Google Analytics Effect Revisited

When I've asked folks who work at Web analytics vendors if Google Analytics threatens their business, they generally say that Google has actually driven them business because companies start with Google, then need to "graduate" to a more robust product.

However, I also hear from people who have dropped their web analytics solution and moved to Google Analytics because they realize they aren't getting the return on investment from their analytics vendors.

So I'm curious...

Have you dropped your web analytics vendor for Google Analytics?

Have you "graduated" from Google Analytics to another web analytics vendor?

In light of the last month's events, does Google Analytics seem like a better choice, simply due to the stability of the company?

I'm interested in hearing your thoughts...

Comments

[Eric T. Peterson]

Phil,

Good question! You might want to have a look at my recently updated Vendor Discovery Tool over at Web Analytics Demystified. Right now, over 8752 domains it is showing GA code on nearly 58% including 67 sites in the Fortune 1,000!

http://www.webanalyticsdemystified.com/vendor_discovery_tool.asp?vendor=All+Vendors&compare=TRUE&domain_table_name=fortune_1000&fortune_industry=%25
http://www.webanalyticsdemystified.com/vendor_discovery_tool.asp?vendor=All+Vendors&compare=TRUE&domain_table_name=fortune_1000&rank_domains=TRUE&fortune_industry=%25

Your question about GA being somehow more "stable" in light of the recent Omniture+Visual+WebTrends stuff, especially at the price-point, is very interesting. Still, I struggle with people completely abandoning "Enterprise-class" apps for Google Analytics.

Great question!

[Phil Kemelor]

Eric - thanks for sharing the latest data from the Vendor Discovery Tool. While I too would be surprised if companies gave up their Enterprise-class applications because they can't get certain functionality from Google Analytics, it wouldn't totally shock me. If they've had less than optimal experiences with analytics solutions that were not supported adequately and that did not give them the necessary ROI, GA might be a reasonable alternative.

[Rich Galan]

Phil,

We actually went the inverse direction.. We dropped our commercial vendor (small ASP ala Omniture) for inhouse tracking.

Simple pixel tracking with web log mining and warehousing. Does this still fall into the WA space or BI? We are a website and I'm analyzing the data but not using a vendor to do it..Semantics I guess..

Thanks,
Rich

[Phil Kemelor]

Rich - thanks for your comment. Interesting strategy!

Phil

[Jared Huber]

Phil,
Good discussion. Based on the recent rash of consolidation in the market, we've started to recommend our clients implement Google Analytics in parallel to "enterprise-level" tools. Redundant tracking, although somewhat costly, affords us a sense of continuity in metrics should there be need to migrate or change ASPs.

Thanks,
Jared

[Justo Ibarra]

Phil:

In my experience Google Analytics has a great advantage: its for FREE.
I'm working for an online agency, and many clients didn't want to pay for a WA solution on their sites. Since Google launched GA we are able to tagg their sites for free and give them very usefull information.
By this way all win, our clients because of information, our agency because of selling a high value service and last but not least Google because of dominance on WA market.

Justo.

[Marcos Richardson]

Hi Phil,

I think your question will soon also apply to MicrosoftG!

As a Vendor we are seeing companies run Google GA along side our WebtraffIQ system as a back up system. We are also getting paid to make sure the Google is set up correctly and for help desk support.

Google is defiantly NOT FREE.

http://www.webtraffiq.com/home/white_paper_google_web_analytics.pdf#

Regards

Marcos Richardson
Director
www.webtraffiq.com