The tools and tests that made 2016 great: Our top 10 analytics & conversion columns of the year

If there’s one thing you can say about digital marketing, it’s that measurement has always been, and will always be, central to the practice, as sophisticated marketers use testing and analytics to continually move the industry forward.

In 2016, we grew in our understanding of what to measure and how to do so, in part because of new tools and capabilities coming onto the market. One of the industry’s most popular tools, Google Analytics, has stayed relevant, however, as evidenced by Jeremy Smith’s top column covering essential reports for revenue optimization.

But that doesn’t mean the digital giant is standing still, as Google also debuted its Analytics 360 suite of tools, including Optimize 360 and Data Studio (both of which now have free versions), spurring Nick Iyengar’s column on some of the new capabilities.

Amidst all of the new techniques and technologies, some age-old questions remain. What are the best metrics to be tracking? Is a high bounce rate always bad? What practical uses does the latest shiny new technology have that will drive business results? What’s happening on social media and in the world, and how should that affect my marketing? Our contributors addressed those, too.

To catch up on these topics and all the biggest trends and developments in 2016, check out these top 10 columns in our Analytics & Conversion channel for the year:

1. 6 custom Google Analytics reports you should use for every CRO project by Jeremy Smith, published on 7/7/2016
   Social activity: Facebook 553, Google+ 0, LinkedIn 890
2. What can predictive analytics REALLY do? Three case studies in seeing the future by David Booth, published on 3/28/2016
   Social activity: Facebook 324, Google+ 31, LinkedIn 562
3. 4 key Facebook trends e-commerce advertisers need to know in 2016 by Andrew Waber, published on 4/27/2016
   Social activity: Facebook 341, Google+ 54, LinkedIn 419
4. Top 7 Must-Have Tools For Website Owners by Jordan Kasteler, published on 3/1/2016
   Social activity: Facebook 180, Google+ 0, LinkedIn 180
5. Is A “High” Bounce Rate Always Bad? Plus: How To Improve Bounce Rates by George Aspland, published on 1/29/2016
   Social activity: Facebook 165, Google+ 44, LinkedIn 196
6. Beyond last-click attribution: Other success metrics you should be tracking by Kristie Colby, published on 3/25/2016
   Social activity: Facebook 205, Google+ 0, LinkedIn 298
7. How to create your own digital newsroom by Andrew Ruegger, published on 3/14/2016.
   Social activity: Facebook 247, Google+ 0, LinkedIn 262
8. How to run a conversion-focused Facebook Ads campaign by Khalid Saleh, published on 6/27/2016
   Social activity: Facebook 222, Google+ 0, LinkedIn 260
9. Google’s Optimize 360 creates exciting opportunities for testing & personalization by Nick Iyengar, published on 6/20/2016.
   Social activity: Facebook 174, Google+ 0, LinkedIn 207
10. How marketers should adjust to Google’s new search ad display by Brian Massey, published on 3/7/2016
    Social activity: Facebook 188, Google+ 44, LinkedIn 407

Methodology: Columns published in 2016 are ranked in order of page views measured by Google Analytics. Data includes all columns published through November 30, 2016. Social data provided by SharedCount.

About The Author

Pamela Parker

Pamela Parker is Executive Features Editor at Marketing Land, MarTech Today and Search Engine Land. She's a well-respected authority on digital marketing, having reported and written on the subject since 1998. She's a former managing editor of ClickZ, and worked on the business side helping independent publishers monetize their sites at Federated Media Publishing.