Google Analytics is no longer the only free SaaS analytics that is fit for enterprise level use. Yahoo!’s Web Analytics service surpassed Google in several key categories according to a 470-page web analytics report released today by CMS Watch.
This is, of course, a surprise, considering that the analytics service provided by Yahoo! is younger than Google’s: Yahoo! Web Analytics was born in 2008, after the acquisition of IndexTools. Yahoo! Web Analytics has also better features than Google, as it is obvious if you compare the related links above.
The report evaluates twenty web analytics platforms against twelve potential use-cases. Out of the web analytics platform 7 are Saas only: Coremetrics, Digital River’s Fireclick, Google Analytics, Intellitracker Enterprise R6, Nedstat’s Sitestat, Omniture SiteCatalyst and Yahoo! Web Analytics.
CMS Watch found that Yahoo!’s free Web Analytics software is better than Google’s in some important key areas, including:
- Access control options and approach to multi-site analytics
- Monthly page-view limits (200MM for Yahoo! vs. 5MM for Google – unless an active Google AdWords campaign is present)
- Access to traffic data – both vendors retain the right to hold and use your web analytics data, but only Yahoo! gives the ability to export unaggregated data.
- Longer historical availability of reports and data.
Although Google has made some advances in its analytics platform, including report API, enterprise consumers are still concerned about data access and migration in Google analytics. This gives Yahoo! an advantage.
There are still issues regarding Yahoo! – most importantly the absence of 24/7 customer support, but Yahoo! was never a customer support champion, so this issue will probably stay fluid. Another drawback is that Yahoo! Web Analytics is only being offered to Yahoo! Small Business customers who host e-commerce sites with Yahoo!, and to advertisers who work with Yahoo! Custom Solutions and Yahoo! Buzz Marketing.
Also, despite the better analytics platform, Yahoo! still lacks features that could make it a perfect fit for all enterprise level needs:
“For some enterprises, neither Google nor Yahoo! make a good fit,” explained CMS Watch founder Tony Byrne, “and those buyers should consider fee-based web analytics solutions.”
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True, but Google did a Invention, rather than Yahoo
February 18th, 2009 at 2:30 am
Is that so, Yoosuf? I disagree:
Google’s service was developed from Urchin Software Corporation’s analytics system, Urchin on Demand (Google acquired Urchin Software Corp. in April 2005) and from Adaptive Path, whose product, Measure Map, was acquired and renamed to Google Analytics in 2006.
February 18th, 2009 at 6:26 am
That’s a pretty significant drawback. Who cares if Yahoo Analytics is better than Google if I cannot use the superior one?
February 18th, 2009 at 9:48 am
As it’s bundled with the standard sign up – at $130 a month – is that actually ‘free’?
February 18th, 2009 at 6:57 pm
Well, chances are that Yahoo! will make the platform available for all, as Google did. Keep in mind that Yahoo!’s is a younger service. It makes sense to be first offered to Yahoo! customers before it is released to the large public. :)
February 18th, 2009 at 11:26 pm
In GA I see only last click data, and cannot see what first brought the person to our website. They may visit five times before finally clicking on an AdWords ad, or whatever, and all I see is that the AdWords ad got the conversion. I can’t see what first brought them to the site.
With Y! Analytics, do you happen to know if you can see both last click and first click data?
April 7th, 2009 at 8:38 am
No Greg, I don’t know. I haven’t tested the service myself. I just related the news here. I do plan to test Yahoo! though, but I am not sure yet when. I’ll keep the SitePoint readers posted. :)
April 8th, 2009 at 10:23 pm
Google didn’t “invent” analytics. Google hasn’t a clue about analytics. They just bought an analytics service (Urchin) and re-branded it. They do that a lot, you know. Very Microsoft-like, in fact.
April 15th, 2009 at 2:25 am