A study into how Australian organizations measure, report and optimize their Web sites aims to investigate methods by which e-businesses can be improved. The Australian Web Analytics Survey 2006 is currently being conducted by Sydney-based online analytics consulting firm, Hurol Inan & Associates.

Australia is rapidly falling behind in the online channel, according to director and consultant Hurol Inan, and its nonperformance is due to a lack in understanding and adoption of tools and techniques to measure and maximize online performance.

Business Web sites are often regarded as software; once built, left largely unchanged until the subsequent overhaul, Inan said. But, he said, this approach is wrong.

"Web sites should always be in beta release and need continual improvement and optimization to get maximum benefits," he explained.

Web site optimization may be facilitated by Web analytics, which measure online performance by recording usage activities and studying user behaviour on a Web site. By measuring online performance, Inan believes that Web analytics allow businesses to gain insights into customer needs and highlight avenues by which a website may be improved.

"Web analytics is, in a way, 'the collective wisdom or verdict of the crowds' for the online performance of a website," he said, adding, "You can't manage what you can't measure!"

The study will be initially conducted through an online questionnaire, from which a group of respondents will be selected and interviewed one-on-one. Following the interviews, Hurol Inan will seek commentary on the results from industry leaders. Findings will be presented in a report to be published later this year.