Intelligent Enterprise | Phil Kemelor on Web Analytics

Omniture and Adobe: A First Take

Thu, 17 Sep 2009 12:44:38 -0500

Well, timing is a funny thing as I just wrote on Monday about the gossamer threads that are web analytics financial stability. No sooner had the proverbial ink dried than Adobe acquired Omniture.

It's an opportunistic deal for Omniture. As I've been writing over the last year, I think their business model is suffering as companies delay purchases of add ons such as Test & Target, Search Center, Discover and Genesis integrations, and the company faces increasing competition from the likes of Unica, Google Analytics, Coremetrics, WebTrends, Yahoo! Analytics and Nedstat. And, as the company continues to lose money, finding a "sugar daddy" to support its online marketing model moving forward certainly makes sense.

On the other hand, I think this deal could signal the focus for how the future of web content shapes up and how it will be analyzed.

Will NYC Go with Google Analytics?

Wed, 08 Jul 2009 10:31:39 -0500

I just read an interesting post on Tom Miller's blog summarizing NYC Mayor Bloomberg's keynote note from the Personal Democracy Forum. Miller's take on the speech was that the city may use Google Analytics for optimizing Web site content. From this passage about the Bloomberg presentation, I'd have to agree:

The Mayor also announced that the city is going to partner with Google to study "anonymous usage data" to "allow us to optimize the content on the Web site based on what people are most often searching for."

Will .Gov Sites Nix Cookies for Analytics?

Thu, 18 Jun 2009 14:01:30 -0500

We may be on the verge of significant changes to US Federal government policy on the use of persistent cookies. The White House blog is inviting comment on how a new cookie policy should be shaped. I've posted my comments on the site and have reprinted them here.

My recommendations for a new policy are fairly straightforward:

Has Omniture's Analytics Push Stalled?

Fri, 29 May 2009 11:36:48 -0500

When Omniture announced its Q1 2009 earnings a few weeks ago, there was a bit of heartburn among its investors because the forecast for Q2 results were off analyst expectations. However, the company added another 200 customers and now has 5,200.

But it was the earnings call that was telling. Here are the quotes that jumped out for me:

" ...over 1 trillion transactions (are) being captured"
"A very small percentage of these 1 trillion transactions are being optimized today"
"...customers now have an average of 1.39 [Omniture] products per customer."

Taken together this can look like a glass half empty or full. In Omniture's favor, with its suite of 10 products (depending on how you count), one would think there's plenty of room to cross-sell -- but on the other hand, it seems very few Omniture customers are taking the company up on that.

What Can Google's Analytics API Do For You?

Wed, 06 May 2009 12:40:42 -0500

Unless you're one to hack around with Google Analytics, you might have missed the last month's announcement about the release of a Data Export API. That may not rock your world now, but it may at some point. It's not that you yourself will learn how to use the API, but there are lots of folks out there who do like hacking who have started to come up with Google Analytics-based products that present data more clearly than what's available within Google's basic solution.

The API enables a download of Analytics data in the form of Google Data API feeds. The client application uses the Data Export API to request data from an existing Analytics profile for an authorized user, and refines the results of the request using query parameters.

Microsoft Kills adAnalytics (a.k.a., Gatineau)

Wed, 25 Mar 2009 10:15:42 -0500

Like the month of March, software vendors will go into markets like a lion and out like a lamb. Such was the case with Microsoft's longtime adAnalytics project (originally codenamed "Gatineau") to deliver hosted Web analytics.

The adAnalytics beta service originally launched with great expectations of duking it out with Google Analytics -- only to be quietly shelved earlier this month. (Current customers will receive support through the end of this year.) While Redmond didn't give an official reason, it's apparent it couldn't find a really big following for the solution. Indeed the lack of response to a feedback request on the adAnalytics blog back in July makes you wonder whether adAnalytics garnered much of a clientele.

Google Analytics eMetrics Surprise

Tue, 04 Nov 2008 16:23:01 -0500

Well, it was actually kind of an expected surprise... in my last post I mentioned that I'd be curious how Web analytics vendors might respond to Yahoo! Web Analytics at last month's eMetrics Summit in Washington DC. In fact it was Google Analytics that "stole the show" with the introduction of a host of long-awaited features, including an API and Advanced Segmentation.

The buzz at the conference was overwhelmingly positive, and both independent practitioners and Google Analytics partners have been providing plenty of color commentary on the features and cool things available, and so on and so on.

From what I've seen, I agree for the most part...

Yahoo! Web Analytics Hits Omniture Stock Price

Mon, 13 Oct 2008 15:39:39 -0500

Omniture's share price tanked last week after it was downgraded by a Wall Street analyst who found that companies consider Web analytics to be a discretionary cost, as well as "an increasingly competitive environment for OMTR."

Readers of the Web Analytics Report, and my post about Web analytics leadership know that I'd agree with the comment about a competitive marketplace in analytics.

