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Yahoo Takes on Google in the Analytics Game By Jennifer LeClaire April 17, 2007 9:49AM     As Google moves ahead with its acquisition of online advertising powerhouse DoubleClick, Yahoo continues to wage its own battle with Google on several fronts, including in the field of Web analytics. While Google takes a give 'em all they could want and more approach, Yahoo aims to give Web marketers a more focused set of stats and graphs -- hopefully, just what they need.   Related Topics Web Analytics Web Marketing Search Engine Google Yahoo DoubleClick Advertising Customer Data E-Business E-Commerce Latest News Plasma-TV Ban Could Be Costly Barnes & Noble Nook Is Delayed Flat PC Shipments Hurt Dell's Stock Ballmer Says Windows 7 Sales Good New Pogoplug 'Cloud' Gets Social Search engine marketers rely on Web analytics to tell them which key words are working -- and which ones are not. So when Yahoo launched a "Full Analytics" option within its new Panama search-marketing system, it turned a few heads. Despite the buzz, however, there is still plenty of marketplace confusion surrounding Yahoo's analytics platform and how it compares to and contrasts with what Google Analytics has to offer. In fact, some Search Engine Marketing (SEM) consultants interviewed for this column were unaware that Yahoo even offers anything beyond the simple metrics it has historically made available to online marketers through its Advertiser Web Services program. Although some experts might not think of Yahoo as a big player in the Web analytics game, Yahoo would beg to differ. The Players In case you haven't been keeping an eye on the blow-by-blow competition between Yahoo and Google on the analytics front, here's a little history to bring you up to speed. When Yahoo acquired Overture in 2003, it inherited Keylime Software's analytics and paid-search management tools. Overture had snapped up Keylime for $9.5 million just before Yahoo closed its $1.63 billion buyout of the popular platform. And now, Keylime's deep analysis software is being used as the foundation for the analytics capabilities included in Yahoo's Panama search-marketing system. On the other side of the board is Google who acquired Urchin Software, a Web analytics firm that measured traffic to thousands of popular Internet sites, in March 2005 for an undisclosed amount. Google said its motive for acquiring Urchin was to provide Web site owners the information they need to optimize the user experience and generate greater ROI on their advertising spending. The Yahoo Approach Paul Apodaca, who is the director of program management for Yahoo Search Marketing shared his insights with us about Yahoo's strategy. "Our Web analytics program," he explained, "was developed from the standpoint of someone trying to understand their Web site's performance, whether that be a marketer or an IT person. But our Full Analytics program doesn't show all of those reports. We have tailored the display to suit the specific needs of search engine marketers." Apodaca just hinted at the first major difference between Yahoo's Full Analytics offering and Google Analytics: Yahoo isn't giving search engine marketers information it deems unnecessary to their online advertising mission. The Google Way Google, by contrast, uses its Urchin roots to track and display all visitor data , from visitors and pageviews to conversion funnels and so on. In short, Google Analytics offers a more comprehensive view of a Web site's activity -- not just search engine activity. (continued...) 1  |  2  |  3  |  Next Page >   Advertisement  E-Commerce 1.   Barnes & Noble Nook Is Delayed 2.   AOL Offers Voluntary Resignations 3.   Senators Blast Web Sites for Fraud 4.   Virtual Wallets Enter Money Evolution 5.   Bing's Market Share Nears 10 Percent The 800-Pound Call Center Gorilla Broadsoft innovates, rolls out products. Average Rating: Barnes & Noble Nook Is Delayed Orders will arrive after Christmas. Average Rating: AOL Offers Voluntary Resignations Goal is to eliminate 2,500 positions. Average Rating:

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Network Security Spotlight

House Lawmakers Push Ban on Peer-to-Peer Software Stung by an embarrassing electronic leak revealing ethics investigations into dozens of lawmakers, Congress moved to prohibit federal employees from using the file-sharing software blamed for the disclosure.   GAO: Los Alamos Computer Security Has Weaknesses Security weaknesses uncovered in Los Alamos National Laboratory's computer network increase the risk of a classified-information breach, says the Government Accountability Office.   Computer Security Firm Fortinet Plans IPO This Week Fortinet plans to go public in an initial public offering, giving investors a chance to tap a network security provider with sales that are expected to grow. The IPO could be valued at $137.5 million or more.

Enterprise Hardware Spotlight

Flat Shipments Hurt Dell Despite Increased Earnings Dell's earnings are up and expectations are solid, but the company's stock still took a hit after analysts signaled the company isn't playing a key role in the PC market recovery.   New Pogoplug 'Personal Cloud' Does Social Networking Cloud Engines has released its newest version of the Pogoplug, a small "multimedia sharing device" that connects hard drives to the Internet and allows a user to access the files remotely.   Apple Tablet Rumored Delayed as Publisher Gears Up There have been so many rumors of an Apple tablet that it has taken on legendary status. But now the legend is being revised with reports of a delay and that a major publisher is getting ready.

Enterprise Technology Spotlight

Flat Shipments Hurt Dell Despite Increased Earnings Dell's earnings are up and expectations are solid, but the company's stock still took a hit after analysts signaled the company isn't playing a key role in the PC market recovery.   Smartphones: A Bigger Target for Security Threats Smartphones are increasingly prevalent and adept at handling more tasks, including trading stocks, paying bills, and buying stuff online. That makes them attractive to thieves and hackers.   FBI Says Hackers Targeting Law Firms, PR Companies Hackers are targeting law firms and public relations companies with a sophisticated e-mail scheme that breaks into their computer networks to steal sensitive data, often linked to large corporate clients.

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