Microsoft Gatineau - Google Analytics Killer?

Is Microsoft Gatineau ready to strip Google Analytics of the web analytics throne?

I've been using both Microsoft Gatineau and Google Analytics on one of my sites for about 3 months. I think that's plenty of time for me to give a fair analysis of both packages.

*Note that I am much more experienced with Google Analytics, so that might have some effect on my opinion. However, I'm trying to be as neutral as possible in this review.



1. User Interface / Usability:
Winner: Google Analytics
Why?: Google is king when it comes to user interfaces. (Not starting off so neutral, are we?) When I log into my Google Analytics account, I'm presented with a very useful dashboard. If the information I need isn't there by default, I can easily add it. On the other hand, Microsoft's Gatineau gives me a 3-layer calendar that allows me to select a date range by day, week, or month, with a single click. This might be useful if jumping from one date range to another was a frequent activity, but so far, it's not. This date-range picker takes up 4 inches above the fold on EVERY report! The two inches below that is a description of the report you're viewing, and below that is the graph for the report you chose. Unfortunately, half of it is below the fold!



Navigation through reports is done through a folder structure.



This isn't awful, but getting to the next level always requires 2 clicks. One to select the item and display the menu, and another to choose between demographics or diving a level deeper.


2. Useful Information
Winner:Google Analytics
Why?: This would be a tie because they both have all standard web analytics information, except Microsoft makes it so much harder to view the useful information. Sorry to go back to usability, but with the GA dashboard, I can view my most useful information on one screen. With Gatineau, it takes 12 to 20 clicks and 6-10 page loads just to get the same information.

3. Demographics
Winner: Microsoft Gatineau
Why?: Because Google doesn't have it. However, with this being Gatineau's claim to fame, I'm unimpressed. Over the past 3 months, I only have demographics information on about 20% of my visitors. Sure this information is useful for some things, but with 80% being unknown, I really don't know much more than I did before.

Overall Winner: Google Analytics!

Who didn't see that coming?

I was really hoping to write some good things about Microsoft Gatineau, but until they improve the user interface, I won't be leaving Google Analytics any time soon. Also note that Gatineau hasn't been officially released yet. There are some features which haven't even been activated, such as the emailing or exporting of reports. However, the framework of what's to come is there, and I have to say, it's no Google-killer.

I'd love to hear from other Gatineau users. Is there anyone out there that would choose Gatineau over Google Analytics?

Even though GA won this battle, I'd still encourage you try out Microsoft Gatineau and Google Analytics to decide for yourself.

I look forward to your comments.

- Jason Green

Leaving LunaMetrics - PSA

My time as an "employee" is over. I am leaving LunaMetrics to run BusinessHut.com full-time.

My most recent employer was LunaMetrics, a Google Analytics Authorized Consultant (GAAC), from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. In my time there, I held the title of Web Analyst. This meant I was responsible for installing and configuring Google Analytics on client accounts. After the analytics code was installed, and data collected, I would analyze the information for actionable insights.

LunaMetrics really got me entrenched in the Google Analytics world. That's why it's now the main focus of my business. I am also adding web marketing to my arsenal of services. With my newfound knowledge of search engine optimization and Google AdWords (Pay-Per-Click), I hope to help many more small businesses in the Pittsburgh area.

My first day as a full-time business owner was St. Patty's day, 2008, and this week has been incredibly busy. I thought quitting my job would give me tons of free time, but I've really been able to fill it. Sprucing up the website, organizing the office, getting the accounting done, is taking much longer than I thought. Oh, and I need to do the work my customers are actually paying me for.

Overall, life after LunaMetrics is pretty much how I expected. I miss having coworkers, but I don't miss traffic a bit. Plus, my nights can now be spent with my family instead of moonlighting. I just hope I can keep it up.


- Jason Green

Google Acquires DoubleClick!

Today, the EU approved the Google / DoubleClick deal.

Here are the key points regarding the acquisition:
1. $3.1 Billion (YouTube only got $1.65 Billion)
2. Antitrust concerns were put to rest because anyone can use services from Microsoft, AOL, or Yahoo.
3. Integration of the two companies will start soon.

I'm not going to try to compete with all of the other posts about this topic. If you want the colorful commentary, please read their posts below.

