Blog How to Win at Website Analytics

How to Win at Website Analytics

What You Can and Can't DIY

AUTHOR: Yosaif Cohain

Jan 30, 2025

3 Min Read

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Picture this: Your audience lands on your website, eager to purchase tickets or make a donation, but they hit a snag. Maybe the process is unclear, or the page loads too slowly. Whatever the reason, they bounce—and your organization misses out on revenue. These moments matter, and web analytics holds the key to understanding and fixing them.

Yet, few arts organizations have the luxury of a dedicated analytics team to sift through the data and translate it into actionable insights. That’s where an analytics partnership comes in. By teaming up with experts, you can unlock the full potential of your data, improve user experiences, and make decisions that drive growth—all without overloading your internal team.

WHAT YOU CAN IMPLEMENT IN-HOUSE

You probably gather website data using Google Analytics 4 (GA4)—a powerful but complicated tool. It offers a wealth of data out of the box. You can track traffic to your website and specific pages, analyze traffic sources, and dive into reports with some customization. E-commerce tracking is available too, though it requires intentional setup to ensure you’re collecting meaningful insights. Beyond that, GA4 enables tracking of key behavioral data—how users are interacting with crucial parts of your site—which can unlock valuable understanding about your audience.

WHAT TO INVEST IN FOR BETTER DATA

While it’s possible to “DIY” certain aspects of analytics, many challenges require custom solutions—especially when it comes to advanced tracking and e-commerce. Professional support can help ensure your data is captured accurately and effectively integrated into decision-making.

That said, the biggest hurdle for most organizations isn’t collecting data—it’s making sense of it. In my 10 years at CI, I can count on one hand the number of organizations I’ve worked with that have even one full-time person dedicated to web analytics. At CI, we aim to help clients navigate this complexity, ensuring that even with lean teams, they can leverage analytics effectively to drive impact.

HOW TO MAKE THE MOST OF AN ANALYTICS PARTNERSHIP

A successful analytics partnership is about so much more than just crunching numbers—it’s about creating a space where data sparks new ideas and helps organizations achieve their goals with confidence and clarity. Here’s how we can make that happen together:

CONTEXT

To provide the best recommendations, we need to understand where you’re coming from. That means knowing your goals, challenges, priorities, and even your preferred ways of working. With this context, we can make sure our insights are relevant and truly actionable for your team.

COMMUNICATION

The more we can share openly about goals, challenges, and progress, the better we can work together. Clear communication helps build trust and unlocks the full potential of our partnership.

CURIOSITY

Analytics can sometimes feel like a “black box” filled with complex numbers and jargon. But our goal is to make it feel less intimidating. We want to replace that uncertainty with curiosity, so you can feel empowered to explore the data and see the opportunities it holds for your organization.

THE TAKEAWAY

An investment in analytics is an investment in your audience and your organization’s future. With the right partner, you’ll transform data into a strategic asset that drives growth, supports your mission, and takes the pressure off your already-stretched team.