide an answer (a product).

Many providers agree that real time information is crucial these days. A majority argues that knowing about keywords (search terms or queries that visitors type into their search engine page query box) that attracted visitors to one’s website is of paramount importance and that knowing about referring websites is vital.

Indeed, on both counts they are right. If you want to find something on the Internet, and chances are you will find what you are looking for, you still have to know which search term to use when you “Google” it.

But more importantly, it is true for all website owners who set up their websites to help them generate an income. The first rule on the Internet is: no traffic, no business. Attracting visitors is the name of the game. Keyword Catcher can help with this by providing the strategic data that is needed to implement more efficient traffic generating tactics.

Keyword Catcher is a software that can be installed on the website server which will allow its owner to see both the keywords and the referring sites that have attracted a visit to one of the published pages in real time.

It does so by way of an easy to use and read dashboard while ensuring total privacy. Keyword Catcher will simplify monitoring statistics and log file analysis while mining and presenting relevant data in an easily manageable format.