Appendix C: Review of Common Web Analytics Tools
Return to the Web Analytics for the New Zealand Government
| Google Analytics (Urchin) | Web Trends 8.6 | Unica NetTracker | Awstats | Urchin v6 Webalyser | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Click Stream Detail | Limited | Good (with purchase of additional modules - eg Marketing Warehouse/Visitor Intelligence) | Good | observing click-streams by using e-commerce module, customisable. | |
| Cost | Free | Variable, per page view | One yr license: $995 (US) Two yr license: $1795 (US) Three yr license: $2595(US) <dated 12/05/2008> |
Free/ GPL | Around $5,900 for perpetual license for up to 1,000 profiles |
| Open data warehouse | No | Yes - ODBC, Web Services | No | No | |
| Export reports | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes (CSV, XML, PDF) | |
| Custom reports | Yes | Yes | Yes | ||
| Data overlay to site | Yes | Yes (SmartView) | No | No | |
| Data Source | JavaScript/ Cookie | JavaScript/Server log/Optionally cookies, CRM | Server log | Server log | Two sets of reports based on cookies and web log files |
| Hosting | Remote | Local / Remote (WebTrends On Demand) | Local | Local | Local |
| Interface | Web | Web | Application | Web/Command line | Application |
| Optional add-ons | Ongoing updating | Yes | Yes - NetInsight (although 11K for an upgrade) | Yes e.g. Maxmind Regions, Cities, ISP and Organisations database | On-going upgrading |
| Data pharsing (Import vs Report) | Unknown/ Fast | Slow/ Fast | Slow/ Slow | Slow/ Fast | Depends on operating platform |
| Package updates | Free | Varies (free upgrades only with current maintenance contract) | To follow up with this info | Free | Depends on Agreement |
| Trial versions? | N/a - Free | Yes | Yes | N/a - Free | Yes (30 days) |
| Account administration | |||||
| Account user access set up | Yes (Admin or General User) | Yes (incl roles) | Yes (Admin or General User) | Yes | |
| Account user access delete | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| Account administration level set up | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| Account profile access restriction control | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| Visitor Identification method | |||||
| IP address | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| User agents | Yes | Yes | Yes | ||
| User names | Yes | Yes | |||
| Session IDs | Yes | Yes | Yes | ||
| JavaScript/Cookies | Yes - Primary | Yes - Primary | Yes | Yes | |
| KPI Matrix | |||||
| Total visits/sessions to the entire site | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | yes |
| Total visits/sessions to homepage | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | yes |
| Total visits/sessions to areas/folders | Yes - filter | Yes | Yes | Yes | yes |
| Page views to site, areas/folders, pages | Yes - filter | Yes | Yes | Yes | yes |
| Average page views per visit | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| Unique visitors | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| Return visitors | Yes - "New vs. Returning" | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| Visit frequencies | Yes - "loyalty" | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| Average time spent per visit | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| Click stream information | Yes - Very limited (Navigation summary) | Yes | Yes (done by domain name info) | No | Yes |
| Landing pages/entrance pages | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Exiting pages | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Bounce rates | Yes | No | No (couldn't find any material) | Yes | Yes |
| Search terms | Yes | Yes | Yes (under keyword search) we haven't managed to get this to work | Yes | |
| Up and down streams of search | Yes - Must enable "Track Site Search" | Yes | |||
| Failed searches | No | Yes - limited (can show where searches have zero results) | No | Yes | |
| Operating system information | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Browser information | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Screen resolution information | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| Broken link reporting | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Goals/conversion information | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | |
| Online returns/forms abandonment rate | Yes - via goals/conversion only | Yes | No | ? | Yes |
| Abandonment points/rates | Yes - assumed through "top exit pages" | Yes | No | ? | Yes |
| Government agencies website ranking | Yes - via "Data Sharing" | No | No | No | No |
| Marketing campaign measuring | Yes - filters, Adwords or Goals | Yes | Yes | No | Yes |
| Marketing ROI | Yes | No | No | ||
