What is Website Analytics? 

Web analytics is the process of assessing the behavior of guests to a website. It entails the collection, analysis, and reporting of data about how users interact with a website. The report provides insights and data that an organization can leverage to enhance the user experience for guests on their websites. Website analytics can also measure the effectiveness of online promotional campaigns to help guide adjustments for improvements.

How Website Analytics Work

Most web analytics tools mark their web pages by inserting a piece of JavaScript on the code of the web page. That code then monitors and gathers information on the trends of visitors to the web page.

(Image credit: analyticsdemystified)

These analytics tools also use cookies to track individual sessions and establish repeat visitors from the same browser. The data can be broken into the categories below.

Visitor data

• <li”>Number of visits including the number of new and repeat visits

<li”>The fraction of unique visitors to returning visitors

<li”>The geographic region from where the visitors are viewing

<li”>They type of browser a visitor is using

<li”>The type of device(desktop or mobile) they are using

Visitor’s behaviors

• <li”>Frequently visited pages

<li”>Duration per visit

<li”>Number of pages for each visit

<li”>Typical landing and exit pages

Campaign data

• <li”>The website that referred the most visitors

<li”>The promotions that moved most traffic

<li”>Keyword searches that led the visitor to the site

<li”>Performance of various platforms (social media or emails) in driving a campaign.

Website analytics tools can guide improvement actions like:

• <li”>Refining the contents of the website

<li”>Adjusting the website design

<li”>Reallocating marketing resources

Top Website Analytics Tools

Below is a list of best website tracking tools to enable you to carry out a web analytics tools comparison.

1. Google Analytics – Free Service

Google Analytics remains the most popular online analytics service and ranks among the top best website analytics tools. The service is free and straightforward to set up and customize. Google Analytics provides all the essential information you want about your website. The service free offers all the basic information about the site. It facilitates the integration with other Google products like AdSense, Optimize, Search Console, and Adwords.

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Google Analytics will help you understand the activities of visitors on your website. If running an e-commerce website, the tool can track all your transaction data and help you identify the webpages of your site that drive the most conversions. The information will include the pages that attract the most visitors and the design aspects that are turning them away. Other generated data include demographic data of your users, the type of browser and gadget they are using, and the keywords that lead most visitors to your website.

The service understands that the amount of data it avails is sometimes overwhelming. The tool compensates for this by having a straightforward layout and educational tips added where you can seek help whenever you need it.

There is a premium version – Google Analytics 360 – for enterprise offered at an annual fee of $15000. The pro version has advanced features such as raw data, Salesforce integration, data-driven attribution, unsampled reporting, advanced analysis, and advanced funnel reporting. However, the standard version is sufficient for most beginners and small and medium-sized businesses. Here is the sign up page for Google Analytics.

2. Crazy Egg

Crazy Egg boasts is the best analytics software for websites because it has features that provide a visual representation of how visitors interact with your website. These features include.

• <li”>

Scroll map

• : As the name implies, the feature shows how people are scrolling through your webpages. You also get to see the point at which most visitors stop scrolling and leave the page.

<li”>User recordings: This is a cool feature, mostly if you prefer to view videos instead of numbers. User recording captures the entire user session. This way, you can see visitor activities on your site and identify the areas that need optimization.

<li”>Heat map: The feature allows you to see the areas that visitors clicked on your site. You can identify the parts that visitors click frequently, and those they click less often.

<li”>Overlay: The overlay report shows the sum of clicks on individual elements of your webpage.

<li”>Confetti: The confetti report allows you to analyze all the clicks on your website based search terms, referral sources, and more.

You can also view user activities by new users, most active users, or mobile users and see how each category interacts with your website.

Crazy Egg is a premium tool with four pricing plans. The basic plan starts at $29 a month, while the highest plan costs $189 per month. You can also use it for free for 30 days before subscribing to a plan. Here is the Crazy Egg sign up page:

3. Kissmetrics

Kissmetrics is another tool among the top web analytics platforms. This tool tracks individuals who make multiple visits, which makes you understand the reasons and manner in which they make purchasing decisions. Another feature is a built-in email marketing functionality that allows you to send automated emails to leads depending how the leads interact with your website.

The user-based approach will enable you to cluster your audience for easy tracking. The tool generates up-to-date visitor behavior information and reports from your groups. There is a social media integration function that allows you to target your audience on Facebook and Instagram. Kismetrics also integrates with several platforms including Shopify and Slack

Kissmetrics is a premium tool, but the pricing information is unavailable on the Kissmetrics website. However, they have a free trial period of 30 days. Here is the Kissmetrics sign up page.

4. Chartbeat

Chartbeat is a tool that tracks how guests interact with the content on your website. The tool offers a great way to collect data into a single place for sites that publish a lot of content (like blogs and news websites). Chartbeat continuously tracks all the guests and their activities on your website.