This was borne out in even starker terms by the long awaited announcement later in the week on the launch of Yahoo! Web Analytics, the solution based on IndexTools. Yahoo! Web Analytics is a no-cost solution that is geared to serious web analysts who want to do behavioral segmentation on unaggregated data. If you're an experienced web analyst, this would be worth a closer look. One important note to this: Yahoo! Web Analytics is not freely available to the entire market. As described on the Yahoo blog, the initial rollout is limited to Yahoo! Small Business' 13,000 hosted e-commerce customers, Yahoo! Web Analytics out to advertisers who seek Yahoo!'s help to build custom micro-sites, and third-party application developers who build widgets and other mini-apps for Yahoo! users via the Yahoo developer network.

Google Addresses Web Analytics Standards

Tue, 23 Sep 2008 09:11:20 -0500

It was with some measure of satisfaction that I saw Justin Cutroni's blog on Google Analytics compliance with Web Analytics Association (WAA) metrics standards. Cutroni works for EpikOne, a Google Analytics Authorized Partner.

You see, I'm asking all of the vendors I'm evaluating in Web Analytics Report to explain how they comply with the standards. The timing of this blog was perhaps no coincidence, as I've been working with Cutroni on updating my evaluation of Google Analytics.

Tagging Drives Web Analytics Accuracy

Fri, 19 Sep 2008 11:32:22 -0500

Readers of the Web Analytics Report know that there are many steps to creating a successful Web analytics initiative � such as developing a strong organization, and creating processes to ensure that analytics get integrated into the mainstream of a company's operations.

If you're a Web analytics manager for a large organization, one of the biggest challenges you likely face in creating enterprisewide standards is at the very heart of Web analytics: data collection.

Nedstat Bows 'Live Segmentation'

Tue, 26 Aug 2008 07:53:33 -0500

Last week, European Web analytics vendor Nedstat announced a new feature called "Live Segmentation," which enables you to develop customized behavioral analysis across unaggregated Web data.

This is a big step for Nedstat. Readers of the Web Analytics Report know that this missing capability was somewhat of a downside to an offering that competes in Europe with the likes of Omniture, and WebTrends � two vendors already providing a "data warehouse"-type of feature that enables deeper and more customizable analysis.

The Challenge of Mobile Analytics: Part II

Fri, 13 Jun 2008 14:28:26 -0500

For those who've read my first post on The Challenge of Mobile Analytics, if you are hoping for a silver-bullet solution that will give you razor-sharp accuracy and provide more robust metrics than the "traditional" vendors, you may be disappointed.

To recap: some new analytics vendors market themselves as purveyors of mobile analytics, both from a branding perspective and because they have clearly committed to figuring out how best to capture and report on mobile Web data. Meanwhile, traditional online analytics vendors haven't been as aggressive in this area. However, this doesn't mean that the mobile analytics vendors have necessarily come up with great solutions either. Right now, it seems the mobile-oriented players exceed the online analytics vendors in their integration of WURFL data as part of the service or software, usually enhanced with DeviceAtlas (which is considered to have a more current database than WURFL for phone and manufacturer information).

The Challenge of Mobile Analytics

Fri, 30 May 2008 13:04:05 -0500

Last year everyone was talking about Web 2.0; this year it's all about the Mobile web. Let's take a look at what this means for mobile analytics, which by the way, I'll be speaking about on a panel at the Internet Marketing Conference in New York on June 4.

The bottom line: Mobile analytics are relatively new; beyond infancy, but certainly not for the faint of heart.

Are Web Analytics Tools Past Their Prime?

Wed, 21 May 2008 14:09:15 -0500

Omniture's Q1 2008 financial results were as rosy as ever, and after listening to a year's worth of earning's calls, the transcripts are almost interchangeable... higher revenues, higher profit margins, more sales reps, more upselling of Genesis partner services.

Omniture's product strategy is focused on providing options and services on integrating Web data to both marketing and offline data � the logical next step for Web analytics discussed in the first edition of the Web Analytics Report.

Thought On Y! IndexTools As Free Service

Thu, 08 May 2008 11:06:55 -0500

Now that the dust is settling on Microsoft's failed Yahoo! bid, let's turn our attention to the announcement (burried under the hostile-takeover talk) that Yahoo! will make IndexTools a free service. Coming so quickly on the heels of the acquisition, it would seem to serve notice to Omniture, Google Analytics, and other Web analytics vendors about the seriousness of Yahoo!'s intentions.

Who's Number One in Web Analytics?

Wed, 26 Mar 2008 13:34:59 -0500

It's a question people ask a lot in many domains, but especially in software. As such, it regularly pops up within the Web analytics community.

You can rank the vendors crudely by number of individual customers. Let's take a look at the vendors we reviewed in the most recent Web Analytics Report and see how many customers they have � or rather, how many they say they have:

Omniture's SiteCatalyst 14 Catches Up

Mon, 17 Mar 2008 08:52:49 -0500

Everybody loves a party, and Web Analytics vendor Omniture is no exception, using its annual summit to announce the release of SiteCatalyst 14 and a truckload of other news, including a partnership with Baidu and the roll out of the combined Touchclarity/Offermatica offering.

