Our Online Dialogue partner and chief optimization officer Ton Wesseling, for Webanalists.com wrote an article on the 7 topics that were hot in 2012 and remain hot in 2013.

Together with Reinout Wolfert last Friday, I drew conclusions from webanalists.com's 2012 analytics data. What were the topics that were read the most, the research reports that were downloaded the most and the keywords of visit from Google that rose the fastest? Once we had summarized the topics, we quickly saw one major common denominator. Some trends were new to 2012, some had been hot for some time, but all 7 topics we believe will remain hot in 2013.

1. Google Analytics

Every article in which we explained something last year about how to make something, how to do more, or what kind of new features we're going to get with Google Analytics scored like a train. Instead of asking who does use the tool, it's better to ask who doesn't. With the advent of a paid version and the rollout of Universal Analytics will continue its dominance and popularity in 2013.

Just so you know: All the letters of Google Analytics occur quite appropriately in the song Don't Stop ’til You Get Enough by Michael Jackson. If it is up to Google, they will go on merrily.

2. Cookie Law

Actually the telecom law, but for us of course the cookie law. Since June 2012, you are no longer allowed to simply place information on and read from your website visitor's device.

From through the warning of consequences and the solutions to the cookie law to finally the relaxation of the cookie law. If only it had to do with the cookie law you guys were hitting ReTweeting and Liking en masse!

Given the fact that no one really knows at this point exactly where everyone stands and there will certainly still be adjustments to the law, or enforcement, the word cookie will continue to attract a lot of attention in 2013.

Just so you know: All the letters of Cookie Law occur quite appropriately in the song We can work it out by the Beatles. It will be all right, then?

3. Big data

This is the buzzword that was little before 2012. Big data is the word that rose fastest last year among all Google searches we get visitors from. They all found the explanation: Big data: what is that anyway?. Articles posted about the match between web analytics and big data and the application of big data in web analytics were also eagerly received. We look forward to the first homegrown cases in 2013!

Just so you know: All the letters of Big Data Analytics occur quite appropriately in the song The Times They Are A-changing by Bob Dylan. So keep an eye on Big Data!

4. Social analytics

Actually the buzzword before Big Data became this. A still very virgin territory, more of an island really. Social media takes place a lot on external platforms and those in turn have their own data. The article on Social reporting in Google Analytics was therefore well read and so were tips on what to actually put on social media must measure. Also notable were the many research reports that were posted and read in this area.

We are far from finished with Social Analytics. Together with Universal Analytics and especially Big Data applications, we will make great strides in 2013 and the years to come.

Just so you know: All the letters of Social Media Analytics occur quite appropriately in the song The Closest Thing to Crazy by Katie Melua. That doesn't bode well?

5. Tag management

Of course spurred by the cookie law in the Netherlands. After all, we need a tool to manage cookies and those are mostly placed by “tags” from the analytics / testing / targeting world. If we do screw up the website, let's put all tags in 1 management system. Tag management. What everyone should have implemented a long time ago also took off this year with the arrival of the free systems of QuBit (Open Tag) and Google Tag Manager. Even the “old” BTBuckets has become a tag management platform with SiteApps.

You could read about how to Starting with Tag Management and on which you Save money with Tag Management. Get started and make sure your analytics tags and pixels are managed centrally from now on.

Just so you know: All the letters of Tag Management System occur quite appropriately in the song There Must Be an Angel (Playing with My Heart) by the Eurythmics. What's still holding you back?

6. Persuasion & AB testing

The most read articles with filtering out Google organic visits on webanalisten.nl last year were articles with results of tested persuasion techniques. So not just AB test cases, but examples of how to persuade your visitor to do something. Persuasion has been around for a long time but this year it really broke through on webanalisten.nl.

We talked about how to you can make prices seem lower, how to can improve conversion with a made-up product, How to turn a no into a yes and what Be appealing call-to-actions for on your landing page.

Just so you know: All the letters of Persuasion occur quite appropriately in the song Arms Open by Guus Meeuwis. The mind status of your visitor if you seduce it well.

7. Vacancies

The most viewed page of webanalisten.nl (excluding the homepage) in 2012 is: the web analytics jobs page. Visits have doubled compared to the previous year. The most striking thing is that this is not so much because visitors from Google are looking for jobs more, but that the job overview page is visited much more by visitors from webanalisten.nl. If I also look around me at the changes of positions, it seems that 2012 was the year in which web analysts were really open to a career change.

Given the fact that there will continue to be a shortage of experienced web analytics and conversion optimization specialists in the coming years, but that there are more and more great jobs coming along, we expect you to visit the jobs page frequently again in 2013.

Just so you know: All the letters of Analytics Jobs occur quite appropriately in the song They Don't Care About Us by Michael Jackson. You may make your own interpretation to that 🙂 .

Originally posted on January 7, 2013 at Webanalists.com