Google Analytics Premium, realtime JS compression, and more – The Monday October 3rd Roundup

 

We’re firmly in fall and you can tell by how much/better blog content is going online across the web. This week we have posts on compressing javascript on the fly, the time it takes to build a website, the danger of outgoing links, exit rates, UX testing, and of course Google Analytics Premium. What a roundup.

Create

• To start the week, AliasPoorYorik has a post on compressing javascript on the fly using API access to a Google tool. Pretty neat stuff.
• Inspired mag takes on the question of “just how long does it take to build a website?” I won’t spoil it for you, but the answer ain’t so cut and dry.

Attract

• Can you get penalized for outgoing links? Linkbuildr fields some of the more conspiracy ridden questions surrounding outgoing links and brings in some pretty authoritative people  saying that, just maybe, you can.
• Mihm has a great post on how Google is going before the senate antitrust committee soon. I agree with a lot of what Mihm says, especially when it comes down to the fact that Google really does give a lot of options to allow people to opt out of providing Google with search content. However, as should be expected, if you do this you are sacrificing a great source of traffic.

Analyze

• Last week Google announced Real-Time analytics for Google Analytics, and Justin Cutroni (full disclosure, Cardinal Path’s director of Digital Intelligence) has a great post on it.
• I think I’ve professed my love for Gray’s posts a few times, but this one hits home. He asks “is a high exit rate bad?” and of course the answer is never a simple yes or no.
• And have we talked about Google Analytics Premium yet? Check out our new microsite, and while you’re at it Justin Cutroni’s post on it.

Optimize

• Mashable has a great list of UX tools for testing your site, provided by writers from 6 revisions. 6rev and mashable? Rad.
• UXmatters has an interesting post on the role of “forms” versus “wizards”. As always, a really indepth post looking at each.