The Seotistics newsletter is written by Marco Giordano, a Data/Web Analyst with the goal of combining business and web data. Tired of the usual boring Analytics content without any business impact? Seotistics teaches you how to use Analytics, web data and even content in your workflow while helping you with Strategy.
Share
Data Strategy? Execution Matters Too!
Published 9 days agoΒ β’Β 7 min read
β
Use Data Or Be Used By Data!
The May 4 issue of Seotistics is here for you!
It's common to read on LinkedIn about "data strategy" and all that entails.
Look, in most cases we working in Web need less...
and that's why domain knowledge matters.
Once you understand what companies want, the rest is downhill.
And technical skills are more alive than ever!
Please move this email to your Primary inbox or reply to it. This is to prevent Seotistics goes into spam by accident. Gmail users can read this tutorial to do it.
This will be for Analysts or everyone wanting to explore Web Data in general, not only SEO.
The course is split in 4 amazing modules: β β GA4, GSC and other data sources: how to use them β LLM Workflows, BigQuery, SQL & Python β Dataform & Pipelines β Real Use Cases at work
And yes, I will talk about data modeling and complex stuff, new topic!
β
I am still busy as I have an important exam on May 7, so you need to wait some more time for cooler stuff! π
Why I Dislike The "Data" Fluff
It's super easy to dismiss technical skills and claim they are obvious.
Maybe some of us don't realize that learning stuff like SQL, Python and data warehouses takes time.
At the same time, topics like strategy and even business aren't often discussed, barring a few like-minded colleagues.
The solution is always in the middle.
You think strategically but also know your data and are able to be self-sufficient.
This is also why I recently started studying a little bit more of engineering.
And also why I love reading about growth and business models!
β
Especially for Web, which again, is a niche, you must handle execution because no one else can.
I can understand if we talked about some generic task like working with a database.
But if it's specific to Digital Marketing or websites, there is no escape.
Politics, Politics, Always Politics!
You still need to combine business skills and have an idea of data strategy...
but many professionals don't have the political power to influence anything, let's be realistic.
The guy doing Web Analytics in a company doesn't often have any say with the C-level.
That's not necessarily a bad thing!
A specialist isn't (always) supposed to orchestrate the data strategy of an entire company or talk to the C-level.
β
Yet, you often see "influencers" blaming professionals because of X and Y.
In reality, you can frame your tasks differently but ultimately you don't decide anything.
However... your work can fit into strategic initiatives, for example:
GSC data with queries can be used to underdstand your audience
Cohort analysis can be used to understand sales patterns
Measuring seasonality or peaks/lows is useful for preparing in advance
There are many things you can actually do that are important for a whole organisation!
It's more about reframing and selling what you already do rather than just "improve your communication". β Communication alone is useless without substance (and wit).
What Companies Often Need
Small or big, companies in respect to web data always look for the following:
processes to use
some way to present work and take action
You just need a little bit more of awareness of how businesses work to help them even further.
For example, I often notice that most dashboards are useless and will become technical debt.
Why you ask?
Because they track useless metrics and they aren't actionable.
β
All of this can be prevented by asking the right questions and having a clear understanding of a business.
If you are working with a B2B SaaS, you know that they most likely want to track downloads and forms...
rather than mere traffic.
For sure, you don't simply offer what they ask you but go beyond based on your expertise.
In my experience, the baseline is really low. You don't even need crazy work in most cases.
The Generalist Trap
What's the issue with generalist data content?
Simple, it doesn't improve yourself or get you hired because it's too "generic".
Companies in 2026 (and even from 2023 onward) don't look for the oversaturated generic professional.
That Udemy course or degree in "Data Science" is just another way to get your money.
Generalist advice be like "oh yes, study the basics of Python and Machine Learning, I am sure companies will pay you 6 figures"
You open a job position and it gets flooded with 1000s of candidates. Most of them have surface level knowledge.
Don't be like them! Specialize in something and craft your positioning!
Easier said than done but in our case the secret is avoiding focusing out of Web/Marketing.
β
I've worked on countless projects without specialists and you could see the HUGE difference.
If data represents your business, you need someone who actually understands the topic, right?
Web data is pesky by definition and you need to know how it works.
