Yahoo! Web Analytics – Better than Google Analytics?

Posted on October 13, 2008 at 5:32 am

So far, the defacto standard in free analytics software installed on most websites to capture visitor behavior has been Google Analytics. I currently have it installed on my web sites and have been quite happy with the data it produces about visitors, traffic sources, content, etc. Read here about how to effectively use Google Analytics.

However, it seems Yahoo! is now joining in on the game and it could make Google run for it’s money! I previously wrote about Microsoft’s try at web site analytics, Microsoft Gatineau, which was pretty much a complete failure since no one really uses it at all. I also wrote about Clicky and Piwik, two more free web analytics and free web stats programs.

While browsing the new Yahoo Web Analytics website, I came across a couple of cool features that would make me want to use it in addition to Google Analytics.

The first thing that struck out at me was the word “real-time”. Apparently, you will be able to see detailed reports about visitors, traffic, etc within a few minutes of delay. Now to me, a “few minutes delay” is not really real-time, but I guess they mean you don’t have to wait a day before seeing updated data.

Google Analytics could also be considered “real-time” since it’s data is only delayed by 15 mins or so. What seems to make Yahoo! Analytics standout is the custom reports you can create.

From what’s written on the site, it seems like you can create reports similar to creating pivot tables in Excel! Now that would be cool! It has features like drag and drop data filters, custom report wizards, and a segmentation selector.

The custom reports also seem to be way more advanced than Google Analytics. For example, according to the site, you can add categories to the pre-defined reports so that the reports match the way your business is organized.

Also, you can use custom fields, so that if you have a travel website, for example, you can track according to travel destination, price range, ticket type, or length of stay. That’s pretty useful!

Of course, if has a customize dashboard where you can add or remove the metrics that matter most to your website.

Other features include advanced campaign management, so you can measure CPC, CPM, and CPA on any of your PPC campaigns from Yahoo, Google Adwords, and lots more.

Another cool report is the comparative reports, where you can see how your site is performing over time in terms of number of visitors (first-time and returning), actions performed, and revenue.

Currently, Yahoo Web Analytics is only available to Index Tools customers (who they bought) and Yahoo! Small Business customers. Eventually over the course of the next few months, they will be opening it to more customers, so make sure to sign up to receive updates. Enjoy!

» Filed Under Software Reviews