Web Analytics in Higher Education

The Internet and Web Analytics Tools have been primarily used by huge companies and e-commerce businesses. But since the rapid development and improvement of the internet it gained popularity among people thus increasing the number of users. Because of this, more and more companies have developed their own websites to let other people know that they exist. The internet then became a cheap but effective way of advertisement which now has been the primary way companies market themselves.

But the development never stopped there. People realized that there is more to the internet. Then internet became not only as an advertisement but as a means of improving the business processes by adding functions to the sites such as online payment, inquiry etc. But how does this relates to Higher Education particularly De La Salle?

According to the article by David Aponovich, Web Analytic Tools are not only primarily used by e-commerce and corporate websites to measure the success of their website but it has become a focal point for universities. It may not make sense since most of the universities here in the Philippines are not internet based so why the Internet? But this question has already been addressed earlier. Since most companies became interested in the web, it doesn’t exclude companies which are not internet-based but it gave them an option to become one. And one some of these companies is De La Salle University which is one of the leading universities in the Philippines.

In 2007, colleges and universities in the U.S. greatly increased their investment on their website knowing that online channel has become the primary way that prospective students research college choice. And the fact that 49% of college applicants applied online proved the success and dominance of the internet. This statement may not be applicable here in the Philippines 5 years ago but access to the internet here in the Philippines greatly improved and became relatively cheap. Furthermore, student hoping to study in De La Salle University are most likely to be able to afford an internet connection. So, I could safely say that most of the investments online are most likely to succeed given that it is implemented correctly.

The university’s website has been a good advertisement; provide useful information to students who are enrolled in De La Salle as well as those who are aspiring to study in De La Salle. Websites are a good choice but there are still other benefits to it. Using Web Analytics Software, the company can make crucial decisions based on the data and information stored by the software which corresponds to the usage of the website. These data includes the page view, average time on a page, new visitors, repeat visitors and browser compatibilities. These data not only provides you information on how the website is used but can be a key to the success of the University’s website. With this information it gives us the idea on how well we are doing on our reputation online, what pages are effective and what to remove, and what did this type of users do in a particular page and how much time did he/she spent in that page.

But it does not only provide us information regarding the university’s site. Once integrated with the data mining software, it can do even more such as know which among the users are most likely to enroll thus giving us a clear picture who should we spend money and time and those who we should not entertain.

Having all the resources and tools does not mean a sure success. A good strategy is still required. The company should not just run off to a software company who they think can provide them what they need. Before deciding on what software to use, the company should know what they really need in the business and in their technology. So not only consult the board but also the IT team to make sure that whatever the board chooses, it will be compatible with the company’s system. It would be very good for the Marketing Department to have a good relation with the IT Department. The company should make sure that the IT staff knows how their system work with the Web Analytics software so they can debug or alter the code if something goes wrong. And lastly, the most expensive is not exactly the best. The best actually depends on the system and the company’s needs. Whatever best fits the needs is the best system although the company should also look at the durability and the authenticity of the software.