Or ignore my warnings and get the following:
people mixing scopes in GA4 and getting absolutely wrong results
paying for stuff like Fivetran to store API data when native exports in BigQuery are free (and better)
measuring the wrong stuff (e.g. using traffic as a measure of success lol)
completely wrong tagging and tracking
Complexity? No, Thanks
I swear, some projects are overly complicated for no reason.
There is a FIXATION for attribution and proving the "ROI" of everything.
The ROIfication of Marketing is a curse because there is less focus on execution and more on thinking.
Marketing is not rocket science, it's execution and testing, let's not make it impossible.
Data is the same, it reflects the business.
And this is also why I follow a strict modus operandi for identifying what people want:
β
Really, I get asked about attribution, server-side tracking and even measuring the ROI of everything.
Folks, there are use cases where all of those are needed...
but in most cases they are not and you are sleeping on 99 other levers you can pull.
The (Hard) Skills That Made My Life Easier
I always mention them and remind them but it's:
SQL, the English of data and the most long-lived skill ever
Python, nice for scripting and as a general purpose language... but kinda overrated
BigQuery, because Google has some nice native exports and it's a great tool. Plus, it includes Dataform
Looker Studio / basics of PowerBI, as companies NEED dashboards
Google tools as a whole, especially GA4. So easy to get value out of it
Dataform, recently helped a lot because engineers are never enough and you need to be self-sufficient to some degree.
LLMs, do we count them? If yes, then 100% must have
It all boils down to:
pull data, process it, showcase your results, do something about it (maybe not you)
This is why I teach SQL, BigQuery and how the Google tools work.
It's 99% of the market and you can't go wrong. Plus, many data "generalists" have no idea about web data or marketing.
So it's a great choice to invest in a niche!
It makes a huge difference to be someone that not only talks but can get dirty and execute when needed.
Otherwise you are just another snake oil salesman who claims that data is not technical lol
P.S. This doesn't mean you need to know everything, uh. I myself don't touch some topics!
AI & LLMs?
Look, the foundations and the gist of data didn't really change!
But you can't ignore LLMs exist and make our life remarkably easier.
Even from a pure visibility perspective (i.e. SEO), this is an important topic as everyone asks for it.
Data-wise, this is nothing new and it should NOT affect your strategy!
β
Job-wise, it's important to be aware of what is happening, otherwise you will be perceived as "outdated".
We know that this is far from true but the perception others have on you is crucial!
So yes, it's not like AI alters a strategy but it's an important tool for execution, especially if you write code like me.
Good luck spending hours to write long SQL or converting code from Python to Javascript.
π₯ Join Our Community
Our Discord community offers a small place where we can talk business and web data.
If you hate all the noise of social media, then this place is for you.
I will start posting more there as we have a forum channel now.
This is the best way to stay updated in real time on Seotistics:
The Seotistics newsletter is written by Marco Giordano, a Data/Web Analyst with the goal of combining business and web data. Tired of the usual boring Analytics content without any business impact? Seotistics teaches you how to use Analytics, web data and even content in your workflow while helping you with Strategy.
Read more from Seotistics - Web Analytics + Business + Strategy
Use Data Or Be Used By Data! The May 11 issue of Seotistics is here for you! So, you have some web data but have no idea where to start or what to do with it. Don't worry, the majority of companies out there are in the same spot. Rather than understanding why this happens, I will simply tell you what you should do now. Please move this email to your Primary inbox or reply to it. This is to prevent Seotistics goes into spam by accident. Gmail users can read this tutorial to do it. Read this in...
Use Data Or Be Used By Data! The April 27 issue of Seotistics is here for you! Content this, content that... but does it work? Yes of course it does! The issue is that too many people do the same mistake and think of content as homework. This also goes to measurement, no wonder it doesn't work. The thing is, people didn't really get it and we still see common mistakes when thinking about Content Marketing. Please move this email to your Primary inbox or reply to it. This is to prevent...
Use Data Or Be Used By Data! The April 20 issue of Seotistics is here for you! Whether you are a marketer or a data professional, it's always good to have more skills, especially during a recession. I'll show you what you can learn and how to avoid spending time on topics you will never touch. Also... demand changes so you must be there to supply it π Please move this email to your Primary inbox or reply to it. This is to prevent Seotistics goes into spam by accident. Gmail users can read...