We’ve noticed some misconceptions about Google Analytics floating around, and we thought we’d take a shot at correcting the most common ones. Without further ado, here they are, the top ten myths about Google Analytics debunked.
MYTH 1: “You get what you pay for.” Google Analytics is free, which means the system is down a lot.
Google Analytics makes use of the same network of secure and reliable data centers used to power Google.com, making downtime an extremely rare occurrence. We have a large team focused exclusively on keeping your data safe and accessible, and benefit from multiple redundancies in our infrastructure around the globe (this makes us fast as well).
We even rely on Google Analytics for our own mission-critical products such as AdWords, which see huge volumes of traffic every day. If you’re still having doubts, we’d encourage you to talk to some users and ask them how their experience has been with uptime.
MYTH 2: Google Analytics is basic and doesn’t have any “advanced” features or metrics
Ack, this one is a tough one to swallow! A more frequent complaint is actually that Google Analytics has too much data. The product includes over 90 standard reports with more than 125 metrics and dimensions covering everything from visits to internal site search queries.
Custom reports and user-defined variables allow you to create your own metrics and reports where the standard ones don’t meet your needs. With Pivoting, Advanced Segmentation,Secondary Dimensions, Event Tracking and the ability to share customizations, Google Analytics reports are more powerful than ever.
Google Analytics may look “basic,” on the surface, but it can do a lot more than you think! If you have complex needs try talking to a Google Analytics Authorized Consultant or diving into the documentation on the Google Code Site.
More Info (Feature List, Custom Reports, Advanced Segmentation, Analytics API)
MYTH 3: Google Analytics only supports third-party cookies
False! Google Analytics has always used first-party, not third-party cookies. First-party cookies are important because they allow Google Analytics to track repeat visitors, so you can see which keyword, referring site, etc is responsible for bringing buyers even when it takes multiple visits for them to convert.
MYTH 4: Google Analytics is not really accurate
If you’ve spent time doing web analytics work, you’ll know the sinking feeling that comes when two sets of numbers don’t match. If you’re experiencing a data discrepancy, don’t panic. There are many others in the same boat.
Google Analytics uses JavaScript tags to collect data. This industry-standard method yields reliable trends and a high degree of precision, but it’s not perfect. Most of the time, if you are noticing data discrepancies greater than 10%, it’s due to an installation issue. Common problems include JavaScript errors, redirects, untagged pages and slow client-side load times.
For tips on how to sensibly approach data reconciliation, check out this post by Avinash Kaushik, Google’s Analytics Evangelist. You can also talk to an expert.
All web analytics tools face the same technical limitations posed by JavaScript tags, so if another vendor claims their tool is more accurate, ask for some evidence.
More Info (Web Analytics Data Reconciliation Checklist, Whitepaper)
MYTH 5: It’s not possible to export your data from Google Analytics
Not true! You have two options for exporting data. Use the “export” button at the top of each report to export the current view in PDF or XML (up to 500 rows). Or, use the new Analytics Export API to extract large amounts of data in any format you like. Also, if you want to share data with a colleague, you can schedule reports to be delivered directly to their email inbox, or even send regular updates to your own email address.
More Info (How to Export your Data, Analytics API)
MYTH 6: With Google Analytics you can’t control your data
You have three options for data sharing in Google Analytics. You can change these options at any time from inside your Analytics account.
• do not share your data
• share your data with Google to improve its products
• share your data anonymously for benchmarking
No matter which option you choose, your data is protected by several layers of defense:
1. Dedicated security and infrastructure teams
2. Multiple redundancies to prevent data loss
3. Network redundancies to keep data accessible
4. Advanced security, firewalling and routing to keep data secure
5. Restricted access and principle of least privilege for personnel
If you opt-out of data sharing, your data will remain within Google Analytics and will not be shared with other products or services. If you decide to share your data with Google, it will be used to improve those products and services. Lastly, if you decide to share your data anonymously with others, it will be blended with other data to support the Google Analytics benchmarking feature. For more information on these options and what they mean, refer to the Google Analytics data sharing FAQ.
If you’re still concerned, Google also offers a software product called Urchin (www.urchin.com) that you can run locally.
More Info (Data Sharing FAQ, Google Privacy Policy)
MYTH 7: There is no professional support for Google Analytics
Contrar! We flipped the model. Instead of providing an expensive analytics product with a one-size-fits-all professional services plan, we provide a free product and let you purchase the professional services that fit your needs.
There are several ways to get support: email support, help forums, the help center, and a network of Authorized Consultants. Authorized Consultants speak your language, accept your currency and often share your timezone. More than 80 companies across the globe provide a full range of installation and analysis support for Google Analytics. Some examples of things they can help you with are:
• Validate and troubleshoot your installation
• Integrate your analytics data with other data sources or CRM
• Optimize your marketing efforts
• Train your staff on how to use Analytics
• Respond to support tickets, phone calls and provide on-site consulting
To find out more, give one or two of them a call. Our Authorized Consultants are hand-picked and are the best in the business.
