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Improving On-line Archival Access: Preliminary Results from a Case Study Midwest Archives Conference Louisville, KY April 19, 2008. Chris Prom Assistant University Archivist University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign [email protected]. - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
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Improving On-line Archival Access: Preliminary Results from
a Case Study
Midwest Archives ConferenceLouisville, KY April 19, 2008
Chris PromAssistant University Archivist
University of Illinois at [email protected]
*Special thanks to Beth Yakel, Aprille McKay, and Helen Tibbo!
Why Use Web Analytics?
• “the measurement, collection, analysis and reporting of Internet data for the purposes of understanding and optimizing Web usage”-- Neil Mason, “The Four Parts of Web Analytics,” http://www.google.com/analytics/cu/ac_the_four_parts.html
• Allows unobtrusive observation of actions (NOT motives or initiative)
• Data is easy to collection and view• Provides basis for action and further study;
iterative redesign
Daniel Russell, regarding Google’s Eyetracking studies: “people behave
differently here, they want to make researcher happy, have
been given a free lunch”
Internal Log Data??138,041 hits on collection records
6,721 hits on “browse by digital content”
117,468 hits on search page
14,210 hits on “browse by campus unit” (12,737 non-staff)
1,855 hits on full finding aid
2,287 hits on “browse by subject”
1,255 hits on “browse by title”
449 hits on “PDF/Deep Search”
Step One—Analyze/Align Current Website Goals and Structure
Structure• Facilitate
Contact• Provide
Descriptive Information
• About us; Link to Programs
• Mediate use• Promote
Services
Archival Website Goals:•Provide information on services?•Provide access to descriptive information?•Drive on-line or on-site use?•Facilitate research, service, learning? (Developing Archival Metrics http://www.si.umich.edu/ArchivalMetrics/ )
More Complex
Step Two: Analyze Current Use Overview of UIUC ‘non-virtual’ use in 2005/06
Step Three—Develop a Privacy Policy
• Google Analytics http://www.google.com/analytics/tos.html – Installation Instructions– COLLECTS what they term “anonymous traffic
data” (includes IP Address)– REPORTS summary information only– Requires use of a privacy policy
• UIUC Archives http://web.library.uiuc.edu/ahx/about/privacy.php
Step Four—Plan the Study
• Know what you really want to measure– Limit yourself and make it actionable!
• Q1:How do people get to our site?• Q2: What are the most popular pages/groups of
content?• Q3: What are most popular searches?• Q4: How do users move through the net and our site
toward 4 ‘goals’?– Use search form– View record series description– View full finding aid– Send email
Better
My ‘Goal Conversion Funnel’
User visits or uses materials remotely!
Caveat: Does not include direct ‘hits’ via
Google, or other external referrers
Caveat: Does not include emails sent
directly to the address [email protected]
User enters site on home page and searches holdings
Q1: “Referrers”
Q2: Top Content Areas
Holdings Database
63.3%Program Areas25.3%
Homepage6.3%
Email and Downloads
2.2%
Guides1.1%
Services0.8% Features
0.5%
About0.4%
Pagevisits by Functional Area of Website
Q2: Top Content—Homepage
July 4 Weekends
6.3%
Q2: Top Content—Archon
64.5%
Q2: Top Content—Landing
Hmmm….
55.3% of all visitors enter site on collection page
Q3: What do users search for?
• Can measure both external and internal searches
• Drill down to see ‘clickstream’ and exit pages
• Rerun searches to see how users enter and leave site
Q3: Google Keywords (Searches)
“Clara Hamilton”
YIKES!!!
Wow!Deadend!
“Daily Illini”
17 (!) in Google Result Set
LessonWe MUST provide links to digital content (where it exists) or create it (where it does not exist and users are trying to find it).
“Strip Mines and Illinois”
Clicked! LessonsImportance of controlled subjects area
<title> element usage
Optimize ‘landing page’
It’s the digital content, stupid
Conclusions 1: My Assumptions Were Wrong
• Users RARELY enter our main page, then search
• Users DON’T walk a prescribed path to the physical records (DON’T assume visitor intent,
Peterson, p. 25)• Digital content IS NOT a ‘value added’
function
Conclusion 2: Google optimization matters
• Add more contextual information to landing pages
• Integrate better information into title (66 character rule) to improve page rank.
• Be concise and putting most important information first
• Emphasize content not description
Archon Home: Before
Archon Home: After
Controlcard: Before
Controlcard: After
Finding Aid: Before
Finding Aid: After
Digital Content: Before
?????
Digital Content: After
Next Steps
• Rerun stats on new design, July 2008• Develop ecommerce and explore ‘goal
conversion funnel’• Submit for publication
Improving On-line Archival Access: Preliminary Results from
a Case Study
Midwest Archives ConferenceLouisville, KY April 19, 2008
Chris PromAssistant University Archivist
University of Illinois at [email protected]