7 Common Omniture Implementation Mistakes

Posted by Danny G Sam February 14, 2009
  1. SiteCatalyst inside Head Tag
    If the Site Catalyst code is placed inside he head tags, an image request would not be sent. The Site Catalyst code should always be pasted inside the body section. Another tip to overcome this issue is including the code inside the footer section of a template.
  2. Setting the wrong Report Suite ID
    If a wrong Suite ID is referenced, you would end up with no data and thus no reports. However, using a debugger would not portray the issue and would still allow you to see the variables set and would also provide reports.

    The report suit id list should be thoroughly verified and ensured that all the s_account variables are set accordingly. You can also monitor traffic and compare with other analytical tools.

  3. Wrong Goals setup
    The end purpose of using Omniture is to find if the goals have been met or has it improved. Unless proper goals are set, ROI cannot be calculated. SiteCatalyst analysts fail to set up proper goals.

    Goals should be set up even if a website does not have e-commerce. Common goals include:

    • Subscribers
    • Inquiries
    • Downloads etc.
  4. Improper Segmentation
    Segmentation is a basic but crucial task where one slices the data received and produces a presentable segments. Most analysts fail to segment data properly which can prevent proper analysis.
  5. JavaScript Files referenced wrong or file does not exist
    JavaScript files are always referenced by the Site Catalyst code and if they are not linked properly or if the file does not exist, then data is not sent to Omniture. Ensure that all JavaScript files are referenced properly and do not contain broken links.
  6. Commerce variables not set properly
    This is another common mistake which can hinder proper revenue and customer buy-sell strategy analysis. There are possibilities that revenues, units and orders can be duplicated which can result in improper results. Always use purchaseID variable for purchase.
  7. Wrong Syntax
    These issues are normally caused due to carelessness. Even wrong quotes or case sensitive issues can prevent proper data being passed on.

    For example, evar should be mentioned as “eVar” and not “evar”.

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