Denny Hatch and the wonders of web analytics...
Denny Hatch is an old-time direct marketer who writes a regular online column for Target Marketing. I read it often to maintain a connection between still-effective direct marketing eternal truths and the modern online world.
If you've been wondering about the contribution to marketing effectiveness that analytics can make, then read today's column at http://bcs.targetmarketingmag.com/story/story.php?sid=110810
Denny is joyful today because he finally found the Holy Grail of how to measure the effectiveness of online marketing when he attended a presentation in Philadelphia. Fun to read just to witness the conversion take place. Old dogs can always learn new tricks.
One specific comment from the presenter I hadn't seen before: search engine spyders (or at least Google's) will return to a website every 3 days if they find new content, every 10 days if no new content is found, and eventually will not return at all if no new content is being added.
The first person commenting on Denny's column returned to an important reality that doesn't get enough emphasis: content of a web page counts more than anything else. If your intended audience isn't interested or can't quickly scan the page, web analytics won't save you, but it will tell you that nobody is paying attention.