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In part one of this series, I examined visitor segmentation, a data-mining technique. Now, let's look at how data mining can be used to understand important visitor behavior over time.

By Neil Mason, The ClickZ Network, Oct 16, 2007

Quite often when we use Web analytics systems, we focus on what visitors do during a particular visit. The classic conversion funnel is a good example of this trend.

Most Web analytic systems look at the conversion funnel in the context of a single visit, that is, they report on how people got to page A, then B, then C, and so on within a single visit. This information is useful because it helps identify potential process areas that need improvement. But if we think about those times when a visitor might make multiple visits to a site before a conversion, the classic conversion funnel might not give you a true perspective on what's happening.

Take the example of buying car insurance online. In the U.K., it's a very competitive business. Consumers typically shop around for quotes and go for the best value proposition. As a result, it' s very unlikely people will arrive on a site and buy car insurance on their first visit. Maybe they'll arrive from a search engine, check out the proposition, and bookmark the site for future reference. Maybe later they'll come back, get a quote, and leave to compare it to other quotes. Hopefully they'll return to complete the policy application process, and a sale is made.

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