A new study has been released showing most web analytics professionals don't think their own companies understand web analytics, reports ClickZ.

81 percent of respondents to a Web Analytics Association survey said understanding is low among their own firms. 56 percent say their job is difficult and 69 percent say their organizations don't fully grasp the analysis data they provide. 50 percent say they have or are now looking for a new job.

One author of the study says much of the problem lies in how the company's dos - or don'ts - approach the question of web analysis. There is a marked lack of a "process-oriented" approach at the companies that causes employee frustration and minimal understanding: Most companies just seek the numbers without looking at how they're obtained or what actionable data might be contained therein.

Moreover, employees that understand the significance of given data earn, on average, significantly more than those at companies that do not. Employee education, and the translation of analytics data to more universally palatable language, are both important steps in creating a more satisfied analysis workforce.

The study also shows that 31 percent of companies that ultimately receive measurement data feel the provided reports do not answer even half the questions they trigger. Despite this, 65 percent of those provided with analysis data make business decisions based on what's provided.