A01 chaf6542 06 se fm indd

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Conversion rate uplift by page combination:

Page

combination

Default 0%

0%

3

1

4

2

Content

combination

Variant 3

Variant 6

Variant 3

Variant 3

Variant 3

Maxybox A

Variant 2

Variant 3

Variant 2

Variant 3

Variant 3

Maxybox B

Default

Variant 4

Variant 4

Variant 2

Variant 4

Maxybox C

Default

Default

Variant 3

Default

Default

Maxybox D

Default

Default

Variant 1

Variant 3

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Maxybox E

0.00%

11.15%

14.11%

10.57%

14.09%

Lift on

control

4

2%

4%

6%

8%

10%

12%

14%

16%

3

2

1

10.57%

11.15%

14.09%

14.11%

Clickstream analysis and visitor segmentation

Clickstream analysis refers to detailed analysis of visitor behaviour in order to diagnose 

problems and opportunities. Table 12.9 gives an indication of the type of questions asked by 

web analyst Dave Chaffey (

www.davechaffey.com

) when reviewing clients’ sites.

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Part 3  Implementation

Analyst question

Typical web analytics 

report terminology

Diagnosis of analyst used to improve performance

How successful is the site 

at achieving engagement 

and outcomes?

Conversion goals (GA)

Bounce rates (GA)

Pages/visit (GA)

•  Is engagement and conversion consistent with other sites in

the sector?

•  What are maximum engagement and conversion rates from

different referrers?

Where are visitors 

entering the site?

Top entry pages

Top landing pages (GA)

•  How important is home page compared to other page

categories and landing pages? Does page popularity reflect 

product popularity?

•  Check that messaging and calls to action are effective on

these pages

•  Assess source of traffic, in particular keywords from search

engines and apply elsewhere

What are sources of 

visitors (referrers)?

Referrers

Traffic sources

Filters set up to segment 

visitors

•  Are the full range of digital media channels relevant for a

company represented?

•  Is the level of search engine traffic consistent with the brand

reputation?

•  What are the main link partners driving free traffic (potential for

more)?

What is the most popular 

content?

Top content (GA)

•  Is page popularity as expected? Are there problems with

findability caused by navigation labelling?

•  Which content is most likely to influence visitors to outcome?

•  Which content is most popular with returning visitors

segment?

Which are the most 

popular findability 

methods?

Site search (GA)

•  How popular are different forms of navigation, e.g. top menu,

sidebar menus?

•  What are the most popular searches? Where do searches

tend to start? Are they successfully finding content or 

converting to sale?

Where do visitors leave 

the site?

Top exit pages (GA)

•  Are these as expected (home page, About Us page,

transaction completion)?

•  Are there error pages (e.g. 404 not found) which cause visitors

to leave?

Which clickstreams are 

taken?

Path analysis

Top paths (GA)

•  How can attrition in conversion funnels be improved?

•  What does forward path analysis show are the most effective

calls to action?

•  What does reverse path analysis indicate about the pages

which influence sale?

Table 12.9

A summary of how an analyst will interpret web analytics data. GA is terminology for Google 

Analytics (www.google.com/analytics), one of the most widely used tools

Path analysis

Aggregate clickstreams are usually known within web analytics software as ‘forward’ or 

‘reverse’ paths. This is a fairly advanced form of analysis, but the principle is straightforward –  

you seek to learn from the most popular paths.

Viewed at an aggregate level across the site through ‘top paths’ type reports, this doesn’t 

appear particularly useful as the top paths are often:

● 

Home page: Exit

● 

Home page: Contact Us: Exit

● 

News page: Exit

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Chapter 12  Digital business service implementation and optimisation

Clickstream analysis becomes more actionable when the analyst reviews clickstreams in the 

context of a single page – this is