If you’re not tracking, you’re slacking. Without the right data, it’s impossible to optimize, grow and succeed as an online business — it’s that simple. While there are countless web analytics solutions available, not all are suited to the unique needs of a publisher. Below are six great analytics platforms that digital media publisher use to help make the right decisions.
Google Analytics
Google Analytics is pretty much the standard option for any website when it gets started. For a free product, it’s remarkably robust and is a great option until you start pushing the limits. The premium version comes with a six-figure price tag, but by the time you reach that level, you’ll be best served by moving to an analytics solution designed specifically for online publishers.
Clicky Web Analytics
Clicky is another great option for new(ish) websites looking to get the best data. With a free plan for sites up to 3,000 daily visits and premium plans starting at only $9.99 (with advanced features), Clicky is a great budget option for publishers looking to get a bit more than they would from Google Analytics.
FoxMetrics
FoxMetrics is beyond the needs of a small blog or new site, but if your site has been steadily growing and you have several people creating content, FoxMetrics could be a great option at a reasonable price. Starting with their Medium plan ($50/month), FoxMetrics provides a set of tracking tools geared specifically for today’s digital media publisher. In addition to modules for articles, you can track metrics around authors as well.
Chartbeat Publishing
Chartbeat Publishing is Chartbeat’s analytics platform for online publishers, with versions available for both Editorial and Ad Sales. The platform is built from the ground up for publishers, allowing you to monitor every metric and optimization opportunity you could want. You can even display data via an overlay on your site through Chartbeat’s Heads Up Display.
If you create a lot of video content, Chartbeat is definitely your choice. It has an optional module specifically for video content for tracking engagement, ad drop-off points, and other key stats (and providing it in the context of the rest of your site, of course).
Parse.ly
Parse.ly is an excellent option for large tech-driven digital media publishers. Parse.ly’s platform has plenty of data for everyone — they have specific sections on their website for editors, product teams, data analysts and business/sales teams — plus an API for implementing custom integrations. It also provides reporting for native advertising as an optional add-on.
While Parse.ly has a free trial available, pricing is by quote, which means that it will generally be out of range for the vast majority of publishers on the internet. If your company has the resources, Parse.ly is definitely an option to consider.
sovrn
sovrn works a little bit differently than the others — in addition to a comprehensive set of analytics, including benchmarking data from their network of publishers, there is a monetization suite baked right into the platform. sovrn offers various kinds of digital advertising services and helps you optimize so your content generates the most revenue possible.
