I meant to write about this a couple of days ago, but didn’t get a chance, and now, I’ll post from my iPhone, just to ensure I write about and share an insight about planning websites and web presence.

Looking at RFP’s, I have never seen one specifying what elements are going to be tracked (by site analytics) and how they should be tracked.

Almost any RFP has structure and usability elements already specified, but almost no one thinks about specifying analytics tracking Requirements (or supplying such information as a response to an RFP).

Why not? Why is usability and web design, along with Branding elements (and a CMS) in a Request Proposal, but Analytics Tracking, isn’t?

Granted, who ever is building a site, isn’t going to be tracking it, since the site is being created for a customer. I understand that, but, since the web developent firm doesn’t think about tracking, and stakeholders often don’t know to, or can’t, it’s a big hole in the design process.

It’s no wonder many sites don’t get tracked well, or at all (or, just stick Google Analytics tags on a site, and call that, Analytics Enablement). I realize this analytics Enablement requirement might be an additional burden for many RFP’s, but, I think Analytics ought to be in every new website proposal.

While it’s not possible to forsee every event or state on a website or websites that should be tracked, it’s amazing that such a request (for analytics) is absent.

On the positive side, I’ve noticed SEO and Social Media Strategy / Execution, being asked for, and those things tend to be measured, or, at least, an attempt is often made to measure both.

Why not formalize the measurement process and methodology by adding it to any Website Request For Proposal – (I know this is a political issue in many organizations-analytics is typically added, like icing to a baked cake, around launch – but, that approach ought to be reexamined)?