The dashboard has several features, including live and historical traffic and uploaded videos. These features allow you to evaluate the performance of your content. Chartbeat boasts of features that focus on smartphones and mobile gadgets. The tool has an integration functionality linking with Google Amp and Facebook Instant. Chartbeat allows you to integrate your business’ mobile app and get a detailed analysis. The Chartbeat website does display the billing plan, but you can enjoy a free month when you register. Here is that sign up page:

5. Clicky

Clicky is a powerful and flexible tool that provides real-time data. Like other top web analytics platforms, Clicky packs exceptional features, but at a friendly cost. The dashboard displays all the information you need clearly. The tool generates essential data such as visitors, their location, duration spent on a page, and bounce rates. Other features include heat maps, keyword rankings, individual visitors, tracking action, spam filtering, and uptime monitoring. With the spy feature, you get to monitor the activities of the visitors currently on your website.

Clicky allows you to cluster this information by guest sessions, targets, or other categories. The twitter analytic function enables you to search for mentions of your brand on twitter. The mobile version of the tool allows you to check your analytics from any location.

Clicky is free, but you need to subscribe to the premium version to access all the features that make clicky a powerful tool. The costs start from $9.99 per month or an annual fee of about $7000. The premium service offers a free trial for a website for up to 3000 visitors. Here is the Clicky sign up page:

6. Matomo

Matomo previously Piwik is a powerful open-source tool. From a web analytics tools comparison, Matomo seems like an alternative to Google analytics. Unlike Google Analytics, you host Matomo in your owner server, and all data belongs to you, making the best analytics software for websites that value their privacy.

Matomo boasts numerous plugins from its library that allow you to customize it as per the features you need. Matomo offers capabilities such as real-time data, content and event tracking, A/B tests, heat maps, and others. Although Matomo is free, some plugins are only available upon purchasing them. Here is the sign up page for Matomo:

7. SEMrush

SEMrush is among the best analytics software because it is both a marketing and analytics tool. SEMrush boasts robust SEO capabilities and PPC tracking functionality. Two features that make SEMrush stand out are keyword research and competitive analysis tools, which allow you to view your metrics and that of your competitors. The tool enables you to compare how your website is performing against that of your competitors. From the competitive analysis tool, you can see the geographical source market of your rivals and the keywords that are leading visitors to their sites. Other features on SEMrush include a content marketing platform, historical data, and branded reports. The tool can also analyze up to a thousand keywords a month and help you compile valuable keywords for your web content and ad promotions.

SEMrush allows you to track your site’s performance across social media platforms and audit your backlink profile. The tool will enable you to generate and share custom site analytics reports with people in your company. The all-round approach to online advertising means you can monitor your social media, content marketing, SEO strategies, and pay-per-click in one place.

SEMrush is a premium tool with a monthly cost that starts at $99.99 and an upwards of $399.95 for organizations that need more features. Here is the sign up page for SEMrush:

8. Adobe Analytics

Adobe Analytics is an ideal tool for those who want to analyze data from multiple sources. It enables you to pull data from your website and other channels like social media and searches and have it in one place. The feature makes the tool ideal for those who are advanced in data mining and analysis.

Adobe Analytics allows you to create custom metrics, identify and react to trends, and track customer journeys. The tool provides real-time data. Adobe tool enables businesses to integrate their marketing and advertising strategies. The tool’s interface boasts a visual appeal, especially for those who do not prefer plain charts.

Adobe is a premium tool, but the website does not indicate the costs – you have to enquire. Adobe Analytics offers no free trials; companies can, however, register for a free demon. Here is the sign up page for Adobe Analytics:

9. MOZ

MOZ, previously SEOmoz, is an all-in-one analytic tool that tracks the ranking of your site in search engines. MOZ also tracks your social media presence. With MOZ, you can monitor the performance of competitor websites. The tool generates detailed data about the sites that link to your sites and your competitor’s websites.

You can also view how your site ranks in Google search for a particular search term and assess this performance against your competitors. With this analysis, you get the basis for optimizing your website for search engines and rank up in organic search results. While most search engines focus on how your site is shared on Social media platforms, MOZ generates actionable data to build your presence on social sites like Facebook and Twitter.

MOZ has a keyword explorer that allows you to evaluate and compile keywords and a site crawl that analyses your webpages. The page optimization lets you evaluate your current on-page optimization.

MOZ is a premium tool with costs starting from $99 a month. There is a free 30-day trial period before you can subscribe. Here is the sign up page for Moz:

10. Mix Panel

Like Adobe Analytics, MixPanel packs a lot of visual aspects and you can try it for free. MixPanel is visually appealing, making it easy to visualize your data. This well-designed and competent tool gives you insights on your site visitors and tracks their activities on our website. You can cluster your data into user groups, compare the groups, and carry out other analyses thanks to the numerous tools on MixPanel.

Mix Panel stands as the best analytics software for websites because it allows you to have a custom plan. You can easily upgrade your plan by selecting the features that cater to your business targets and use this to create a pricing plan.

