Using Google Analytics at Library websites

OU Library Seminar – 14th January, 2009.

Tony Hirst (http://ouseful.info) Hassan Sheikh (m.u.h.sheikh@open.ac.uk)The Open University, United Kingdom

OU Library – more than a building …

Open Library 2.0

What are OU Library users doing online?

Google Analytics

How well is the homepage working?

Google Analytics reveals …

• Most clicked links:–Databases (20%)–eJournals (19%)–Library Catalogue (11%)

• Least clicked links (well quite a few!)–News links (less than 1%)–One-stop search (almost 0%)–Large images in the middle of the page (< 1%)–Etc.

Where the users are coming from?

On campus users: mainly Monday - Friday

Off campus users (?): steady throughout the week

What contents users are looking at?

Most popular pages (homepage aside)• Journals• Databases• eResources (Online collections by subject)

Top traffic sources

Most popular databases• LexisNexis Butterworths

(x12345)• JSTOR (x23456)• Westlaw (x34567)• PsycINFO (x45678)• Academic Search

Complete (x56789)

Where the traffic is coming from to the databases(1)? By referral

• Academic Search Complete (x56789)

Intranet – second highest referral

Where the traffic is coming from to the databases(2)? By referral

• PsycINFO (x45678)

Intranet – very few hits

Where the traffic is coming from to the databases(3)? By network location

• PsycINFO (x45678)

Top 5 network locs are non-OU

Most popular Journals*• JSTOR (y12345)• Academic Search Complete (y23456)• Blackwell Synergy (y34567)• ACM Digital Library (y45678)• IEEE Xplore(y56789)

* Incomplete data – due to legacy urchin tracking code being used!

Where is Journal traffic coming from (1)?

by referral

Where is Journal traffic coming from (2)?

by network location

Most popular Subject Resource Collections• The law/ law col• The law legislation page• Psycology col• Education col• Science – General col

Where is the Collections traffic coming from (1)? by referral – Psychology collections

Most of the traffic is coming from VLE …

Where is the Collections traffic coming from (2)? by referral – Law collections

Most of the traffic is coming from College of Law …

More on user behaviour …

Avg time on site/Pages per visit/bounce rate

Avg time spent on site per network location

Onsite search (1)

Onsite search (2)

Sudden change in search trend?

Onsite search (3)

99.29% visits to the site are without search(indicates good navigation design?)

The Help pageHow to cite a reference help page example

What’s next?

Course specific reports• What Library resources are used by the

users?• What sorts of reports can be usefully

generated for those course teams? • What sorts of reports can be usefully

generated for the library contacts for that course?

• Track student behaviour on different courses (or residential schools) and feedback to relevant course teams

Some more actions (1)• Segment onsite/offsite and regional

users (apply IP range filters)• Track by each course (from VLE) which

are sending traffic to Library resources• Enhanced OU Library PI reports –

different view points (Many Eyes tool?)• Improve homepage – keep a regular eye

on site overlays

Some more actions (2)• Buyer/owner of each database to keep

an eye on the usage • Reduce long list of databases – show

only top 5 as GA suggests• Use consistent names and URL paths• Use the new GA script to track journals

traffic

OUseful blog entries on Library Analytics

Part 1:http://ouseful.wordpress.com/2008/08/20/library-analytics-part-1/

And then follow the series (seven posts in total!)

http://google.com/analytics

Photo creditsStudent life - http://www.flickr.com/photos/powerbooktrance/237258629/

Web analytics washing http://www.flickr.com/photos/vickyb/2430043983/

Light in the foresthttp://www.flickr.com/photos/algo/1515342953/

Computer bachahttp://www.flickr.com/photos/13582731@N04/2635403499/

Google Analytics stickerhttp://www.flickr.com/photos/sajalkayan/2454018895/

Thank you!

Tony Hirst (http://ouseful.info) Hassan Sheikh (m.u.h.sheikh@open.ac.uk)The Open University, United Kingdom