Google adds new optional benchmarking feature

by Katharina Scholtz

Google announced today that they’ve added a new feature to Google Analytics. If you opt in, you can choose to share your Google Analytics data either just with Google products, or with Google products and their new benchmarking service. This service allows you to “share your metrics against industry verticals”. (As an aside I find the term “industry verticals” about as exciting as a lump of dirt). Google Analytics is giving you the option of comparing your stats with those of people in your industry.

This lets you know how the competition is doing, and where you fall on the spectrum. The quality of the data obviously depends on how many people opt in, so that we’ll only be able to see over time. Seer Interactive pointed out that the data you’ll be able to have a look at is visits, bounce rates, time on sites, page views, pages per visit and new visitor percentage – with new visitor percentage being particularly useful because it “will allow you to tell the velocity by which your competitors are ramping up efforts to attract new visitors”. In combination these stats should give you more insight into what’s happening on your own site.

The response to the service has generally been positive. Michael Arrington from TechCrunch likes the idea so much that he has suggested opening the information up to everybody – not just those who have opted in – saying that businesses are more comfortable with transparency than we might suspect. Vincent Maher mentioned what is perhaps the most exciting possibility, that “it paves the way for Google to create a global web traffic ranking system based on any number of criteria ranging from page impressions, unique visitors, time on site, bounce rate or a combination of all of them.”

This move is obviously in line with Google’s mission to be the aggregator of all information – and allows them access to info that will probably be more valuable to them, than it will be to us. I think Maher is right in pointing out that the move is pretty significant for such a low key launch.

2008/04/10 | permalink | comments (0) | trackbacks (0)

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Anthony on The Democratic Alliance's Online Plan

Thanks for the article Kat, and you were spot-on in response to Shaun: my resources comment was not so much about being able to afford an online presence (most political parties in SA - all the ones you've heard of - have one); it was more about the fact that you need to have the human resources to sustain what you initiate. As an example, we started SA Today in response to ANC Today, and we've sustained it week in and week out (as has the ANC, even if its President has decided not to continue where his predecessor left off). Both the ID and the IFP have started similar initiatives, but they find it difficult to sustain, so it ends up being occasional, rather than weekly.
In response to Nic, providing strong principled opposition and defence of the constitution is a key part of the DA's brand, and one of the key things our supporters and potential supporters want from us. But the second important thing potential DA voters want (most important for many) is for us to offer solutions to the country's problems. We do that through a comprehensive policy platform which is effectively a manifesto of what we undertake to do if elected to government. That doesn't mean we don't recognise the enormity of the challenge ahead of us.
Kat on Can You Put the eMarketing Textbook in the Hands of Someone Who Needs It?

@Hilary, you can actually already order a hard copy directly from the website, just follow this link www.quirk.biz/emarketingtextbook/buy
we'll definitely let you know when it's in book shops as well though :)
@mike Less tree killing is always a good idea. The cd idea is intriguing, and would probably be great for people who have limited connectivity but are keen to learn.
Hilary Cross on Can You Put the eMarketing Textbook in the Hands of Someone Who Needs It?

Hi Kat, please let us know when the hard copy is out, I'd definatley like to purchase one for myself.
Thanks,
Hilary
Mike Metelerkamp on Can You Put the eMarketing Textbook in the Hands of Someone Who Needs It?

Kat, this is proving to be quite a mind bender...
How about creating those mini cd's and trying to get them inserted into some marketing/business/IT text books - or give them to universities to hand out in lectures?
Really cheap and less tree killing :)
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We do a Friday Fact Box every week, so check back for more useful info, and let me know if there's a particular topic you'd be interested in getting some stats about. ;)

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Google adds new optional benchmarking feature

by Katharina Scholtz

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