Thanks to our good friends at the IRS, the word “audit” tends to dredge up unpleasant feelings for the average person.
But smart marketers know the value of asking an expert to take a second look at their marketing analytics.
Here at Alight, we regularly perform audits of an agency or brand’s Google Analytics implementation or even their entire marketing funnel.
Our team can go in and make sure clients’ tracking codes are set up correctly, so they can be sure they’re accurately measuring their most important metrics.
Nobody’s perfect, after all, and we often find small flaws that could otherwise cause big problems for an analytics team.
How do you know if your brand or agency needs an Google Analytics / marketing funnel audit?
Who needs a website audit?
Pretty much anyone who has a website and does some type of marketing that costs them money. In those situations, making sure that data integrity is locked up, and that the “connective tissue” across data sources is set up correctly is the key to understanding everything.
Can a marketing agency or department audit itself? Is it better to use an outside contractor?
Always better by an outside firm that has seen a lot of different ways of doing things. For example, at Alight we pretty much know what to look for when auditing a GA implementation. There are 10 or so things that people usually screw up that can really hurt the integrity of the data. We’ve run into these a ton, so we know what to look for. If that experience isn’t there, then you’ll miss stuff.
How long does a website audit take?
At least four weeks in many cases, sometimes longer for complex situations. There’s lots of mapping that takes place, as well as more technical audit work.
What kind of access does an audit team require?
The client’s Google Analytics account and reporting examples, as well as access to all marketing data sources. We like to take into account the complete ecosystem.
How often do you need a website audit?
Typically, it should be done once. The audit is designed to get the measurement strategy set up and all of the mechanisms in place. As long as that is done correctly, and maintained going forward, then there really isn’t much need to do it again. It’s when it’s not maintained that you would need to do it again.
Once the audit is complete, what should you do next?
This one really depends on the purpose of the audit. Typically it is data-focused, so the outcomes are more in terms of enhancements to measurement, tracking and the resulting data. Better decisions around the website and marketing should be driven from those actions.
Interested in setting up a Google Analytics or marketing funnel audit for your organization? Contact Alight for a free 15-minute consultation!