A survey of Web analytics and marketing professionals has found that customer satisfaction is a largely overlooked metric.

The poll conducted last quarter and released last month by the eMetrics Marketing Optimization Summit found that only a third of respondents focused on customer satisfaction on an ongoing basis. Instead, three-quarters of the professionals surveyed said conversion rates and landing page effectiveness are the most optimized.

With the advent of better testing tools, it makes sense that landing effectiveness would be a focus, the survey authors said. Conversion rates, on the other hand, are where the money is, and a small increase there can result in a big increase in online success.

However, as a largely overlooked metric, customer satisfaction could bring a significant competitive advantage to those Web marketers who embrace it, survey authors said.

Not surprisingly, the survey also found that the most measured marketing channels were search, email and online advertising. More than three-fourths of the respondents said they were measuring results in each of the areas. Keyword search campaigns were measured by slightly more than 82% of the respondents.

When asked how they were integrating data across online channels, 84% of marketers and analysts said they were using one or more of three manual methods: Excel spreadsheets, PowerPoint and Sneaker Net.

In other survey highlights, more than three quarters of respondents monitor traffic and page views to measure campaign performance, while only 9% use predictive analytics.

In addition, more than nine in 10 plan to increase or maintain their budget for Web site performance optimization, and only a third said they are effectively using Web analytics data to direct offline business activities.

Overall, survey organizers said, the poll showed Web marketing and analytics professionals had a ways to go in making full use of available technology.

"The survey results highlight the need for more resources and analytics professionals who really understand how online data can have an impact on business goals," said Jim Sterne, producer of the eMetrics Marketing Optimization Summit. "The handful of survey respondents who indicated they are effectively integrating data, using proactive method of measuring campaign performance and optimizing for customer satisfaction are on the cutting edge, and they represent the greater shift in the web analytics industry in the coming months."

The eMetrics Marketing Optimization Summit is being held this week in San Francisco.