• How do you know your Web site is performing correctly?
• Is it meeting customer expectations?
• Is it meeting your sales targets?
• Is it presenting your product and service in the best possible light?
• What is the major source of complaints for online customers?

A new career has sprung up around these questions which for lack of a better term we can call "Web Watchers" but in industry can have varied titles such as Web analyst, user experience manager, and database marketing (assistant, associate, manager). These jobs pay from $75,000 to $120,000.

Web watchers help companies determine whether their Internet e-commerce site (or their Intranet employee site) are helping to achieve business goals.

The focus is on site integrity (security), performance and usability.

Web watchers usually inherit a set of metrics from previous position occupants to measure these dimensions, but frequently they must update these tools, and work with internal and external clients to develop new metrics.

Web watchers also write reports, work with Web site designers, and manage user feedback mechanisms.

Web watchers--like so many positions in e-commerce--must be able to combine technical, business and managerial skills. For instance, Web watchers should at least understand how to design and maintain a Web site without necessarily being a programmer. They should know what is involved in building a successful Web site. They also need to have a keen business sense. If the point of the Web site is to inform customers (but not sell them) then how well does the site inform? How do you know? If the point of the Web site is sell goods to customers, then how well is it performing that function? Finally, Web watchers need to possess a strong management skill, which generally means the ability to plan, set targets, allocate, and decide matters quickly.