On Thursday, October 9, I read a ComputerWorld article that discussed Yahoo!’s new analytics tool. According to the article, last week Yahoo! revealed the beta version of its Web Analytics tool — a result of the April acquisition of IndexTools. As a fairly satisfied (but sometimes unsatisfied) Google Analytics user, the introduction of another FREE web analytics tool is more than intriguing. So I ask, how is Yahoo!’s analytics product better/worse/different than the Google product…and why should I consider switching? Well, Yahoo! explains the three key differences in their FAQ section:

1. The Value of Real-time Data: While some analytics products provide data 24-48 hours after collection, Yahoo! Web Analytics reflects data within minutes of collection. In other words, with Yahoo! Web Analytics, you can practically see in real-time what your website users are experiencing. This is extremely powerful compared to seeing what users did 2 days ago. With Yahoo! Web Analytics near real-time data you can:
•    See how new ad campaigns are performing in order to quickly make changes and optimize your budget
•    Identify usability issues if top performing pages suddenly see a dip in key performance metrics, or new pages under-perform
•    Quickly assess performance of new website content or products to maximize your yield

2. The Power of Raw Data: While some products store aggregated data, which restricts the usefulness of the data to pre-created or canned reports, Yahoo! Web Analytics stores data in non-aggregated raw form. This means that you can ask a variety of new questions and create new kinds of reports to answer questions using both current and historical data. In other words, Yahoo! Web Analytics is not a simple aggregated data reporting tool, it is a powerful data analysis tool.

3. Ease-of-Use and Flexibility: Yahoo! Web Analytics enables easier analysis of website data by allowing you to filter and segment data using intuitive drag-and-drop features, to quickly build reports with simple custom report wizards, and to create ad hoc scenarios to answer your specific business questions as they arise.

As a search marketer, I’m always looking for customized reports and new ways of segmenting my data. And as a Google Analytics user, I’m always looking for new ways to overcome Google’s tracking limitations. If Yahoo!’s analytics tools really can help me and my clients better manage website traffic and help make better decisions, then I say sign me up!

To access the full article, click here: ComputerWorld