Long time no posting, sorry for that. Fortunatly i was busy with customers and companies i like to have as customers.

And here we go: I did a job in selecting the perfect tracking and analytics software, checked 5 or more tools in detail, had some great time thinking about useful KPI´s, user segments and further special needs for my “iliketohaveyouascustomer” and then, when presenting the perfect web analytics solution for my new customer (hopefully), he asks:

Fine. Do you have a heapmap?

Errrr. Nope. No heatmap. Nothing. Nada. Niet. Nein. No funny and colorful picture with your website in the background. No, sorry. And now listen: You don´t need it. Yes, it looks nice, right. It´s totally sexy, yes. And yes, i know you would marry your heatmap, if you had one. But you don´t. And you still don´t need it.

Now face it: There definitly IS a need for heatmaps. Sometimes. After a site relaunch. Maybe. Perhaps.

Well, what happens? You want to know WHERE YOUR VISITORS GO ON YOUR SITE AND WHAT THEY ARE DOING AND WHY THEY ARE NOT BUYING YOUR STUFF.

Right, we all want to know that. And most anaylitcs tools tell you, anyhow.

Sure, not everybody uses URL variables or Anchor Tags to track WHICH or 2 or more links to the same site is beeing clicked. But you can get this information if you want to. Sure, fixed URL variables may cause Google to see kind of duplicate content. But still: why a heatmap?

Look at this picture: what does it show? Yeeeeeessss, it´s showing where your users usually click. Wow. I love it, and so i will not buy any web analytics software -even if it´s perfect for me- if there´s no heatmap.

Okay, back to earth: What do you expect after you stared on your sexy heatmap after a while of counting traffic on your site? Deep insight of visitor satisfaction every day? I guess not. I bet there is one thing you will get: Boredom. Why? What will you see?

Just the same and same image of some color over your website. Everyday.

And that´s it.

What do you want today? You are on the right way: you want to get insigths of your business, so you decided to buy the perfect webanalytics software. Perfect, one step into the “DATA DRIVEN BUSINESS” Avinash is talking about.

Most tools tell you what visitors do on your page. Some tools give you the great opportunity of segmentation. Awesome. Some tools even allow you to use API, snyc to your adwords account, handle external data sources, let you do multi variate testing; some of them even provide behavioral targeting and predictive behavioral targenting and some of them even fly you to the moon.

And all you ask for is a what? A heatmap? Thats it? You, and i mean you, the super-clever entrepreneur. All you ask for is a heatmap? Wow. There are so many much more important questions to ask in your business, and you are on the right way when taking your time in selcting the perfect web analytics tool for your business. Take this time. Use it right. And forget about the heatmap.

Spend some time on implementing your tool, spend more time on segementing your data and spend even more time on finding your business insights your webanalytics tool may provide you - and them have a great life becouse you turned your website into an superduper cash-cow. Even without heatmap.

Here we go: A Heatmap will never ever tell you anyhing that your web analytics tool doesnt know.

A heatmap is like your girlfriend´s room decoration: pretty. And useless.

It´s been a few weeks now since Yahoo! has taken over Indextools, and the reactions in press and blogosphere were almost everywhere the same:

Ahh, that´s great. Congrats! WHERE CAN I GET MY FREE ACCOUNT?

Well, i don´t think this will be THAT easy. Everybody in Analytics Business thinks that Indextools will be “FREE”. Once again: It´s not THAT easy. Right, If you already have an Indextools Account -Basic or Enterprise, doesn´t matter at all- you will no longer get charged for it. It´s free, thats right. Even Bid Managment and all of that stuff: Free. But not: Free for all.

But here we go: Do you know where you can get a new account? Well i do. At least for Germany. Indextools has about 3 so-called “Strategic Alliance Partners” in Germany. New Yahoo!Indextools accounts will by managed by them, and ONLY by them. And do you really think any of these agencys is willing to handle thousands of “iwantanfreeaccountformyblog”-issues?

Nah, they will not. Those angencys will only handle big customers and these customers will have to pay service charges. Did i mention that there will be no more service by Y!Indextools? Service will be handled by existing “Strategic Alliance Partners”. And there will not be any new Partners, just in case you wanted to ask over this next.

Now, time for the “why”-question: So why did Y! actually buy Indextools, if they don´t want to do another and better Google Analytics?

I think it´s kinda easy. Y! needed a good and state-of-the-art Analytics software for their big advertising customers and companys. Yahoo! doesnt want to do an new Google Analytics, and Y! also doesn´t want to change anything big with existing customers and partners at all. I kinda looks like Y! isn´t even interested in whats going on with existing customers. They bought their tool, they are about to implement it and if there ever will be any kind of product for anybody is something noone is talking about. If there will be a Rubix; if there will be following on-demand-releases - nobody knows.

All i know is: At this moment - try to get an free account.. good luck to you. Maybe i´m wrong, but somehow i think that there´ll be NO free Yahoondextools in near future.

I took apart - about 3 times now - and i must say one thing: Everybody who is working in the Analytics industray has to visit the web analyst wednesday! It´s a great event to get in contact with a lot og brilliant people!

This time, it happened at Pearl Jays in Berlin. Jim Sterne from the Web Analyst Association spoke about “Not only “What”, “Where” and “When” … but also “Who” and “Why” … in webanalytics. Great one! The event was sponsored by mindlab and ox2; i heard rumors that the next event will be in munich, sponsored by Booming and IndexTools.

Join it!!!

The acquisition of Visual Sciences caused a big wave in the international webanalytics scene. Today omniture released the final press release.

In the end of januar Omniture starts a customer welcome program with several meetings and instructions for formerVisual Sciences customers. Finally, Omniture is now and still the biggest vendor for web analytics and tracking in the world. But willl they be able to keep their position as leading company for innovative analytics solutions? We will see….

Indextools is launching version 10 in february 2008. Additionally to the well know on-demand reporting interface there will be a extreme flexible analyst tool called rubix. This tools takes web analytics into a higher level!

I had the pleasure of getting a small sneak preview into rubix and all i can say is: Whoa! Omniture: Get ready, Indextools is driving on the fast lane!

Version 10 supports metrics like “user lifetime value”, handles external data sources and takes the possibilty of flexible reporting to the top! Watch out, web analysis will never be the same like before.

Here we go… i wanted to start my own analytics blog since ages - now it´s done.

I love tracking will handle several issues regarding tracking, web analysis, vendors and other analysts

Web Analysis: Taking the step

In future, i will update this Blog with Tracking Issues as ofetn as possible. . . so stay tuned!

Cheers, Jens