Analytics is becoming increasingly important as marketing spend is expected to quantifiably demonstrate ROI

Internet marketing consultants and others have been advised that the most effective way of implementing improvements on websites is by ensuring that any incoming information is reliable.

This, a member of the Google Analytics team noted in an article on the official company blog, is one of the "fundamental" steps towards using web analytics tools, as "there is simply no point investing in analysis if the data is flawed".

A few useful programs that are straightforward to utilise and that will help in the administration of Google Analytics itself have been suggested, including Firefox add-ons that enhance the browser.

These, it was noted, are generally free and offer extra functionality through customisation of Firefox, with Better Google Analytics emphasised in particular.  N.B. This add-on was not yet compatible with Firefox 3.6 at the date this article was written).

"This is the mother of all Google Analytics helper add-ons," the company representative remarked, as it brings together 19 separate tools, such as Google Docs export, integrated Google Insights search and automatic navigation expansion.

Those looking for desktop assistance were also recommended to try WebBug, which lets users enter URLs and see what is being sent to the server and what is being returned.

Meanwhile, managers wanting to purchase Google Analytics help books should be aware that a second edition of Brian Clifton's Advanced Web Metrics with Google Analytics is due to come out.

Source: Advanced Web Metrics