The analytics face-off between Yahoo and Google continues. Yahoo has released an upgraded edition of its Web Analytics complete with new features and design for search and display advertisers. The best part is it’s free.
But is that going to be enough? Will people leave Google? Google Analytics which is almost an industry norm. Yahoo could find it difficult to get everyone to try its new tool. Not many people have got time to learn a new set analytics too when Google Analytics works just fine.
Yahoo!’s emerging Web Analytics service is trying to surpass Google’s well entrenched Google Ananalytics in several categories. Using Yahoo! Web Analytics Search advertisers can to track performance of their campaigns not just Yahoo! Search Marketing, but campaigns on other search engines, display campaigns, even email campaigns — from click to conversion.
You can’t walk away from that!
To sweeten the deal Yahoo is moving the free line and giving away information not available on other free analytics tools.
The new interface was designed for larger clients who want no nonsense analytics as opposed to smaller advertisers who might be better suited to a do-it-yourself approach.
Upgraded functions include new interest group reports, segmentation, filters, demographics and interest groups dashboard, the ability to create more scheduled reports, and custom fields with even more actions. This includes campaigns on other search engines, display campaigns and email marketing.
Yahoo! Web Analytics new dashboard has:
- Age Report
- Gender Report
- Age and Gender Report
- Interest Categories Report
- Y! Properties of Interest Report
The demographics are easy to follow BONANZAJP on an all on one page flow. Previously users were restricted to creating three programs at a time. That number has increased to ten. Another benefit is the number of custom actions has increased from nine to fifty.
The new demographic metrics provides research on their audience’s age, gender, location and online interests. And beyond that Yahoo is presenting in-depth conversion data to see where advertisers are losing prospects.
Yahoo! Web Analytics is providing modest support for creating and tracking up to 38 custom fields to be added to reporting categories. Custom fields require manual setup and page tagging. Yahoo promises to add more information that helps users learn more about these custom fields and how best to integrate them. It also offers resources to understand and learn what they can expect with Yahoo Web Analytics.
But the biggest problem Yahoo will have is trying to get away everyone away from Google Analytics which is so well known and used that it will be difficult to move everyone to a new standard. It could be too much too late by Yahoo! Even though it’s free will people leave Google? It’s hard to say right now, time will tell if it will become viral or fade into the background.