You’ve heard the phrase “too much of a good thing.” Simply meaning excess can do you harm. This is how I feel sometimes about web analytics. You plug analytics into your website because someone told you that you should and then BOOM so much data. My first experience with this for my blog caused inaction. This seemed like too much work. I would rather live in ignorance than wade through the data swamp.
A nice comparison is your 401(k). USNews money states: “New research indicates that too many choices in a 401(k) may even lead inexperienced investors to take on more risk than they would with fewer options.” When you are overwhelmed with information you can very easily make mistakes or not lose sight of what is best. The article further states:
“A Rutgers School of Business, University of Texas-Austin, and University of Pittsburgh study found that many employees without extensive investment knowledge will choose a heavier concentration of stocks in their portfolio when confronted with more fund options. A large fund assortment more than doubled investment in stocks among those less knowledgeable, from 29 percent to 60 percent of the portfolio, and decreased bond fund investments from 46 percent to 26 percent. But more investment knowledge had no significant affect on people who said they had investing knowledge.”
While all of the analytics feedback can help some I think it hurts the vast majority if not used appropriately. This is where Funneli provides clarity through informative tips and helpful nudges in the right direction. Become a more informed user and learn about your website while (through Funneli) your website learns about you.
- Matt (your productive website advocate)