If you have SiteCatalyst, you probably are now just getting familiar with the new release. So, what do you think of it?

I recently received a briefing, and certainly the new Ajax interface jumped out as a big improvement... 13.5 was getting tiresome to look at, especially when compared to Google Analytics, IndexTools, and Nedstat.

Is Your Web Analytics Tool Next-Level Ready?

Thu, 21 Feb 2008 09:14:35 -0500

If your vendor is a public company, listening to the quarterly earnings calls are a great way to get some insight into what to expect from the vendor in the short and long term -- something you won't hear from your account manager.

Take the recent Omniture Q4 Earnings Call.

To the investor community, Omniture portrays itself, (rightly so, I think) as a marketing machine � company that is poised to sell you on its growing product suite. Not just analytics, but behavioral targeting and search engine marketing management, as well as its Genesis integrations.

What's an HBX Analytics Customer to Do?

Thu, 24 Jan 2008 15:17:52 -0500

Omniture completed its acquisition of Visual Sciences last week. So where does that leave HBX customers? For the party line, you can check out the HBX migration FAQ. After reading through it, my guess is that you'll have a bunch of questions. As suggested on the site in a number of places, "contact your account or services manager." Well, here are some of the questions I'd ask if I were in your position:

Microsoft Web Analytics Does Demographics

Wed, 21 Nov 2007 08:59:46 -0500

Microsoft has been making noise about its free Web analytics solution since January. The company finally announced the beta of Gatineau at the end of October.

Focused primarily on those who use Redmond's AdCenter service, Gatineau will draw comparisons with Google Analytics. However, Gatineau offers some interesting differentiation, such as the ability to derive demographic data from site visitors who have signed up for a Live ID through Microsoft's Hotmail or Messenger. Microsoft claims that all this data is made anonymous before being passed to Gatineau.

What Does Web Analytics Consolidation Mean to You?

Tue, 30 Oct 2007 15:30:54 -0500

There has been plenty of discussion over the last few days about consolidation in the Web analytics marketplace due to the Omniture/Visual Sciences deal. I believe the whole notion of consolidation is really more relevant if you invest in Web analytics companies, rather than use their products.

Web Analytics Group Releases Report Definitions

Fri, 07 Sep 2007 12:59:39 -0500

The Web Analytics Association (WAA) recently released its definitions of 26 common terms used for reporting and metrics. Those familiar with Web analytics will probably not learn a great deal from reading the standards; they are meant primarily for industry newcomers. However, here's a few ways you can use the document:

WebTrends Upgrade: The Price is Wrong!

Wed, 29 Aug 2007 09:40:27 -0500

Not long after my "WebTrends Release Boosts Scoring, Segmentation" post, WebTrends' Director of Product Marketing Matt Langie contacted me to tell me that I'd gotten their pricing wrong. Pricing for Marketing Data Warehouse is not $1,000 per month, as I thought I'd been told during the demo. Langie said this statement contained errors:

"Existing customers of the Marketing Warehouse will be upgraded to Score and Visitor Intelligence at no additional cost."

It should read:

"Existing customers of the WebTrends Marketing Warehouse will be upgraded to WebTrends Visitor Intelligence at no additional cost."
He added, "In addition, WebTrends Marketing Warehouse is no longer a standalone product that is licensed, but serves as the underlying database which powers the two new products in ML2, WebTrends Score, and WebTrends Visitor Intelligence. As such, new licensees of WebTrends Score or WebTrends Visitor Intelligence will now receive the Marketing Warehouse inclusive in these product offerings."

To this I responded with the following questions � questions that you might ask as a current or potential customer:

WebTrends Release Boosts Scoring, Segmentation

Wed, 15 Aug 2007 10:17:53 -0500

Web analytics vendor WebTrends released Marketing Lab 2 early this month, an ambitious effort that seeks to raise the analytics value of the product while improving usability.

The introduction of WebTrends "Score" and WebTrends "Visitor Intelligence" are the featured upgrades to Marketing Warehouse Version 2.0. Score lets you set values on events in order to measure engagement. While the idea of setting values is not ground breaking, analysts who currently spend time doing this offline in Excel will save time by setting values within the interface and having reports generated natively.

Europe Drives Omniture's Growth

Wed, 08 Aug 2007 13:24:43 -0500

Omniture recently announced a 78-percent increase in revenues over the second quarter of 2006 and 15-percent increase over the first quarter of 2007. Much of this growth was driven by international sales that accounted for $8.8 million, or 26 percent of all revenue. This was a 184-percent increase over last year. Of course, with growth comes challenges.

Ominture entered Europe two years ago starting in the UK, and it has since built a presence in France, Germany, Netherlands and Spain. Its January purchase of Instadia established a foothold in Scandinavia, and was quickly followed by the acquisition of UK behavioral targeting company, TouchClarity.