Urchin Now Google Analytics, Now FREE

[Nacho]

Google has now re-branded Urchin to Google Analytics presenting users with better ways to “understand and influence visitor behavior and generate a higher ROI on marketing initiatives”. Yes folks! It’s offering a free hosted web analytics service, in hopes that advertisers, publishers and website owners will spend time understanding how people find their websites, navigate through them and convert on the goals of the site. With the free service, Google hopes it helps people spend money on their search marketing campaigns rather than on measurement. This is going to have a huge impact on both the search marketing and the web analytics industries. Draw your own conclusions.

Read more here: http://www.seroundtable.com/archives/002791.html

[mcanerin]

NEW TOY!!!!!

All you need to do is give Google your data and upsell you on Adwords...

In my case, no problem, but I imagine some people would be less than enthusiastic about it. For me, it just solved a problem I've been having with a client with special needs, and I am happy.

But if I had just bought Urchin for big $$$, I'd be pretty annoyed right now....

Ian

[medkraft]

I've been a big fan of the Urchin solution for years and have fallen head over heels for Urchin 6.0.

It will definetly change the Analytics landscape as Eric Petersen suggests:

http://weblogs.jupiterresearch.com/analysts/peterson/

From a business standpoint though, I would have charged a minimal fee (say $20 US per month) to help ensure continued product innovation and quality support as well as keep the regulators at bay (Google is looking more like Microsoft everyday).

Tom

[Chris_D]

Just heard about this during a catch up phone call with Google - you beat me to it Nacho!!



It's an interesting twist - if a client is already tracking a range of campaigns (search, banner, affiliates etc) - then they already have a system - and the last thing they want is an 'orphaned' reporting solution that isn't integrated.

However - if they don't already have a system - this is the trojan horse to getting an integrated reporting system for all their online activity.......

[Matt B]

Just as an FYI - the analytics are capped out at 5M page views, unless you are an AdWords Advertiser. Nice of G to throw that out there - essentially it is a trial version that you'll pay for one way or another.

On another note - the Terms of Service that you have to agree with state that "Google Services are for personal use only", and not commercial use. Yet Google Analytics is obviously being sold as a commercial use tool. So why do you have to agree that you are not using it commercially?

I understand the typical "commercial use" policy of using Google Services commercially, (not using Google services, such as search results to sell your own services) yet this clause seems very vague.

[carpediem]

I like Urchin and the fact I now get to use it for free is great. I would like to see some improvements though. I look at the same reports every time I log in. And it takes a long time to go in an request the same data every time. They need to allow you to set up some memorized reports. It looks like they made some improvements, but I am unable to get things working properly this morning. Anyone else having issues?

[Lyndsay]

I signed up this morning, but haven't been able to get anywhere yet. It says it is under maintenance. Looking forward to seeing what it will do.

[eurokc98]

We're upgrading accounts. Please come back later.


Thanks for stopping by. We are currently migrating existing customers to the newly improved Google Analytics service. This process will be completed later this afternoon. Please come back then to sign up for Google Analytics.

[DarkMatter]

This comes just in time, I just signed up for a trial month of urchin. I was definitely going to shell out the $200 per month, now I can get it for free. I gotta say thanks Google I think this rocks!

[eurokc98]

Looks like its up now. Gonna give it a go. Anyone know of a good urchin tutorial?

[yevlesh]

Can anyone see the reports already? Mine still say " your reports will be ready within 12 hours" even though it has been about 24 since I put up the code.

[wiltonbiz]

I think this is an earth-shaking development. With my own little SEO/web design firm, we have been planning for several months to revamp our way of doing business, early in the new year, to focus both on SEM and "user-centered design." In other words, focus on web design that is "usable" for the visitor, and converts. Now Google Analytics puts this approach squarely in front of everyone. Their Google Analytics website even mentions website design a few times. (I credit that great book by Bryan and Jeffrey Eisenberg, Call to Action, for the concepts I just mentioned.)

I think this heralds a major shift, which Call to Action really anticipated, which is a stage of maturing in the internet industry. In a nutshell, it's no longer enough to simply "have a website." The question is: does your website work? Does it deliver? With Google Analytics now in front of everyone, making it easy to look at such issues, it will be hard to escape the question. The bar has been raised, and it's about time.

WB

[dstew]

If I'm reading correctly, there is no option to track multiple sites. So, this would not be an alternative to Webtrends Pro or Enterprise. Am I right?

[kctipton]

I'd love to say this is easy to use, but it's not autodetecting code which is installed exactly as they say to. Are they suddenly overloaded or broken from the rush or what?

[wiltonbiz]

If I'm reading correctly, there is no option to track multiple sites. So, this would not be an alternative to Webtrends Pro or Enterprise. Am I right?

I believe you can track up to 50 sites in your account.

WB

[sunnymonkey]

Yes you can track 50

and in theroy, as you can give other google accounts access to profiles you could just open another google account, add another 50, and link the logins, thus you then have 100 profiles, add another account, 150, etc etc.



Dave

NOTE: I have not tried this, still waiting for one of the sites to work at least

[dstew]

Originally Posted by wiltonbiz

I believe you can track up to 50 sites in your account.

WB

Hmmmm....interesting. Do you know if you can create multiple logins with restricted access to only one site? I've tried locating this info in the help section, but failed to find any...

[imulus]

After logging in, in Analytics Setting scroll down to the lower left and click on ACCESS MANAGER, from there you can add new users and then define what they can/can't see.

Yet, after 24 hours I don't even see results for 5 sites I'm tracking... this really is frustrating because it seems like a beta.

[AussieWebmaster]

The inplications of Google grabbing all that information are scary.

Plus they are creating havoc in the analytic tool industry... do a Hunt Brothers act.

The Google Grinch

[MarketingMind]

I can't believe, and just the thought of making it Urchin coming free drives me crazy..

Was wondering now Google stands to benifit Billions from this data, trends and details which they will capture for almost all advertiser.

Cause I can't think of any other reason Google making it free for all advertiser... any comments

These shall sell like hotcakes...



I think thats the catch