Google Analytics vs. Clicky

It is no secret that Google seems to lead the way when it comes to web analytics tools. In fact, experts estimate that more than 30-50 million businesses have loaded Google Analytics onto their websites as their main analytics tool used to track site visits, content viewed, referral traffic, demographics, among other things. (McGee, 2015). Google Analytics offers a free, robust tool of web analytics in the simplest form, creating ease of use for the end user.

In contrast, there are plenty of other analytics tools that have developed since the inception of Google, including (but not limited to), Clicky, KISSmetrics, Chartbeat, Mint, GoSquared, etc. These tools have done their best to mimic Google Analytics, while offering something in addition in order to differentiate themselves, and to create a price structure where brands have to pay for the extra features. It’s a smart strategy.

So let’s take a look at Clicky. Clicky is also considered to be a robust web analytic tool that is almost as detailed as Google Analytics. In fact, Clicky focuses on providing real-time data, allowing brands to be more nimble and make quicker decisions. In addition, according to Oberoi (2015), Clicky’s immediate pros and and cons are as follows:

·      The analytics portion is nearly as good as Google

·      It provides real-time data

·      It is very easy to install and allows for a simple plugin within Wordpress

·      Clicky automatically feeds the website with keywords people are using to access the site; it also shows ranking

·      It offers Twitter Search Tracking, which can monitor Twitter tags, keywords and retweets

(Clicky.com, 2016)

·      It has an iPhone app which makes it easy to stay connected and review analytics from a mobile device

·      It provides a robust API for advanced users

·      It includes heat maps to show the popular click areas within a website

(Clicky.com, 2016)

·      It provides detail information about every person who visits the site

(Clicky.com, 2016)

On the flip side, however, are the cons associated with the analytics program. Continued in his assessment, Oberoi notes the following:

·      The interface is not user friendly and can be quite overwhelming to a first time user

·      It requires businesses to pay a fee if installed on multiple web sites or if the website receives more than 3,000 page views a day

·      Many of the key features, including the pros listed above, as well as goal tracking and email reports, are only available on premium accounts (which require additional payments)

Having listed out a few of the pros and cons, it’s important to understand the fee structure to evaluate if these added value items are worth the cost. As the chart below identifies, the lowest cost program (outside of the free program, which offers the same elements as Google) is $9.99 per month and does not include the heatmaps or uptown monitoring (uptown monitoring is a check and balance system to make sure all is working properly and no elements have gone offline). In order to get the heatmap and uptown monitoring items, businesses would have to purchase the Pro Plus plan for $14.99 per month.

How is it different from Google Analytics?

Having done a quick review of Clicky to see what is involved with this analytics tool and considering how they are trying to differentiate themselves in the online analytics marketplace, there are a few specific key elements noted by Angeles (2014) that are in direct contrast to Google and worthy of a more detailed review. 

The first: Individual Visitor Information

As noted above, Clicky provides detailed information regarding the individual users viewing the pages within the site, including IP addresses, Internet provider, location, operating system, referrer, visit length, sessions and actions (Google Analytics also provides this detail but not down to the individual user). This could prove extremely beneficial when trying to market to a very specific customer.

The second: Detail Heat Mapping

While Google Analytics tracks the pages viewed, content clicked, etc. within a site, Clicky provides (in their Pro Plus plan), a heatmap that better details what visitors are doing on the website – where they are clicking, visitor sessions, etc. This could prove extremely beneficial when tracking certain campaign goals as it provides a more visual viewing of what is drawing the consumer’s eye.

The third: Alerts

Clicky has a robust alert system that allows businesses to know quickly if there are issues with the site.

The fourth: Mobile-Friendly

According to industry experts, Clicky is one of the most mobile friendly web analytics services that exists. It provides great intel in this specific area, but also includes a mobile app that makes it easy for businesses to review their data. Additionally, Clicky does not use Adobe Flash like many other analytics tools, so it’s accessible on iOS and other devices that do not support flash. 

The fifth: Twitter Tracking Capability

While Google Analytics does a great job of tracking social referral traffic, Clicky provides a more detailed snapshot as to where the retweets, mentions, etc. are coming from. In fact, it pulls in a bit of social analytics support which could be beneficial to a brand using Twitter to drive traffic to their site. 

So What Now?

After review of Clicky and other analytics tools in contrast to Google Analytics, the recommendation could be made that:

·      Businesses should always include Google Analytics on their site as a first line of information. Because it is free, user-friendly, and provides a good snapshot into the details, it’s a good place for brands to start. It is also well tied-in to Google AdWords and creates ease of use when starting a paid advertising program. While Google may not have the added value items other analytics programs offer, they are still very much a front-runner in search and paid advertising and should not be discredited.

·      Having said that, it’s also important for businesses to be aware of the added-value items being offered within other analytics programs, as it might provide a deeper dig into consumer information and data that is needed. There might be small pieces of one that works better than the other and considered as a collective review package.

Angeles, S. (2014, March 19). 3 Google Analytics alternatives and why you should use them. Retrieved from http://www.businessnewsdaily.com/6090-google-analytics-alternatives.html

Clicky vs the other guys. (n.d.). Retrieved June 12, 2016, from https://clicky.com/compare/

Oberoi, A. (n.d.). The top 31 best web analytics tools | Google Analytics alternative. Retrieved June 12, 2016, from http://www.adpushup.com/blog/web-analytics-tools-google-analytics-alternatives/