March 2, 2007 at 00:08ClickTracks Launches iPod for Web Analytics
As you know, statistical Internet services have historically been divided into two types: counters and log analyzers. Counters are special scripts that are loaded and executed along with each web page. Log analyzers are separate programs for analyzing text files (logs) on a server.
Counters and log analyzers have their own advantages and disadvantages. However, neither counters nor log analyzers can provide a complete statistical picture of site traffic.
In general, counters alone cannot provide accurate website statistics, which is why Google Analytics cannot be a universal solution. A good analytical system can verify data from both sources and eliminate errors, that is, log analyzers are used to verify data from meters.
John Marshall, founder and CEO of ClickTracks , talks to Stone Temple in an interview with modern web analytics systems and the problems that arise when using them.
When John Marshall first started this business in 1999, the web analytics market practically did not exist, and there were only separate statistics programs. The reports generated by them were difficult to understand. Programs were poorly designed and poorly implemented. Marshall had already been working in the software industry for almost two decades - and decided to develop his own web analytics system, using the principles of information design by Edward Taftwhose big fan he was. So the ClickTracks program appeared, which is distinguished by its simplicity and limited functionality. For the sake of simplicity and clarity, it did not specifically include “extra” functions, for example, analyzing routes on a site. John Marshall positions his development as an “iPod in the web analytics market” (limited functionality, fewer buttons, and most importantly, design and usability).
The disadvantage of script counters, says Marshall, is the difficulty of implementing scripts on all pages of the site and the difficulty of further supporting this statistics collection system. For example, the user can change the structure of the site, add a page - and the system will stop working normally. All this is too complicated technically. In contrast to this approach, the ClickTracks system is as simple as possible and is not intended for programmers, but for marketers.
For example, instead of traditional reports, the ClickTracks system displays a web page with numbers next to each link (percentage of clicks on this link).
With one click you can compare the numbers of new / old users, compare the behavior of those who have become buyers and those who have not. In general, you can create user groups yourself (for example, those who viewed more than ten pages on the site), tagging them with tags, and then compare these groups with each other.
A separate module is called What Has Changed. Only those indicators that have grown significantly or fell in recent days (traffic to individual pages, search words, etc.) are displayed on the screen.
A detailed demonstration of ClickTracks can be seen on the flash movie .
Many experts believe that the future lies precisely with such "non-technical" web analytics systems with marketing terminology. If you look at the terminology of Google Analytics reports, you can see that the developments are going in this direction, that is, statistics begin to speak the language of the business, integrate into it. ClickTracks shows the same trend.
Andrei Travin from "Spaylog" ( video ) once spoke about this trend in his public lecture . The winner in the web analytics market will be the one who succeeds in linking the mathematical terminology of statistics and the terminology of business, which is needed to analyze the site. Modern business is looking for tools for mathematically accurate methods of making money. Internet statistics systems can provide such a tool.
Counters and log analyzers have their own advantages and disadvantages. However, neither counters nor log analyzers can provide a complete statistical picture of site traffic.
In general, counters alone cannot provide accurate website statistics, which is why Google Analytics cannot be a universal solution. A good analytical system can verify data from both sources and eliminate errors, that is, log analyzers are used to verify data from meters.
John Marshall, founder and CEO of ClickTracks , talks to Stone Temple in an interview with modern web analytics systems and the problems that arise when using them.
When John Marshall first started this business in 1999, the web analytics market practically did not exist, and there were only separate statistics programs. The reports generated by them were difficult to understand. Programs were poorly designed and poorly implemented. Marshall had already been working in the software industry for almost two decades - and decided to develop his own web analytics system, using the principles of information design by Edward Taftwhose big fan he was. So the ClickTracks program appeared, which is distinguished by its simplicity and limited functionality. For the sake of simplicity and clarity, it did not specifically include “extra” functions, for example, analyzing routes on a site. John Marshall positions his development as an “iPod in the web analytics market” (limited functionality, fewer buttons, and most importantly, design and usability).
The disadvantage of script counters, says Marshall, is the difficulty of implementing scripts on all pages of the site and the difficulty of further supporting this statistics collection system. For example, the user can change the structure of the site, add a page - and the system will stop working normally. All this is too complicated technically. In contrast to this approach, the ClickTracks system is as simple as possible and is not intended for programmers, but for marketers.
For example, instead of traditional reports, the ClickTracks system displays a web page with numbers next to each link (percentage of clicks on this link).
With one click you can compare the numbers of new / old users, compare the behavior of those who have become buyers and those who have not. In general, you can create user groups yourself (for example, those who viewed more than ten pages on the site), tagging them with tags, and then compare these groups with each other.
A separate module is called What Has Changed. Only those indicators that have grown significantly or fell in recent days (traffic to individual pages, search words, etc.) are displayed on the screen.
A detailed demonstration of ClickTracks can be seen on the flash movie .
Many experts believe that the future lies precisely with such "non-technical" web analytics systems with marketing terminology. If you look at the terminology of Google Analytics reports, you can see that the developments are going in this direction, that is, statistics begin to speak the language of the business, integrate into it. ClickTracks shows the same trend.
Andrei Travin from "Spaylog" ( video ) once spoke about this trend in his public lecture . The winner in the web analytics market will be the one who succeeds in linking the mathematical terminology of statistics and the terminology of business, which is needed to analyze the site. Modern business is looking for tools for mathematically accurate methods of making money. Internet statistics systems can provide such a tool.