Appendix C: Review of common web analytics tools
Return to the Web analytics guide for the New Zealand government
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Google Analytics (Urchin) |
Web Trends 8.6 |
Unica NetTracker |
Awstats |
Urchin v6 Webalyser |
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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. |
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|
Cost |
Free |
Variable, per page view |
One yr license: $995 (US) |
Free/ GPL |
Around $5,900 for perpetual license for up to 1,000 profiles |
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Open data warehouse |
No |
Yes - ODBC, Web Services |
No |
No |
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Export reports |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes (CSV, XML, PDF) |
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Custom reports |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
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Data overlay to site |
Yes |
Yes (SmartView) |
No |
No |
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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 |
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Hosting |
Remote |
Local / Remote (WebTrends On Demand) |
Local |
Local |
Local |
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Interface |
Web |
Web |
Application |
Web/Command line |
Application |
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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 |
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Data pharsing (Import vs Report) |
Unknown/ Fast |
Slow/ Fast |
Slow/ Slow |
Slow/ Fast |
Depends on operating platform |
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Package updates |
Free |
Varies (free upgrades only with current maintenance contract) |
To follow up with this info |
Free |
Depends on Agreement |
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Trial versions? |
N/a - Free |
Yes |
Yes |
N/a - Free |
Yes (30 days) |
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Account administration |
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Account user access set up |
Yes (Admin or General User) |
Yes (incl roles) |
Yes (Admin or General User) |
Yes |
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Account user access delete |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
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Account administration level set up |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
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Account profile access restriction control |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
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Visitor Identification method |
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IP address |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
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User agents |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
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User names |
Yes |
Yes |
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Session IDs |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
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JavaScript/Cookies |
Yes - Primary |
Yes - Primary |
Yes |
Yes |
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KPI Matrix |
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Total visits/sessions to the entire site |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
yes |
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Total visits/sessions to homepage |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
yes |
|
Total visits/sessions to areas/folders |
Yes - filter |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
yes |
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Page views to site, areas/folders, pages |
Yes - filter |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
yes |
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Average page views per visit |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
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Unique visitors |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
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Return visitors |
Yes - "New vs. Returning" |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
|
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Visit frequencies |
Yes - "loyalty" |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
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Average time spent per visit |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
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Click stream information |
Yes - Very limited (Navigation summary) |
Yes |
Yes (done by domain name info) |
No |
Yes |
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Landing pages/entrance pages |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
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Exiting pages |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
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Bounce rates |
Yes |
No |
No (couldn't find any material) |
Yes |
Yes |
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Search terms |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes (under keyword search) we haven't managed to get this to work |
Yes |
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Up and down streams of search |
Yes - Must enable "Track Site Search" |
Yes |
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Failed searches |
No |
Yes - limited (can show where searches have zero results) |
No |
Yes |
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Operating system information |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
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Browser information |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
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Screen resolution information |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
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Broken link reporting |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
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Goals/conversion information |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
Yes |
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Online returns/forms abandonment rate |
Yes - via goals/conversion only |
Yes |
No |
? |
Yes |
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Abandonment points/rates |
Yes - assumed through "top exit pages" |
Yes |
No |
? |
Yes |
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Government agencies website ranking |
Yes - via "Data Sharing" |
No |
No |
No |
No |
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Marketing campaign measuring |
Yes - filters, Adwords or Goals |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
Yes |
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Marketing ROI |
Yes |
No |
No |
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Referers |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes - can be enhanced with addon |
Yes |
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Cross reference reporting |
?? |
Yes (via custom reporting) |
? |
Yes |
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Segmentation reports |
Yes - filters |
Yes |
No |
No |
Yes |
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Capable of tracking web 2.0 applications |
Yes - custom meta tags, filters |
Yes, in 8.6 |
No |
Yes |
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Task schedulaing and report exporting |
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Task scheduling |
Yes - Reports only |
Yes |
Yes |
No - but can easily be scripted |
Yes |
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Report exporting |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
No - only html, or experimental pdf reports |
Yes |
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Real time reporting |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes - requires minor configuration change, limited to hitting 'update' on the stats page in the browser |
Yes |
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Dashboard report application |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
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Scalability |
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Scalable to accommodate different web sites, portals, areas by using different profiles |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
No - not by profiles |
Yes |
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Multi-channel enterprise solution |
Yes - via meta tags and Urchin |
Yes |
No |
No |
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Tool Performance |
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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 |
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Permitted down time |
N/a Google defined |
N/A - runs locally |
N/A - runs locally, unless your site is externally hosted |
Yes |
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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 |
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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 |
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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 |
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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. |
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Data backup/DR |
N/a Google defined |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes - completely manual process though |
Yes |
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Vendor Support |
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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 |
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Support request response time |
Yes - via Australian 3rd parties |
Yes (time depends on support package) |
Yes |
N/A |
Yes |
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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 |
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Support documentation (up to date, accurate) |
Yes |
Yes (incl knowledge base) |
Yes |
Yes |
Basic technical specifications online forums |
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Local personnel |
No |
No |
Yes |
N/A |
No |
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Data Storage |
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Inhouse or external/overseas |
Overseas |
Inhouse (software version) / Overseas (remote version) |
Inhouse |
Inhouse, unless your site is externally hosted |
In-house data & reports storage |
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Privacy agreement |
Yes |
Yes |
n/a |
N/A |
In-house hosting & restricted usage of data |
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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 |
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Meet government records management legislation |
Unknown |
Unknown |
Unknown |
Unknown |
Yes |
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Costs |
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Cost of initial license fee |
Nil |
Undisclosed (can be US$10,000+) |
Nil |
Around $3,000 USD for up to 1,000 profiles |
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Cost of annual license fee |
Nil |
Undisclosed (resellers quote from US$1,000 per 20,000,000 page views) |
Nil |
No |
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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 |
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Cost of upgrading |
Nil |
Undisclosed (free with maintenance contracts, otherwise costs) |
NetInsight is the next upgrade |
Nil |
Depends on Agreement (minor add-on's are usually free. |
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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 |
