Anil has recently posted a blog about the number of web analysts jobs that have been advertised recently. They have increased considerably over the past two years but, what (in the UK at least) is missing from Anil's report is that companies do not know what they are looking for. They are assuming that web analysis is the same as web reporting. They are also assuming that a web analyst position is also solely responsible for project management, seo and marketing campaigns.
Right by my reckoning those jobs (if one could do all of them at once) equates to around £200,000 p.a. that is around $400,000. However, in order to earn that salary you'd be working 72 hours a day... who could do that? errr.. no one.
Why do they think this? I'm not just talking about the companies, the recruiters are just as much to blame. Recent conversations highlighted the variance in salaries on offer - some were offering £18k to £25k others wanted a person like in the scenario about who could split themselves into seven and only accept around £35k to £40k for such a talent!
What I've also discovered is that a lot of people who are web analysts/reporters tend to stick to one tool rather than look at what tool they should be recommending to their firm. Pat Gildea from nPower once said that she is now on her third provider (redeye - behavioural analysis analysis). I do not think that this is an uncommon scenario. Companies are getting more and more hungry for intelligence and once they see what web analytics can deliver on a small scale - to coin the phrase of a great 80s song ("the only way is up"). Investment in new tools deliver new results. However, you ever tried explaining the difference between the two figures each tool produces when running them in tandem?
My recommendations for anyone wishing to truely succeed is to get an understanding of the lower end tools, the free tools and if permitted get as much experience on the mid to high end tools like SAS eBIS (Malcolm Duckett and Jonathan Opperman are your guys to discuss this tool) and Visual Sciences (have a chat with my mate Simon Gibbard for further details). Experience of tools like Offermatica, Touch Clarity, Hitwise, Comscore can do nothing but help a CV shine amongst those that are specialists in one tool only.
Anil's blog talks about the volume of jobs for web analysts so think it would be safe to say that we're in a sellers' market - we as web analysts are in a position to pick the juicy contracts / jobs because 1. clients know that there is money to be made via the net and want to be able to measure it effectively but, don't know quite how ... and 2. we know that there are not many people capable of doing the job.
I must admit that contracting/consultancy does take additional skills - a certain degree of self-confidence in oneself and one's ability. It also takes a certain level of guts because there is always going to be that period where you're out of work and the fact you don't get paid to take holidays. In my opinion - "carpe diem" sieze the day - the risk is worth it...
email me miles at milesbennett.co.uk to talk about this further or leave a comment
If you want to read Anil's full blog