The results of our recent research on internal reporting of external Web analytics data are in, and have been sent to all who participated in the study.  According to the 40 organizations who participated in the research, it is clear that this is an area where many continue to struggle.  Here are some of the major findings:

• ROI remains elusive. Only a small subset (23.1%) of respondents report that they can track ROI.
• Many organizations struggle with basic filtering. Approximately half of respondents exclude internal IPs (51.3%) and spider/bot traffic (59.0%). Only one in four (25.6%) exclude Web developer traffic.
• The overall level of reporting remains pretty basic. While most of the responding organizations(82.1%) track changes over time, far fewer add detailed written analysis (35.9%) or performance vs. goals and benchmarks (25.6%). One out of four respondents consider themselves to be at a “Basic” level of reporting, relying only on direct output from their analytics tools.
• Most organizations do not devote enough resources to Web analytics. A majority (58.1%) of respondents devote less than .25 FTEs to Web analytics reporting. The overall average is .36 FTEs\
• Web data reports are often compartmentalized, and poor distribution is an issue. In 40% of responding organizations, IT never receives a Web report or update. Most send reports to their hospital administration either monthly (15.6%), quarterly  (40.6%), or annually (15.6%).

Many respondents cited lack of time and resources issues as their biggest challenge, along with a general lack of appreciation for the value of Web analytics data both within their department and beyond.  The silver lining: despite the issues reported above, nearly three in four respondents still report that they have made changes as a result of their Web analytics reporting. Among these changes are improved landing pages because of high bounce rates, better and more targeted content, and adjustment to navigation and click paths. In the words of one respondent, “(Web analytics) is a worthwhile effort that creates and measures the value of e-business initiatives and the Web site.” This research is part of Greystone’s ongoing effort to stay abreast of current trends in the market. If you are a marketer for a hospital and health system and are interested in joining, click here to join our Panel.