I see a lot of conflicting ideologies about using Google Analytics. Some marketers live by GA due to its being pretty comprehensive, and free. Others complain that using GA is giving Google too much of a look into the back office of their seo/ ppc strategy. Whats working for you?
I use stat counter as it's so much more simple to use. I guess it depends on what information you need. I'm a Wedding Photographer so my Keyword analysis is pretty simple and I really only need some basic information. If your site and keyword setup is more complicated (and it usually is) then I would go with analytics.
I am using Google Analytic but finding an alternative to get simple reports. @NickRosePhotography - Thank you. I will try the stat counter if its operations are simple.
Although, there are some great softwares like Awstats which should come by default with hosting, but Google analytics presents you data in a nice graphical way and as it is a free tool, so there should be no hesitation going with it as well.
Been using GA for years and so far I haven't encounter a problem with the tool.. I also use StatCounter at the same time
Google analytics is the better choice .It will track your sites at good pace and we can improve our sites day by day. It works fine.
google analytics is in my opinion almost necessary. Why go to a third party tracking software when google is number 1 in organic traffic generation for your site. Yeah google might be "spying" on your strategy but they are there to help you not defeat you. The other day I got a call from google adwords team and they gave me a free campaign creation that is highly targeted. This campaign is now bringing me real results and a low ROI. I think using google analytics and all its free tools is what will keep you in great standing with goolge and give you exactly what google sees your site as.... There is nothing wrong with using other software but why not use what is provided to you for free by the biggest traffic giant out there?
i say google analytics is a must , but you can't count on it for 100% accuracy i did my analytics and i checking with others like stat counter , i'm always seeing difference
Yeah I have noticed that as well. Google only counts real visitors whereas some of the other software counts the spam bots that are visiting your site. With that said though I think cross referencing is a great thing to do. I check my backlinks with google webmaster central and Yahoo site explorer. I always see two different numbers but it is good to know.
Google Analytics is a valuable tool. For new companies just getting started in online marketing, a free analytics program can be worth enough to offset the downside of Google Analytics.
yea, i'm not too "tin foil hat" on this one. i am addicted to GA and website optimizer for that matter.
You would want to go with the tide and make sure your site come up on the Search Engine Result sheet. In doing so, you are in a way letting Google manipulate you. But everything has a price doesn't it?
I don't think it would hurt to use Google Analytics, I use them for several of my websites, well I only own 4 two which have to do with my music and the other two on how to make money using free giveaways but they seem to work for me