I got a free copy of Forrester Research study I took part in titled Where To Get Help With Web Analytics by Megan Burns for Customer Experience Professionals - published on December 5th, 2007. Turns out, I'm in it, my company, or me, as Now.Seo, an analytics vendor firm that is compared to all of the major firms such as Semphonic and Eric Peterson, for example; I'm honored to be in their company.
I can't give away copies (or can I?) but here's the overall findings:
·Small but highly experienced. The vast majority of Web analytics consulting firms are tiny: 24% of respondents to our survey are single-person shops, and 75% have fewer than five Web analytics specialists (see Figure 1).1 But the employees of these firms are relatively tenured.
Overall, they average 3.8 years of experience in the Web analytics field, with 33% reporting an average of five or more years. These consultants offer breadth as well as depth. On average, the firms we surveyed have experience with four different Web analytics platforms, and they’ve worked in a range of industries, from automotive to travel (see Figure 2 and see Figure 3).
· More focused on business than technology. More than 90% of the Web analytics consultants in our survey offer help with data analysis and needs assessment (see Figure 4). Additionally, more than 78% help with strategy, education, and report design. But fewer of the firms in our study offer technical services like implementation and vendor selection. And only 47% do custom development to extend existing Web analytics platforms.
It's also clear that most Web Analysts that took part in the Survey focuses on Data Analysis, Needs Analysis and Web Measurement Strategy.
77% worked on SEO(proving there's still a strong relationship between Web Analytics and SEO, and I've maintained that for some time) - but less than half actually do platform customization and web development.
Interesting.
What this all means to you depends on what your needs are.
