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 Urbana-Champaignprom@uiuc.edu

*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 illiarch@uiuc.edu

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 Urbana-Champaignprom@uiuc.edu