As many of you know, ISL is a Google Analytics Authorized Consultant (GAAC). In mid-October, Business Analysts Erin MacDonald and Stephanie Lummis had the great opportunity to spend 3 days at Google's campus in Mountain View, California. This is Stephanie’s recap of the event.
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Erin and I attended the annual summit for Google Analytics Authorized Consultants (GAAC's) - 3 days training on Google Analytics and Website Optimizer. ISL is one of only 8 GAACs in Canada but we were joined by 280 others from 150 companies, representing over 30 countries worldwide.
Day One was focused on Google Website Optimizer. Have you ever debated over which image to use in your masthead, or what the label should be on a button? Website Optimizer is the tool you need. It allows real-time testing of messaging and imagery on your website, to learn what combinations of elements are best at converting visitors. The keynote presentation was from Dan Siroker, head of Obama's analytics team during the election campaign. He gave us tremendous insight into how the tool helped raise millions of dollars in donations, far beyond McCain and Clinton.
The rest of the day was filled with a series of case studies from Website Optimizer Authorized Consultants, who shared their lessons learned from customer implementations. We were also treated to a sneak peak of upcoming features in Website Optimizer. Stay tuned!
Day Two started with a fantastic talk by Avinash Kaushik (see my insite article on the Future of Analytics) discussing how we need to start to think differently about how and what we measure, to keep up with the fragmented ways in which people learn about us online. Suffice it to say, his comments got us all buzzing and set the stage for 2 full days of Google Analytics workshops. The talks ranged from tracking offline conversions, measuring social media impact, advanced filtering and segmentation with GA, and learning about great new web tools that integrate GA using their API (application programming interface).
In the evening Erin and I formed a team with folks from Vancouver, Michigan and Germany to play trampoline dodgeball! My description won't do it justice so watch the videos - it’s wild. There were 15 teams; we lost in the first round but it didn't dampen our spirits.
Day Three started with a keynote from Hal Varian, Google's Chief Economist (yes, they have one). He presented really interesting data from Google Insights about how Google's search volume data can be used as an economic indicator for trending and forecasting. For example, trends in searches for employment and job related terms correlate almost exactly with applications for employment insurance in the US.
Historically, a decrease in applications has signalled the end of a recession. Given that Google data is real-time, and the US Government's data is 6 weeks out, this presents a valuable indicator. As searches equate to demand, imagine the possibilities to forecast trends in demand for your products and services. You can even slice and dice the data by geographic region.
All three days presented ample time with the Google Analytics team of product managers and engineers, to learn more about future features and gather our feedback about what our clients are looking for.
The Google campus was an experience in itself. We were at their Crittenden campus – 4 buildings and about 1000 employees. We did get a chance to visit the main campus of 20+ buildings to shop at the Google Store but it was too short! Campus is a very accurate description – lots of green space and recreational activities make for a relaxed, non-corporate atmosphere. Google seems to have considered every detail to ensure employees never want or have to leave – a bit cultish, but the employees I spoke with were genuinely happy and loved working for Google.
A few highlights include (Malcolm, take notes):
- 19 free cafeterias serving 3 meals a day – no sloppy joes on this menu: braised aged beef, sushi bar, crab cakes and mocha mousse is typical lunch fare
- 4 gyms, basketball court, yoga, massage, beach volleyball courts, ‘treadmill’ current pool
- Dogs welcome – at least 200 on campus every day
- Free coach shuttle service to surrounding cities
Overall, Erin and I gained lots of great insights on how to use Google Analytics better to recommend the right course of action for our clients, to improve business results. In addition, we met a great community of people worldwide to bounce ideas off and share experiences with until the next GAAC Summit - maybe next year it will be held at their Dublin office...