This is Part 2 of a two-part series on Google Analytics Profiles and Filters. Part 1: The Must-Haves, covered what I consider to be the basics. Now we’ll get into some of the more advanced, and interesting, GA filter techniques.

Note: Since I posted Part 1, Google Analytics has released their beta versions of Advanced Segments and Custom Reports. These tools are pretty incredible, and can potentially be used in place of many filters. The decision to use profiles and filters vs. advanced segments will depend on each company’s logistics. It will be a case-by-case basis and is something I will cover in a future post.

Advanced Filters Defined

Advanced filters let you extract data from any of the fields in Google Analytics and manipulate that data.

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View related topics: google analytics, google filters, google profiles

I’m one of four authors now writing the Just Behave weekly column on Search Engine Land. In a sure sign that I really suck at this whole social media thing, it only now occurred to me to cross-post that on my own company’s blog. Better late than never, though. So here’s a quick summary of the two columns I’ve written so far, with links over to Search Engine Land for the full articles. As always, all constructive criticism is welcomed.

Wagging the Long-Tailed Dog: Search Behavior & The Economy

As the head of a search agency, I admit that I was somewhat bemused at first by this whole financial crisis we’re having. Don’t get me wrong; I don’t like seeing people suffer, and it hurts to see the impact that a slowing economy is having on many of my friends and neighbors. But as a longtime critic of traditional media and promoter of Search, I couldn’t resist feeling a little smug knowing that traditional ad budgets were about to be cut and the move to online media accelerated as advertisers started focusing more heavily on ROI. Given that Search accounts for almost half of online media spending, that trend would be a good thing for Search and, selfishly, my company – right…? The big picture search trends aren’t going to change dramatically. More people will continue to search more often no matter what, so what could possibly go wrong?

Full Article…

Two Little Things That Make A Big Difference

A lot of the focus in the search marketing world—both paid and organic—is on the technical and quantitative side. And that’s understandable, given the technical background of many of the practitioners and the perception that those elements are relatively easy to control. But many search marketers do themselves and their clients a disservice by not taking a more balanced view, arming themselves with the tools that a solid understanding of the search user experience (SUE) can provide.

With all the talk about how to achieve high rankings, the right growth curve to target for inbound link counts, PageRank shaping (which always makes me think of Suzanne Sommers, like she’ll be pimping the PageRank Shaper as the next Thigh Master), eking out higher Quality Score, and the like, it’s easy to lose sight of the role that actual users play in determining the success of our search campaigns. But user experience considerations often play as large a role as any of the other topics that search marketers regularly discuss. The trick is figuring out where to focus your attention.

To provide a shortcut, here are two quick tips on SUE issues that don’t get a lot of attention yet have a big impact on results. The first tip focuses on how to increase organic traffic by achieving a higher CTR on your organic search listings. The second discusses how to reduce the bounce rate on your site by ensuring a good first impression.

Full Article…

Many a blog post out of frustration is born.

I recently pulled out most of my hair while attempting to discern why our FeedBurner email signature (created with the Headline Animator) was broken.

Here’s the quick story, and the solution.

The Headline Animator Problem

Normally, you can create an email signature with the Headline Animator that will scroll through your latest five posts:

I had created this a few months ago, and it worked fine.

This week I tried to implement it in our company’s email. I got this message, “Watch this space for future items!”

So, I did what any other lazy tech-type would do: I ignored the problem and tried to create a new Headline Animator. I went through the motions and hit Save. Here is what I saw next:

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View related topics: atom, feeds, rss

I recently overcame a design block with a quick, hard smack to my forehead. No, I’m not a freak — let me explain.

There I was, sitting in front of the computer, Adobe Illustrator on one screen, Photoshop on the other — both art board and canvas, completely blank. My task: come up with not one, but several design concepts for a Landing Page. An added twist, the design concepts were for a single element of a 4×4 Multivariate Test (MVT). Being the first round of MVT for this Landing Page, each concept had to be well differentiated in order for the data to be meaningful afterward.

The MVT was set to follow an A/B test that was already live and collecting data. Of course in my head, the growing A/B data was starting to feel more like a countdown to embarrassment. I needed ideas and my creative gears were locked up and starting to smoke. With several iTunes tracks yielding no inspiration I had to make a change — and fast! And so it was out of this desperation that it hit me — or I hit me — as the story goes. You see; I smacked my forehead when I realized I knew better. I just needed to find my sketchpad and pencil.

The Number 2 Pencil Saves the Day

OK, so perhaps I’m giving a little too much credit to an inanimate object. Truthfully, this should have read “Doris Harrison Saves the Day”, but the Number 2 pencil title had a little more edge to it and helps with my point. Doris Harrison was an instructor of mine at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco and she was relentless about following the creative process. Starting on the computer was a cardinal sin according to Doris, and every major assignment had stage-gates where she reviewed each step of the creative process as we progressed.  At the beginning it seemed overkill and felt like a terrible waste of graphite and paper. But as the class progressed and the assignments became more intense, I was converted. My final design project for Doris was selected from more than 3-dozen concept sketches, of which nearly a dozen were solid contenders, each of which was unique in how it communicated the message.

So why should this project be any different?

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I had the good fortune of delivering a keynote address at the Web Design 2.0 conference in Las Vegas last month. The conference organizers courageously said I was welcome to talk about whatever I wanted (suckers…). So I gave it some thought, brainstormed a number of things I’ve always wanted to say at a Web conference and came up with the session title and description below. The talk seemed to go over well, from my admittedly biased perspective. So I thought I’d share a summary of what I discussed here on our blog. It’s a little edgier than the stuff I normally write, but I’m hoping you won’t mind. I’ll cover one topic at a time at a completely random schedule dictated by my mood and bandwidth. I hope you enjoy them…

Here’s the session description, for background:

The 8 Things Every Web Team Should Know: Lessons From a Grumpy Web Consultant
Lance Loveday, CEO, Closed Loop Marketing
Anyone who has worked in the online space for long realizes that many of the obstacles web teams face have little to do with technology, and everything to do with the damn humans. Why are web projects so easy for some organizations to get right but so excruciatingly difficult for most? Veteran web guru Lance Loveday knows and it makes him grumpy that everyone else doesn’t. Join Lance as he reveals the dark side of web team interactions, the damage it can wreak and the toll it can have on an organization’s success. He’ll share humorous anecdotes based on in-the-trenches experiences and, most importantly, practical tips on how teams can work smarter and more effectively.

#1 Kick Ass or Suck

Either path is OK. But you have to choose.

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