Why Google Analytics always belongs in your measurement consideration set
Are you shopping for a new web analytics tool? If so, keep in mind the 7 keys to successful web metics. And, although you might find a better option, until you do, keep Google Analytics on your short list.
Why?
3 reasons:
- It covers the basics well. There are many, many great analytics tools on the market, offering all sorts of incredible features. And, yet, many of the business questions I want to answer, GA gives me with minimal configuration. Sure, it’s usually worth investing in professional services to ensure Google Analytics meets your specific business needs. But that’s true of many more expensive options, too.
- They keep adding truly useful features. Goal funnels? Check. Benchmarking? Check. Segmentation? Check. And since last week, page overlay:
Pretty cool, eh?
- I can spend my money on people, not technology. This is the biggie, for me. The first requirement of a good metric is that it’s actionable. And while many tools out there allow for more “sophisticated” tracking, for many small businesses, the cost of high-end tracking tools limits the number of resources – human and otherwise – available to put the information they produce to good use. Give me a good analyst with an inexpensive tool any day.
This isn’t to suggest Google Analytics is a perfect web analytics tool. It isn’t. In fact, for some businesses, it’s not the right tool at all. But, because it provides a good mix of both basic and sophisticated measures, and is available for no up-front cost, it’s almost always worth considering.
What do you think? Does GA do it for you? Or is there something better out there? Tell us all about it in the comments.
Are you getting enough value out of your small business website? Want to make sure your business makes the most of the local, mobile, social web? thinks helps you understand how to grow your business via the web, every day. Get more than just news. Get understanding. Add thinks to your feed reader today.
And while you’re at it, don’t forget to follow Tim on Twitter.
Technorati Tags:
analytics, Avinash Kaushik, continuous improvement, conversion, conversion rate, E-commerce, e-commerce, Google, measurement, metrics, performance, Google Analytics
This Post Has 0 Comments
Leave a Reply
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
[…] a follow up to last week’s look at why Google Analytics always belongs within your measurement consideration set, a reader sent me the following question: “I’ve messed around with a bunch of the free […]
[…] Why Google Analytics always belongs in your measurement consideration set […]
[…] have been impressed with In-Page Analytics since Google unveiled it a few weeks back. While getting the most out of the feature may require […]
An awesome, actionable analytics round-up (Small Business E-commerce Link Digest – November 5, 2010)…
Analytics should drive actions. These 10 links look at how to make that happen…….
[…] if you’re not a billionaire yet, look for the hockey stick first. Even simple tools like Google Analytics can help you easily isolate where your big jumps are coming from. Or not, as the case may be. Because, as the […]
[…] simple sites, this is probably enough. More sophisticated sites would likely want to add Google Analytics, Omniture or other sorts of tracking, which Squarespace allows with its Code Injection feature. Code Injection is very sophisticated, […]
[…] has played a crucial role in the growth of the medium. And, it’s no secret around here that Google Analytics is one of my favorite tools for conducting that measurement. But there have been lots of changes in the world of Google […]