It’s essential that you take the time to track the performance of your business blog to ensure your audience is growing and your content is actually being seen. Fortunately, there are a number of free and paid Web analytics tools that can help you track traffic, referrers, top performing content, keywords, underperforming content, user paths, and more.
Stay tuned to BusinessLogs for a post later this week that will help you learn what to track! In the meantime, take a look at the five Web analytics tools listed below to begin researching in order to find the best tool to help you meet your business blogging goals and budget.
1. Google Analytics
I use Google Analytics for my blogs for a couple of reasons. First, the statistics provided are fairly comprehensive and second, it’s free. That’s a combination that’s hard to beat.
2. Omniture
This is an expensive tool, but it’s one of the best if you have the budget. Many large companies and Web-based companies choose Omniture’s Site Catalyst tool.
3. StatCounter
StatCounter offers a free and paid Web analytics tool. The free tool offers basic information on a limited number of recent visitors at a time. For full site performance statistics and history, you need to pay.
4. SiteMeter
SiteMeter offers a limited free tool and a paid tool that offers more comprehensive data.
5. AWStats
AWStats has dropped in popularity in recent years under an online buzz among users that questioned the accuracy of the data provided by the AWStats tools. However, it is a free tool and might be worth testing before you make a judgment.
Remember, no Web analytics tool is perfect. Therefore, don’t “bet the farm” on the data provided by these tools. Instead, use them for trend analysis and strategic planning.
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