Eric Peterson, a senior analyst at JupiterResearch and author of The Big Book of Key Performance Indicators wrote a nice article on how Google Analytics will drive interest in and raise the bar for entry-level Web data analysis in 2006:

I expect 2006 to be a banner year for the Web analytics market based on factors including the likelihood that Google Analytics will drive interest in the subject and raise the bar for entry-level Web data analysis.

Though still not widely available, the functionality in Google Analytics is worth a look by anyone interested in doing more to measure the success of their Web sites.

He also said:

Site owners who recognize the need to invest in Web analytics technology to support their understanding of how their Web marketing and site efforts drive their overall business are poised to do well.

I couldn't agree more. And the awareness is being raised in the minds of the future generations of business leaders.

I spoke to a group of MBA students in a marketing analytics class last night at NCSU and was impressed with the fact that several of the students had recently participated in an engineering/business course where about a week was devoted to the study of web analytics.