Google Analytics

Chapter 11. Enterprise Implementation Considerations

There has been much debate as to whether Google Analytics is an enterprise-class web analytics tool. The simple fact is that if Google Analytics meets your reporting and analysis needs, it is a viable solution for your organization. I’ve worked with many organizations that would traditionally be classified as enterprise; they are global organizations with hundreds of websites and many different types of analytics users.

When implementing Google Analytics in these types of organizations, many unique issues can arise. It can take some work to design a solution that is technically viable and meets the overall business needs of the organization. If you’re dealing with an enterprise implementation, keep an eye out for these issues.

Issue #1: Roll-Up Reporting

Large organizations tend to have more sites, and more sites mean more data. Collecting the data in a business-centric fashion that allows room for growth and appropriate access for users takes time and planning.

During an enterprise implementation, we usually create a series of accounts and profiles that collect and segment the data based on business logic and access needs. We create a data hierarchy that provides high-level aggregate tracking across the entire online experience (i.e., roll-up reporting) and detailed tracking for each individual property (i.e., website).

Let’s consider a totally fictitious scenario: implementing Google Analytics for Major League Baseball (MLB). Obviously, ...