Mix Panel is a premium tool whose price varies based on your needs. Here is the sign up page for Mix Panel:

We hope that you found this article useful.

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The Best Free Analytic Tools

Most top web analytic tools, except Google Analytics, Clicky and Piwin do not have a free version. However, you do not have to pay to get the best site analytics. Here are some of the best free site analytics platforms.

1. Bitly

Bitly is an analytic tool that tracks all the links you share on your site and social media platforms. Bitly shorten long URLs for easy sharing and lets you brand your URLs for enhanced brand marketing. Content measurements on bitly let you monitor the performance of the content on your website. Bitly optimizes links for various platforms, making it easy to access content from different devices.

Bitly is free but it has a premium option and a demo for the paid version. Here is the sign up page for Bitly:

2. Open Web Analytic

Open Web Analytics is another free tool that lets you monitor your site’s traffic and demographic data. The tool seems to focus on advanced users, but it boasts a lot of features and customizability. The user interface resembles that of Google Analytics, making it easy to learn and monitor the data you want.

Open Web Analytics has features for ecommerce tracking, tracking the behavior of users, and heat maps. The tools integrate with popular content management systems, including MediaWiki and WordPress. Open Web Analysis has extensive documentation and an exceptionally helpful community. Open Web Analytics is a free and open-source tool. Here is the sign up page for Open Web Analytics:

3. Cyfe

Cyfe packs many features on a single dashboard so you can track and analyze all your stats in one place. Cyfe allows you to track various aspects of your website, including social media metrics, marketing, sales, website analytics, and more.

The user interface is straightforward and customizable to your preference. You can customize the data to view what you want. You can also export data for reports and reviews. Cyfe is free, but the premium cost starts at $19 per month. Here is the sign up page for Cyfe:

4. Cloudflare

Cloudflare is becoming more popular in the Website analytics space. Cloudflare offers more than analytics; it enhances the security and speed of your website. Cloudflare can detect and guard against threats to your website. The tool protects from DNS attacks, though the degree of protection is better with the premium plans. A fast loading site will result in reduced loading time, which captures the attention of impatient visitors and improves engagement.

Cloudflare has a rate limit feature that identifies and prevents bad traffic from interfering with the performance of your site. Cloudflare is among the best website tracking tools that are free. Cloudflare is free, but you can upgrade to premium for more features. Here is the sign up page for Cloudflare:

5. Hotjar

Hotjar is easy to use and provides you with crucial data to guide your strategies. The tool has a replay session feature that lets you view real recordings of how your user journeyed to your site. The heat map feature lets you view the behavior of users based on the gadgets they used to access your website.

The user form analysis enables you to see the areas of your forms that are underperforming, so you make necessary adjustments. The tool gives insight on your conversion funnel, so you know at what point visitors disengage in your product or sale cycle. The simple version is free, and the pro version starts at $29. Here is the sign up page for Hotjar:

6. SimilarWeb

SimilarWeb gives insights for any website or app. The search feature on the tool’s website allows you to monitor your competitors and do extensive research.

The tool enables you to compare your website against any competitors. You get to assess where you stand in the competition based on an array of metrics. SimilarWeb lets you identify the interests of your audience, traffic sources, and the popular pages on your website. You can also use the tools to get insights on popular apps on various platforms. The basic features are free, but you can upgrade to advanced features at a premium. Here is the sign up page for Similarweb:

Business Analytics vs Website Analytics

Business Intelligence (BI), also known as business analytics, refers to computer based technologies that organizations deploy for the analysis of business related data. Businesses leverage on BI technologies to get insights on historic, prevailing and predictive views of their operations.

Common functions of Business Analytics include:

• <li”>Reporting

<li”>Event processing

<li”>Data mining process

<li”>Online analytical processing

<li”>Business performance management

<li”>Prescriptive and Predictive analytics

<li”>Benchmarking

<li”>Text mining

The focus of Business intelligence is to enable non-data scientists to utilize data visualizations and draw meaningful conclusions from data sets. The systems thus empowers an organization to make better decisions. Unlike web analytics which focuses on website data, BI focuses on all the data of an organization.

Web analytics is the collection, measurement, reporting and analysis of website data with an aim of understanding and optimizing web pages. It covers everything from web traffic stats to market research and assessment of the effectiveness of a website. Website analytics is part of the broader business intelligence.

Diib®: #1 Website Analytics Tool on the Market

We have worked with thousands of companies from cities around the world to improve their website performance, digital and overall ranking. Our software compiles data from countries all over the world as well as in the United States. We take this data and give you actionable insights for improvement and performance enhancement. Here is what sets Diib apart from the rest:

• <li”>Bounce rate monitoring and repair

<li”>Social media integration and performance

<li”>Broken pages where you have backlinks (404 checker)

<li”>Keyword, backlink, and indexing monitoring and tracking tools

<li”>User experience and mobile speed optimization

<li”>Technical SEO monitoring

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