High-end Web Analytics Industry Safe from Google Analytics

When Google made their newly acquired Urchin web analytics service available for free, some pundits claimed an untimely end to the web analytics industry. According to a recent report from Forrester Research High-end web analytics vendors have little to fear from Google Inc.’s free web analytics service.

Google analytics appeal primarily to small and medium-sized businesses that lack a web analytics program or possess a rudimentary free/semi-free service like SiteMeter or StatCounter.

Google web analytics is a self-service program with a basic access control model, no custom reports, no e-mail support for reports, no data import capability and limited export capability, according to Forrester study.

It lacks integration with major e-mail vendors and support for multiple search vendors and affiliate networks.

The report mentions that it supports integration with AdSense. As far as I know that is not true.

Retailers also will hesitate to purchase analytics from the same vendor that sells them ads, Forrester said.

I think Google is effectively poised to kill the low end market and yet it may in a strange way boost the high-end web analytics industry. With increased awareness of web analytics and free availability to everyone, companies will be forced to invest with high-end solutions in order to get as much leverage as is possible with advanced web analytics solutions.