Is a Paid Analytics Tool Really Better?

August 2, 2011Kayden Kelly

The short answer: YES. Paid analytics tools can be well worth your investment if:

• You are a high revenue company with high volumes of traffic,
• You have plenty of analytics resources to mine the tool, and/or
• The slightest change can make a world of difference.

However, it cannot be stressed enough that analytics tools only produce data. The meaningful insight derived from that data is what is most important.

Power is in the Analysis, not the Tool

Paying for an analytics tool is not the silver bullet many think it is. They can be complex and overwhelming, losing the value they were intended to provide. If your organization isn’t already analytics driven, you won’t change this by dropping in a sophisticated analytics tool.

In the past, we have helped companies struggling with the complexity of paid analytics tools overcome the hurdles. Through training and implementation assistance, we were able to restore the value they originally expected from a paid analytics tool.

On the other hand, we also help companies transition from paid to free analytics solutions. For example, we helped successfully transition Shop.com, a large scale ecommerce site from Adobe Sitecatalyst (paid) to Google Analytics (free), without sacrificing any performance data their business required. To read more about this transition, read the Paid to Free Analytics Case Study.

Create an Analytics Driven Culture

To create an analytics driven company, you have to encourage not discourage. The best way to develop an analytics driven culture is to deploy a user-friendly analytics tool. It should be easy to gather the performance data you need. However, one of the most common reasons why organizations abandon their paid solution is a lack of usage due to the intimidation barrier.

Knock down the Intimidation Barrier

As your team becomes more comfortable with an easy to use analytics solution, they will start to depend on the insights they glean and eventually will hunger for even more power. It is not easy to max out the potential of Google Analytics, but when you do your team will be well prepared for the learning curve of a paid solution.

When the Time is Right…go Paid!

We routinely help companies transition from a free analytics solution to a paid analytics solution like Webtrends and Adobe Sitecatalyst. We are partners with both Webtrends and Adobe, and are BIG Fans of these paid analytics solutions.

If you aren’t sure if you are ready, just remember to be realistic. Ask yourself these two questions:

• Do you have the analytics resources to fully utilize a paid analytics solution?
• Do analytics play a daily role in decision making for your organization?

If you answered ‘yes’ to either of these questions then it is time to start running cost versus benefit analysis on a paid analytics solution.

Ferrari Analytics

Just don’t let us catch you driving your Ferrari in first gear or letting it collect dust. If you want the power of “Ferrari analytics,” drive it hard or don’t waste your money.

What’s your take? Let me know if you agree, disagree or have more questions about comparing web analytics tools for your organization.

About the Author

Kayden Kelly

Kayden is the Founder and CEO of Blast Analytics & Marketing. He leads overall strategy and execution in positioning Blast as a leading analytics and digital marketing consulting company. An industry trailblazer who stays ahead of trends and opportunities, Kayden has spent nearly two decades building his expertise in all areas, with a deep focus on analytics, search engine optimization, and user experience. He is an evangelist for “the customer,” helping clients create sustainable competitive advantage by developing, optimizing, distributing, and connecting valuable content to customer needs. Connect with Kayden on LinkedIn. Kayden Kelly has written 48 posts on the Blast Digital Customer Experience and Analytics Blog.