Comparing Google Analytics, MeasureMap, and FeedBurner
May 5th, 2008 | by shawnmor |
Google has spent a lot of money building up their suite of site and feed analysis tools. Over the past couple years, they’ve bought some of the leading players in the analysis field – Analytics, MeasureMap, and FeedBurner. Right now, I think these applications are feeding off the brains of each other. Each of these apps provide really interesting information about my site, and my blog, and the data coming from each seems to contradict the other two. Either somebody pulled a fast one over Google’s eyes by putting a nice UI in front of a rnd(); function, or I’m missing something.
Don’t get me wrong – I like all these tools, and each is focused on unique areas. Analytics focuses on the web site; MeasureMap focuses on the blog; FeedBurner focuses on the RSS and Atom feeds. Google Analytics gives me great information on what’s drawing people to my blog – what search terms are most popular, etc. MeaureMap focuses more on a day-by-day analysis of my blog – which posts people read when then visit the site. Then there’s my favorite, FeedBurner. In addition to all the wonderful outbound tools and services it offers for my RSS and ATOM feeds, FeedBurner gives me information on which stories get clicks, which stories are being resyndicated, and the number of people who click to view a particular item on my site.
All well and good in isolation, and it’s when I start comparing what I think should be the same number across the three services do things get a bit wonky. Number of visitors is pretty funny – there’s probably a 2x range in values. So as long as I’m using the services to provide guidance, and not for any kind of statistically relevant auditing, these tools are doing great.
On another note, I can smell a WordPress plug-in coming. It will be similar to the wonderful AllInOne SEO Pack, except focused on statistics. I want to provide my Google credentials, and have the plugin go inject the right javascript across my themes to make sure the data is being fed to all three services. Better yet, I want Google to combine these services into an all-up analysis package.