ClickTracks Review - Website Analysis Software

ClickTracks is a clickstream analysis tool that takes a totally different approach to understanding website traffic behaviour. Compared to other tools it provides an easy, yet powerful way to understand how visitors interact with your website.

ClickTracks is rated by many as the best web analytics tool on the market.

It has repeatedly won the ClickZ Marketing Excellence Award for Best Web Site Analytics Tool (beating Webtrends and Manticore Technology). In addition it also won the ClickZ 2004 Marketing Excellence Awards for Best Small Business Analytics Tool (beating Hitbox Professional and Urchin Software).

In case you're wondering what on earth "clickstream analysis" means, it's all about understanding how people "click" their way through your website. The insight this provides can be invaluable to identifying ways of improving your website and increasing visitor conversions (be they sales or whatever).

ClickTracks works by analysing web server log files. If you've been put off using web server log analysis packages in the past we don't blame you. Most are difficult to set up and the information they provide can be of limited value.

However ClickTracks is extremely easy to set up and use (no, you don't need to be a geek). More to the point, the information it provides really is very enlightening compared to other log analysis programs.

Conventional log analysis programs will tell you how many visitors have been referred to your website and what keywords they used to find it. Clearly this is essential marketing information.

But what do visitors do when they get to your site?

It's a big mistake to think all visitors are equal! To maximise ROI you must identify those visitors that have the highest conversion rates. When you know who they are you can focus on attracting more of them, instead of blindly wasting time and money on tyre kickers who visit but won't convert.

Previously to find out this information you had to invest in complex high-end log analysis packages that have breath-taking prices. With the advent of ClickTracks there's now an easy-to-use alternative.

Why ClickTracks is Refreshingly Different
Most web server log analysis packages overwhelm you with vast amounts of superfluous data that in reality provides very little marketing information. In stark contrast ClickTracks focuses only on the important data and displays visitor patterns directly on the pages of your website. This way of presenting information is unique and will have you wondering why no one's done it before.

To see what we mean, check out this 2 minute ClickTracks demo.

This is a fundamentally new approach to log file analysis and allows anyone  to understand user behaviour at a glance. Where people click, how long they stay, when they leave the site, and much more is immediately apparent. The real value of course is the abilty to apply this knowledge.

You might feel happy with a marketing program that generates a 5% click-through to your site - but what happens after they reach the landing page? How many actually convert? That's the real measure of success. With ClickTracks you'll know the answer to this essential question within 5 minutes.

ClickTracks provides a very easy way to understand the actions performed by visitors when they reach your site. With the click of your mouse you can separate visitors into groups according to whatever marketing program generated the referral and then displays data for each group. This key feature is provided by 'tagging' visitors based on a common criteria, such as the referring domain. Tagged visitors are then graphically highlighted all the way through the site - no matter how deep they click.

Apart from letting you easily create ad hoc analysis queries ClickTracks also includes a wide range of useful predefined tools which allow you to quickly drill down and compare different visitors' behaviour. A good example of this is the ability to compare Pay-Per-Click and traditional search traffic behaviour.

ClickTracks is suitable for both individuals and large enterprises. Currently it is available in a range of versions to cater to the needs of different users from single users through to ISPs. In addition to software there are also hosted versions which are ideal for people who don't have access to log server files. A full breakdown of the products can be found here: ClickTracks

Incidentally, this software is not just for online marketers. It's also ideal for website developers and provides them with an unprecedented usability analysis tool by placing them in the shoes of real visitors - no more second guessing about what may or may not work.

At Viz Marketing we were so impressed with this software we bought it ourselves. Anyone serious about their website should seriously consider this package.

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