Course Code: MKT520 Course Title: Web and Social Media Analytics

Course Instructor: Dr. Avinash Rana

Academic Task No.: 2 Academic Task Title: Online Assignment

Date of Allotment: Date of submission: 20/10/2020

Student’s Roll no: RQ1E29A035

Student’s Reg. no: 11915092
Evaluation Parameters:

Learning Outcomes:

Successfully identified five free web analytics tools and evaluated web analytics pros and cons.
Declaration:
I declare that this Assignment is my individual work. I have not copied it from any other student’s work
or from any other source except where due acknowledgement is made explicitly in the text, nor has any
part been written for me by any other person.
Student’s Signature: Shashank Rana
Evaluator’s comments (For Instructor’s use only)
Evaluator’s Signature and Date:
Gener0al Observations Suggestions for Improvement Best part of assignment

Marks Obtained: Max. Marks:

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 INTRODUCTION
Web analytics is the measurement and analysis of data to inform an understanding of user
behaviour across web pages. Analytics platforms measure activity and behaviour on a website,
for example: how many users visit, how long they stay, how many pages they visit, which
pages they visit, and whether they arrive by following a link or not. Businesses use web
analytics platforms to measure and benchmark site performance and to look at key performance
indicators that drive their business, such as purchase conversion rate. There’s an old business
adage that whatever is worth doing is worth measuring. Website analytics provide insights and
data that can be used to create a better user experience for website visitors. Understanding
customer behaviour is also key to optimizing a website for key conversion metrics. For
example, web analytics will show you the most popular pages on your website, and the most
popular paths to purchase. With website analytics, you can also accurately track the
effectiveness of your online marketing campaigns to help inform future efforts.

The most popular web analytics tool is Google Analytics, although there are many others on
the market offering specialized information such as real-time activity or heat mapping.
The following are most commonly use web analytics tools:

1. Google Analytics
2. Bitly
3. Piwik
4. SimilarWeb
5. Mixpanel

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1. Google Analytics
Google Analytics is the best platform for many marketers, in large part because it is totally
free, full of features, and comes with the giant name of the Google brand name.

Once entered the Google Analytics code into website, the service will measure certain goals,
including which pages a visitor clicks on, how long they stay, and the actions they take. For
eg. The tool can tell you whether a visitor is sharing the content on social media or clicking on
an ad. Each time a goal is completed, Google logs the conversion in your analytics report.

Google will also report the keywords people search that bring them to your site, as well as it
will show the devices have been used and from where they loggin g in. When it comes to
customizing data, one can track certain campaigns that are driving traffic to the particular site,
create their own reports with hand-picked metrics, and set up custom alerts to have the insights
delivered at specific times.

Google is working to counter these complaints with new tools like Data Studio, which lets
users turn data into shareable. While the platform still may not be the most intuitive, user should
be more comfortable with the settings after about a month, and, in turn, get the most out of
Google’s free service.

PROS

• It’s free of charge, so anyone can use it.

• Easy to collect data from different platforms and sources like commerce connections,
industry benchmarks and more.
• Simply create custom goals and track your ecommerce platform.
• It’s simple enough to self-navigate, though some ecommerce managers seek
help from a Google Analytics consultant.

CONS

• The most common complaint about using Google Analytics is the information that is
extracted and difficulty to navigate through the interface.
• The overall feel of the platform may be overwhelming. There are many dashboards,
settings, user views and metrics.

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 • Instructions may be confusing, time-consuming or overwhelming to those without an
intermediate analytics background.

2. Bitly
Bitly may be best known as a free link shortened. The shortened links and possibly even added
a vanity URL shortened Bitly gives the tools to efficiently share those links and analyse the
performances.

For eg Bitly reports how many clicks each link generated and when people clicked, down to
the hour. The report will also include which platforms people used to share the link so they
know if most of users traffic is coming from Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram and so
on. On the stats page, Bitly gathers results from all of your links so you can assess how your
collection of content has performed in the past hour, day, week, and month.

Bitly may not provide as much detailed information as Google Analytics, but if user already
taking advantage of its free link shortener and clean interface, you might as well use the perks
that come with the package.
PROS

• Integrations: Bitly integrates well with third-party tools to help improve workflow and
tech tools.
• Free plan: There are some great features on the paid plan but for those not yet ready to
invest Bitly provides a great free option.

CONS

• Restrictions: There are a few social platforms that do not accept Bitly links.
• Limited integrations: Although it was a pro the lack of third-party integrations does
have it's limitations.
• Unable to change: After customising the URL it is not possible to change the links.

3. Piwik
Founded in 2007, Piwik is popular open-source analytics software that lets you maintain
ownership and control of 100% of your data. It has a super simple dashboard you can customize
based on your personal KPIs, no matter what your goals.

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Real-time data updates get the users data in real time. No need to wait. Customizable dashboard
easily change the dashboard to reflect users current focus. Multiple website tracking websites
in a single dashboard without switching back and forth between pages. Content tracking know
exactly which content performs well and which content needs improvement. Site and speed
reports site wide speed stats so you don’t leave your readers hanging. Being open sourced, the
Piwik community is extremely engaged, helpful and ready to answer your questions. With its
simple user interface and top-of-the-line support, Piwik is a great analytics tool to consider.

PROS

• USP: On premise Hosting

• No license costs Initial ( paid plugins available)
• Basic Analytics and Dashboard functions
• GDPR conform cause in premise Hosting

CONS

• Only 3 free custom parameters ( paid plugins to upgrade available)

• No cloud Hosting possible
• Not recommended for large companies

4. SimilarWeb
SimilarWeb allows users to get insights for any app or website. Using the search tool on their
homepage, users can quickly gather insights on their competitors or do general research. It’s a
great tool when you want to get a basic understanding of other sites on the web to improve your
products and services. SimilarWeb includes these features as well.

Benchmark your website against any competitor’s know exactly where they stand compared to
their competitors based on a variety of metrics. Audience interests discover valuable insight on
your audience. Traffic sources see exactly where user readers and audience are coming from.
Popular pages understand which pages on your site perform best. You can also use SimilarWeb
to research popular apps on a wide range of platforms.

PROS

• Easy to use - does not take a lot of training

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 • Ability to look at other countries traffic rather than just the US
• Has easy to read graphs that visualize the data in a digestible manner

CONS

• Going back further in time during the range, I think currently you can only go back 24
months
• Able to see the conversion rates more clearly
• More in depth Social Review section

5. Mixpanel
Mixpanel is an analytics tool that lets you understand exactly how your audience behaves when
using your product or app through mobile or desktop devices. Using their comprehensive
analytics and tools to track your users’ journeys, you can see how to improve your funnels and
sales process. Here’s more about its features

Engagement measure user audience engagement through the life cycle of their product and site.
Notifications keep customers engaged through push notifications. A/B Testing improve their
product and copy through regular testing. Funnel discover and perfect user funnels by
understanding their user behaviour.

PROS

• It’s robust and you can create a lot of different reports with it.
• It gives a lot of reporting options so you can visualize the data in different ways.
• It gives a ton of engagement data on users. You can see their full history with the app.

CONS

• Their support system is weak.

• Sometimes it’s overwhelming how many different properties there are that it makes it
hard to know if you’re using the correct attributes to run a report.