More Info (Google Analytics Authorized Consultants)
MYTH 8: Google Analytics does not support A/B or multivariate testing and isn’t well-integrated with other tools
Google offers a full range of marketing products including a free testing tool called Google Website Optimizer. You can use it to test different page elements and find out which ones yield the highest conversion rate and ROI. You can also use Google Analytics in conjunction with Website Optimizer to create an optimization plan for your site.
Google Analytics is also integrated with many of Google’s other business products includingAdWords, AdSense, and AdPlanner. It is also widely supported by third party tools ranging from content management systems, to email suites, to call center applications. In addition, you’ll find many products that are complementary to Google Analytics including DoubleClick, TVAds,Webmaster Tools, Google Trends, Insights for Search, Feedburner, and more.
More Info (Google Website Optimizer, GWO Blog)
MYTH 9: You can’t segment data in Google Analytics
In the fall of 2008, Google Analytics released three new Enterprise Features: Advanced Segmentation, Custom Reports and Motion Charts. Advanced Segmentation lets you segment visits by dozens of metrics and dimensions such as geographic location, time on site, referral site and much much more. You can create segments on the fly and apply them to virtually all the standard reports in Google Analytics as well as custom reports.
More Info (In Depth Look at Advanced Segments, Video)
MYTH 10: You have to spend a lot of money to get “real” web analytics
Getting a return from your Analytics data does take an investment. The most important investment to start with is making sure you or someone at your organization has the expertise and time to put your data to use. If at that point you still feel you need to pay more for a more complicated tool, that’s OK, but remember that every dollar you spend on a tool takes away from money you could be spending on actually getting results, i.e. hiring or contracting a talented analyst (see the 90/10 Rule).
The question sometimes comes up, “if Google Analytics is free, what’s in it for Google?” Google benefits from Google Analytics in two ways. First, if webmasters build better sites, it helps us connect searchers with the information they need faster. Second, if advertisers use Google Analytics, they are able to see their advertising ROI, which helps us demonstrate the value of Google AdWords. Both aspects have helped create a strong business case for Google Analytics over the years.
Google Analytics is getting more powerful with each new update, and you may be surprised by what it can do. Find out more by attending an Analytics Seminar for Success or talking to anAuthorized Consultant in your area. If you’re an AdWords advertiser, you can also speak with your Customer Service Representative.
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Below are other key findings from the Forrester report’s Executive Summary:
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- Free web analytics takes residence within the enterprise. A staggering 53% of enterprises surveyed currently use a free technology solution as their primary web analytics tool, and 71% use free tools in some capacity. This places use of fee-based solutions in the minority, with only 33% of survey respondents paying for web analytics technologies (12% use homegrown solutions, and 2% use some other option). In addition, it dispels the belief that free solutions are only being used in small organizations or somehow diminished in their capacity to provide value to the enterprise.
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- The merits of free analytics products are compelling. Among respondents currently paying for their primary web analytics tools, 66% would consider displacing them with a free alternative. While the primary driver for this consideration is cost, 60% of enterprises are more likely to consider a free tool now because of recent improvements in free solutions. Additionally, 52% are enticed by free tools because they allow enterprises to invest more in the people necessary to drive insight rather than the technology used to collect and analyze data.
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- Balancing costs and benefits requires introspection. We found that 52% of practitioners employing both free and fee-based solutions fail to effectively use more than half of the capabilities offered by their tools. This realization is cause for a needs assessment to determine if fee-based web analytics technologies are justified or simply excessive. For many, spending on web analytics technologies could be better allocated toward program development and acquisition of expertise.
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- Reliability and ease of use are characteristics that enterprises crave. For 71% of enterprises surveyed, web analytics data plays a significant role in driving decisions. So it comes as no surprise that users place a premium on data assurance, with 45% citing reliable data collection as the most important vendor selection criteria. This was followed by 40% who listed an easy-to-use interface and product pricing as the second equally most important vendor selection consideration.
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- Organizations are approaching a point of inflection. Nearly two-thirds of enterprises would abandon their current web analytics provider given the right circumstances. While 74% of large enterprises agreed that web analytics is a technology that they cannot do without, many indicated that alternative tools would suffice. These metrics indicate that organizations are receptive to change and justifiably seek solutions best suited to meet their needs.
If you’d like to learn more, download the full report. We’d love to hear your thoughts. Post a comment and tell us what you think!
link to http://www.kaushik.net/avinash/2006/05/the-10-90-rule-for-magnificient-web-analytics-success.html, Kaushik is one of the foremost experts in analytics
“A part time person, or your admin, providing access to your favourite expensive analytics tool can’t help your management make actionable decisions.”
Actionable steps
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- Get a free Google Analytics account
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- cancel your contract with an expensive analytics tool vendor (saving of $50-200K)
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- Hire a smart analyst ($50K-100K/year) or get a consulting firm on a retainer
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- Put the rest of the money in your pocket
