NTEN uses Avectra's netFORUM as our CRM, and while we're generally happy with its capabilities, it's annoyed me for awhile that I couldn't track click-throughs from our messaging very easily. Then it hit me: use query strings to track clicks in Google Analytics. For a brief moment, I knew how Jon Bon Jovi felt when he rhymed "halfway there" with "livin' on a prayer."

I know some of you are already doing this: it seems so obvious to me now (and maybe I should spend more time reading Analytics forums). But I'll bet some of you aren't too sure what a query string is -- and when I searched for this particular trick, the very few people who discussed it only made veiled references -- so I though I'd write up a detailed look at how to track your click-throughs with a high degree of accuracy:

Flickr Photo: ralphhogaboomIf you're an NTEN member, you got to sit in on a great Ask the Expert session with Avinash Kaushik last month. (If you missed, it you should definitely check out the recording.)

Anyone who's had the pleasure of listening to Avinash talk about metrics knows he's the real deal. He's not just measuring for the sake of measuring: this guy is out to measure REAL IMPACT. He knows that measuring bounce rates or click throughs is meaningless unless you can explain what those statistics mean to the mission of your organization.

The latest post on his blog blows the lid off traditional analytics and explores a side of your website you may not have known about before: its offline impact.

We all know that, to some degree, our websites drive offline action as well as online action. Our sites encourage people to pick up their phone and call us. They drive people to come into our offices and volunteer. They compel people to change the lightbulbs in their houses to CFLs.

But how can you use web analytics to track what people aren't doing on your site?

Flickr Photo: joiseyshowaaI am slightly metrics obsessed. One of the first things I do each morning is skim through our database and check on open rates, registration rates, etc. I have been known to spend entire Wednesday evenings down the rabbit hole of Google Analytics (or at least until Top Chef comes on).

One thing I know from my obsessive stints is that it's easy to lose the forest for the trees -- to forget which metrics matter, in which contexts. It's easy to obsess over our overall bounce rate, when in fact, some pages probably should bounce, but we should REALLY worry about the bounce rate on certain pages.

The fact is, your site serves many goals, and you should frame your analysis of web metrics that way, too. Worry less about overall numbers, and more about what each section or page of your site is supposed to accomplish, and what metrics will help you measure that.

Allan Benamer posted something interesting on his blog the other day. He contends that nonprofits should post their web site stats publicly on their sites, because it will make them more accountable. His contention is that any data that is not made public is de facto private data, and inherently bad.

I challenged that notion on his blog. I just don't see the logical connection between web site traffic and accountability. What do an organization's web site stats NECESSARILY have to do with the good it creates? For some orgs, there is a clear connection between web site visits and part of their mission. For most, though, tracking web site visitors will not tell me how many hungry people they feed, whether that's helping the community, or whether the program is well managed.

All it tells me is how many people came to their site.

Last week's Google Analytics webinar with Avinash Kaushik was a masterpiece -- informative, fun, funny and useful! If you were not able to join us, you can now get the recording and a nice list of resources from Avinash himself.

If you WERE able to join us, then you definitely want to check out a couple of additional resources. First, Beth Kanter has put together a fantastic primer on Google Analytics screencast for NTEN. It's a nice companion piece to the webinar and a great way to share web analytics with the less tech savvy folks in your life.

Second, I have to plug Avinash's book again. Web Analytics: An Hour a Day is getting rave reviews! If you've already read the book, be sure to share your opinion over on the Amazon site. I know Avinash would appreciate it.

What are visitors doing on your site? Where DO they come from? And what in the world does it all mean? Google Analytics can help you answer all of these questions, for free. As Katrin blogged a few weeks ago, the newsest version is incredible: beautiful and powerful, like a great first date. Of course, it's also like a first date in that it can be utterly confusing. With so many choices, so many possibilities, it's hard to know where to begin.

Never fear! We nabbed one of the most amazing analytics gurus out there for a webinar next week. Avinash Kaushik, Analytics Evangelist for Google and author of "Web Analytics: An Hour a Day" will present this webinar on Wednesday, June 20:

Google Analytics is undoubtedly one of the most powerful web analytics packages out there. NTEN wants to help you unlock the power of Google Analytics. In this hands-on webinar, Avinash Kaushik, Google’s Analytics Evangelist, will teach you how to use web analytics reports to understand the performance of your web site in terms of measuring progress toward your organizational goals, but also to help you understand who your web site visitors are, where they come from, and what they’re doing on your site. You'll leave the webinar with actionable tips and tricks you can use right away, regardless of your skill level.

> Register Today!

WikiWebAnalyticsBy way of Avinash Kaushik's blog...

A new wiki, WikiWebAnalytics, has been set up for folks interested in web analytics. They are looking for a few good people to start write articles and help make it a good resource for those of us interested in the field of web analytics.

Check it out and make your contribution!

(And if you're into web analytics, Avinash's blog is a must read!)