| Many sites have been comparing Google Analytics to | | | | seemed to take quite a few months for it to gather |
| various other tools such as Woopra and Yahoo, but | | | | steam because of the steep $30 per website fee. |
| one of the sites so closely aligned to Google, and so | | | | Fortunately for them, many users across the |
| often overlooked is Mint. While the far-reaching quality | | | | blogsphere have deemed that fee not quite so steep |
| and grandiosity of Google Analytics is not even | | | | after all. They do offer real-time tracking, which can be |
| touchable by Mint, the real-time tracking and overall | | | | extremely valuable for viewing and tracking your data. |
| functionality is something Google might have to worry | | | | This also means updates and data arrives |
| about in their future. | | | | instantaneously. The look of the site is “always |
| Google Analytics has been around since about 2005, | | | | fresh” and their mint theme creates an easy to |
| as a free web analytics tool. They basically acquired | | | | relate to interface. Even their color scheme of green |
| Urchin 6 and then began giving the services away. | | | | and gray is pleasant. They are very involved in their |
| They have more options than most other tools out | | | | community of clients, and allow them to write plug-ins |
| there, and are essentially perfect for the average | | | | called “Pepper” to improve the overall |
| website owner. Although, their user-friendly interface | | | | functionality of the system. A few downsides, other |
| only takes them so far. With such a multitude of | | | | than the price, are the software programs required; |
| options, this tool can become complicated, and you | | | | MySQL and Apache are needed to run Mint. It is also |
| might get a little lost in your various reports. Additionally, | | | | not as widely integrated as some other sites, such as |
| Google uses an online server, so performance can lag | | | | Google Analytics. |
| behind based on your Internet connection, which | | | | Mint and Google Analytics are both quality tools, but |
| seems to be a reason why it can take many hours to | | | | with such value comes competition, and it seems |
| get updates. A huge benefit of Google Analytics is the | | | | some changes are inevitably required in both of their |
| compatibility across the board, including valuable | | | | futures. To set up and learn in the ins-and-outs if these |
| resources such as Adsense and Adwords. | | | | tools look for SEO in Pheonix, AZ. |
| Mint began shortly after GA, around three years ago. It | | | | |