| Referers | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes - can be enhanced with addon | Yes |
| Cross reference reporting | ?? | Yes (via custom reporting) | ? | Yes | |
| Segmentation reports | Yes - filters | Yes | No | No | Yes |
| Capable of tracking web 2.0 applications | Yes - custom meta tags, filters | Yes, in 8.6 | No | Yes | |
| Task scheduling and report exporting | |||||
| Task scheduling | Yes - Reports only | Yes | Yes | No - but can easily be scripted | Yes |
| Report exporting | Yes | Yes | Yes | No - only html, or experimental pdf reports | Yes |
| Real time reporting | No | Yes | Yes | Yes - requires minor configuration change, limited to hitting 'update' on the stats page in the browser | Yes |
| Dashboard report application | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Scalability | |||||
| Scalable to accommodate different web sites, portals, areas by using different profiles | Yes | Yes | Yes | No - not by profiles | Yes |
| Multi-channel enterprise solution | Yes - via meta tags and Urchin | Yes | No | No | |
| Tool Performance | |||||
| Specified available time | Yes | Service is 24/7, phone support during normal American/European business hours | N/A - runs locally | N/A - runs locally, unless your site is externally hosted | Yes |
| Permitted down time | N/a Google defined | N/A - runs locally | N/A - runs locally, unless your site is externally hosted | Yes | |
| Reports are availble after specified hours | N/a Google defined | Yes | N/A - runs locally | N/A - runs locally, unless your site is externally hosted | Yes |
| logs load distribution/balancing | N/a Google defined | Yes - with 3rd party software | No - up to the server admin | No - up to the server admin | Yes |
| Compressed data storage | N/a Google storage | N/a - runs off log files | No - but config can be changed to automatically deal with gzipped/etc log files for analysis | Reports are around one tenth of raw log files | |
| Tool upgrading | Automatic GUI upgrade | Download for software version, unknown for remote service (automatic?) | Manual download and upgrade process | Manual download and upgrade process | Download for new version supplied by Google. |
| Data backup/DR | N/a Google defined | Yes | Yes | Yes - completely manual process though | Yes |
| Vendor Support | |||||
| Availability/commitment of support | Yes - via Australian 3rd parties | Yes - but US or Euro based support | Yes, person who runs the forum also arranges to meet frequently and is always quick to reply via email | None - free open source software - only forums, etc | Depending on agreeement with vendor representative, online forums, news release |
| Support request response time | Yes - via Australian 3rd parties | Yes (time depends on support package) | Yes | N/A | Yes |
| Support channel (face-to-face, phone, email) | Phone, email | Phone, e-mail, pager | face-to-face, email, forum (and I'm sure includes phone just haven't used it) | Forums | Support agreement with vendor representatives |
| Support documentation (up to date, accurate) | Yes | Yes (incl knowledge base) | Yes | Yes | Basic technical specifications online forums |
| Local personnel | No | No | Yes | N/A | No |
| Data Storage | |||||
| Inhouse or external/overseas | Overseas | Inhouse (software version) / Overseas (remote version) | Inhouse | Inhouse, unless your site is externally hosted | In-house data & reports storage |
| Privacy agreement | Yes | Yes | n/a | N/A | In-house hosting & restricted usage of data |
| Data storage life | Unknown | Unknown | Data stored on own log files | Up to you, if running it inhouse | Up to you, if running it inhouse |
| Meet government records management legislation | Unknown | Unknown | Unknown | Unknown | Yes |
| Costs | |||||
| Cost of initial license fee | Nil | Undisclosed (can be US$10,000+) | Nil | Around $3,000 USD for up to 1,000 profiles | |
| Cost of annual license fee | Nil | Undisclosed (resellers quote from US$1,000 per 20,000,000 page views) | Nil | No | |
| Cost of service support | Nil - unless 3rd party support required | Undisclosed (but anecdotes indicate service is at additional charge) | Nil | Optional (support may be needed for initial setting up | |
| Cost of upgrading | Nil | Undisclosed (free with maintenance contracts, otherwise costs) | NetInsight is the next upgrade $90 USD/month Reporting $90 USD/month Tracking $140 USD/month Tracking and Reporting Undisclosed amount for Enterprise package. |
Nil | Depends on Agreement (minor add-on's are usually free. |
| Saving on cross government solutions (group procurement bargining) | N/a | Unknown | Unknown | N/A | Because it can host upto 1,000 profiles, it may be hosted by on agency and used by others |
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