Traffic Flow SEO

I have used a lot of analytics programs in the last couple of years and as of late (since Google bought it from Urchin) I have been using Google Analytics almost exclusively. As Google has made some updates I have liked the service even more, but recently on a whim I decided to try a new analytics package called GoingUp!. While I was initially drawn to the idea that it was an analytics package geared towards the SEO crowd, I have grown to really like some of the features which Google Analytics lacks. While I was a little put off by what they call free SEO tools which ended up actually being cheap (freely available) tools that were not completely functional in some instances, overall I am very happy (using the free package to test the service) as of now.

Here is the pitch from GoingUp!

"Introducing GoingUp! site tracking, web analytics and search engine ranking. Similar to Google analytics, you'll see a COMPLETE picture of your website traffic, visitors and ranking. Where we excel over other site analytics is our extra features and great service. Easily see web traffic, visitor actions, where your visitors come from and where they go on your site, all in real-time. Need to track sales and other critical onsite factors? With our advanced web analytics you'll always be in the know."

While I agree with the additional features that Google lacks, I would not completely remove Google Analytics from my sites. I would run GoingUp! to be an additional, and sometimes easier to read source of analytics and real time information.

Some of the benefits of GoingUp! I have experienced are (as compared to Google Analytics)

- A better and easier to digest presentation of the much of the analytics data.
- Better layout and options for tracking visitor paths within the site.
- A feature called - Visitor Activity that gives you a quick snapshot of each visitor, where they came from, what page they entered and what page they exited.
- My favorite - SiteSpy, track your visitors in real-time as they come to the site and as they bounce around. It really gives you a completely different perspective on the site usage as you are watching people interact with it (a little big brother, but fun).

The biggest disadvantage I have experienced is the lack of long-term data. You can buy packages that allow data to be collected for a longer period of time, but the pricing can run upwards of $60 per month and would not even handle the traffic data for 6 months of one of my directory Websites. This is a little disappointing.

Overall what I think I like best about GoingUP! is the way it makes analytics appear much more intimate where I find Google Analytics more formal and proper. GoingUp! allows me to get a better vision of my site on a minute by minute basis while Google Analytics allows me to see and analyze the long term data and traffic in order to make better marketing choices. As both packages serve a specific purpose, I will probably end up using both of them together on my sites in the future.