It's important to know what your customers are doing and what they think. Since you can't ask them directly, you must stick with a selection of web analytics tools. There are a number of free analytics tools you can use for this purpose. They all work in the same basic way, but they have unique advantages which makes them suitable for different users.
Here are the top 10 free web analytics tools currently available today.
eWeb Analytics is an easy-to-use web analytics program. It comes in the form of a downloadable software package, as well as an online service via its website. It shows what every visitor to your website is doing. The added advantage is you can receive results in real-time.
2. GoStats
GoStats puts reliability at the heart of its operation. Whilst it lacks some of the readings you would want for advanced analytics, it offers results which are reliable. You can connect it to a single website or multiple websites. It's easy to compare the performance of each of your websites across one simple program.
3. Going Up!
Going Up! differs slightly from other stat trackers. Whereas other analytics tools gives you a final readout of the numbers, including the bounce rate, this tool allows you to pinpoint specific areas in greater detail. Just type something into the search bar and it can bring back more accurate results. It's especially handy if you're trying to push a certain product or service.
Google Analytics is perhaps the most prominent web analytics tool available. It's primarily used by people familiar with Google, but it's fairly simple to learn. It's also one of the most advanced tools available. It has the advantage of already being associated with Google's search engines, so it's the most useful for getting up the search engines.
Grape Web Statistics lets administrators track and check specific stats within mere seconds. It's a sparse tool with very few advanced tools, but for people who just want the hard facts and nothing more this is the tool for them. There's also a free stat viewer available.
6. Hi Stats
Hi Stats is a real time web analytics tool. It can track specific visitors as they comb through your website. If you want to track a regular visitor to see what they're doing and what they're most interested in, now you can do it. Hi Stats can also work well alongside other analytics tools.
7. Link Track
Link Track is a website which provides free online tracking services. Sign up for an account to find out how many people have visited your website so far on this day. It's better than having to wait until the end for other tools to register their results.
8. Woopra
Woopra offers more than just real time statistics for your website. It's full of useful information which you can use for SEO, as well as planning any PPC campaigns. It's also scalable, so it works just as well with larger websites with stronger streams of web traffic.
Commonly used with WordPress-based platforms, WordPress.com Stats prefers a simplistic approach. It lacks some of the functions of the more advanced web analytics readers, but what it does offer is some simple web statistics.
Yahoo! Web Analytics functions in a way similar to Google Analytics. It provides everything you need to know about any marketing campaign. It's also compatible with many of Google's tools, so you can also use the information provided by this tracker for keyword research and other marketing plans.