Google's Press Release

The Official Google Blog : We've officially acquired DoubleClick

SearchEngineWatch : EU Approves Google DoubleClick Deal

Reuters : Google closes DoubleClick merger after EU approval

SearchEngineLand : EU Approves Google-DoubleClick Acquisition

TechCrunch : Google Spends $3.1 Billion To Acquire DoubleClick

As you can see, there is plenty of buzz around this acquisition. I'll continue to add useful links as I find them.

Google Analytics Data Sharing

Upon entering my Google Analytics account this evening, I was presented with a new request.

Google Analytics Data Sharing:

"In order to improve your experience with Google products, Google Analytics is updating its data sharing policy. You now have the ability to share your Analytics data with other Google services. This will improve integration, enable additional features in Google's advertising services (including Google Analytics, AdWords and AdSense) and improve your experience with these products."

The big question is: What do I get in return?

I'm all about open source and open information, but they're not really selling me on this one. If you go by the explanation above, it sounds like I get to improve Google. They can do this without me, I'm sure. There's also a bunch of fluff about improving my experience with their other services. "Additional Features"? How about a link?

My fear for this new "feature" is that it will be accepted by all of the less savvy Google Analytics users, while the businesses that took the time to set up their analytics accounts properly will decline to share. If that's the case, how valuable will the data be?

The Google Analytics Blog has a good writeup of what this is all about. It would have been nice if there was a link to this post from the opt-in message so I could check it out before sharing my analytics information.

This might actually be useful, but I think it will take a month or so before we have anything useful to compare.

I'm very interested to find out if anyone else is using this feature. If you've enabled the benchmarking feature and have gleaned useful information from it, please share it with us.

What is everyone else thinking about sharing your Google Analytics information with others?

How to Monetize Social Media Traffic

You click "I like it!" in your StumbleUpon toolbar to promote your own work. Is it spam? Maybe, but let's look past that for now. Let's instead assume someone stumbled your site on their own.

Buckle up, because you're about to get 500 free visitors to your site. I've even seen some pages get over 1000 visits!

This is really exciting, but the fact is that you're not going to make a dime off of them.

So how do we make money from social media traffic?

1. Made For AdSense : NO!
Social media visitors are far too savvy for an MFA (Made For AdSense) page. If you create some stupid list and paste AdSense ads all over the place, you can be damn sure no one will be clicking them. You'll get a thumbs down faster than your page can load.

2. Hock an Affiliate Product : NO!
Stumblers are not looking to spend money. They're taking a break to browse the Internet. If they see that you're just trying to sell them something...thumbs down!

3. Sign up for a Paid Membership to your Site : NO!
We're talking about instant gratification with these visitors. You have 3 seconds to grab their attention. This offer involves giving you my information before I get anything in return. I'm gone.

So what's an internet marketer to do?

Social media loves free online apps. Develop a killer Web 2.0 site, with an equally killer web application if you want to make any money from your social media efforts.

Did I mention it needed to be free???

You can't sell directly to these visitors. You need to give something away for free, and get them to come back later to give you their money. They begin using the free version of your web app, but for $X per month, they can have all these premium features. This is where it's at!

Oh, I forgot to mention that it wouldn't be easy. If you're just looking for pizza and beer money, you might be able to get by with a made for AdSense page, but if you want to make some real money, you actually need to have a good idea, and put a decent amount of work into it.

Am I wrong? What works for YOU?


*** Update - 3/5/2008 ***
An example of what I mean by "Web 2.0 App" is Squarespace.com.

I actually just stumbled upon this company.

What you need to mimic to make money with social media:

1. Their homepage has a big "sign up for free" button.

2. You still have the option of browsing their entire site. You're not locked into the free option if you're already ready to buy.

3. They offer many service plans at a wide variety of price points. ($7 - $175)

4. Clean and slick style. If your site looks sloppy, I'm gone.

5. Tells me what they do and who would need them. (They're hoping YOU do.)

6. Incredibly easy signup process. You only need to provide a login, password, and email address.

Note that I'm not affiliated with this site in any way. This is just a perfect example of what I was trying to convey. StumbleUpon and other social media is a great way to expose new users to your offer. You just need to have a kick-ass offer if you want to get any bites.

Web Analytics Reports for Management

Taylor Pratt gave me the honor of writing a guest post about web analytics on his blog, Gonzo-SEO.com.

I covered these basic topics:

1. Statistical jargon will confuse most managers and executives.

2. Pretty charts are a crutch for people who don’t know how to convey actionable
insights.

3. Above all, make sure the information is actionable.

If you enjoy the article, don't forget to Sphinn it!

Thanks again Taylor!


- Jason Green