Comparing Google Analytics and hosted advertising analytics solutions

Posted by Justin Hesser on September 13, 2012

Businesses have always made a point to be where the consumers are. In this century, that means the internet and social media. But, unlike the traditional advertising and marketing tactics of the last century, companies are still finding ways to improve the performance of their online presence, such as using database software to track key web analytics and data.

Google Analytics is a popular way for companies to track the performance of their website, advertising campaign or blog.

When companies use Google Analytics, they are given a wide swath of data that's been compiled by the tech company's service. This includes reports on site traffic, such as unique visitors and time spent on each page, as well as click-throughs and conversions for display ads. Real-time reporting measures website activity as it happens. And content and social media analytics measures audience engagement and in-page analytics that show where users go within a site.

While Google Analytics can provide excellent data for companies to monitor how well their website or blog is performing, self-hosted web analytics are rising in popularity among users.

According to Search Engine Watch, self-hosted analytics solutions offer the convenience of speed to customers, as they do not have to wait for a remote server to respond to a request for analytics. In addition, they allow the owner full control over their website data. Part of this control is the added security measures that self-hosted analytics offer.

When using a web-based service such as Google Analytics, companies put sensitive data at risk of being intercepted or lost through the cloud. Self-hosted services, though, securely store the data wherever the administrator would like it. Companies may want to consult FileMaker developers to work with creating their own self-hosted analytics software.

Businesses can customize this software to provide more details on conversions and leads than they might receive through Google Analytics. FileMaker developers can consult with businesses and aid them in developing the best possible analytics software for their company by creating a custom-made solution to their advertising and web tracking needs