Web Success Metrics
Depends on what you mean by web and success… and who you ask. I’ll start to collect links here (and via del.icio.us), and host a roundup on the topic when I get enough meat to add something new to the discussion. Godin offered up the two below. They both talk about metrics changing because of the underlying technology or construction of online information. And oddly enough, the discussion orients around ad-buying terminology of impressions, inventory, etc. I say oddly, because there is so much room to change the model. I know it will take more time for the industry to change, but there is a chance for those on the front of the bow to really break some ice on the whole business of digital advertising…
From Jeff Jarvis:
I say the change we’re facing is much bigger than just the obsolescence of the pageview, much more fundamental: Size doesn’t matter. Relevance, credibility, and attraction do.
Theoretically, I’m in total agreement. But pageview is easy to understand… and though becoming harder to measure, how would one measure relevance, credibility, and attraction? The closer you get to actually measuring value, the harder it becomes to define the elements of that value. In my day job this is what I do. It’s not easy… and most of the time you end up constructing new ways of parsing and processing the information because there is a chasm between the standard metrics and real value.
From Fred Wilson:
But there are changes afoot in the Internet measurement business. Everyone is recognizing that pageviews matter less now. Ajax and other more modern web technologies allow for new ads to be displayed without a page reload. Ad views can grow even as page views decline.
More to come on this theme. Everything is related here… advertising as a product or service means you need different metrics. When you change from exposure to value-creation, most of the old language, processes, research, and measurement tools are no longer relevant.