Analytics

Companies that have web sites require ongoing information about what is working, what needs to be modified or removed, where they stand relative to their Internet competition, customer and visitor behaviors, referral sources, monthly and seasonal comparisons, and other statistical data. Even web site design /redesign projects are dependent on knowledge gained from these analyses. Designers need to know and make web site design-related decisions based on projections about browsers or browser versions being used by site visitors. This is vital, as browsers display differently and those variables need to be considered. Information about how long visitors remain on a page or where they exit is important. Does the exit data suggest redesigning a particular web page? Conversions, or assumptions about what constitutes an Internet sale is now the foundation of Pay-per-Click program analysis. Conversion is a factor in organic SEO as well.

Server-based data is often available at no cost (or minimal cost) as part of a hosting package. Some examples of these types of analytics software are AW Stats or SmarterStats, software made available to many Webconsuls clients. Statcounter is another free measurement tool accessed by our clients. Other programs, like Webtrends and Tracksite are also quite popular. Applications can get quite sophisticated and expensive, depending on the types of data and detail required.

In recent years, the field has become dominated by one major player.

Urchin Software Corporation, a San Diego-area company, had long been a leading web analytics company In October 2005, Urchin was purchased by Google Inc., with the intention of making a variety of tools available to web site owners at no cost. Google Analytics, the new brand name, was introduced a month or two later.

Google Analytics has evolved into an extremely sophisticated resource, with drilldown availability to garner minute, but nevertheless important detail. Goal setting, Goal conversion rate and contact success are useful tools. Best of all, Google Analytics is free and available via password access 24/7. There is no question that the accessibility to Google Analytics has benefited the Google Search Engine. It was a very shrewd and timely purchase.

Depending upon the web site marketing and maintenance package in place, Webconsuls' customers receive various statistical reports and recaps, including Traffic Stats / Server Stats, Position reports, Visibility index and statistics, Link Popularity data, Search Engine Saturation (how many web pages from a web site are published by the leading search engines), search engine and directory registrations and other analytics.