Get Real Results with Real-time Analytics

Linc Wonham
by Linc Wonham 21 Oct, 2010

Critical to the success of every online business is a healthy set of analytics tools - and the sooner you can retrieve the data you need, the more you are able to accomplish with it.

With the current emphasis shifting from "need to know" to "need to know right now", a highly competitive environment has emerged in the field of real-time Web analytics. Today's users are arriving at your website from all directions, and each one has their own singular purpose. The more you know about how they got there, what they want to accomplish and what they actually do on your site, the better chance you have of fulfilling their immediate needs and long-term goals.

 

Optify is one of the emerging leaders in the real-time analytics space, enabling its customers to instantaneously track visitors on a website, see their on-site activity, and identify the search terms that got them there, thus helping them better manage their marketing and social media campaigns. The platform is used by clients such as Microsoft, LexisNexis, AdReady and the Wall Street Journal, and software firm Corensic increased its organic search traffic by 300 percent just three months after implementing Optify's real-time analytics and marketing solutions.

Optify launched its analytics software in March 2010, and the Seattle-based startup has just received more than $6 million in a new round of funding. An integration with SalesForce allows Optify's clients to react to the real-time data by providing users with the information and assistance they need right away, converting visitors into customers and closing more deals. Optify's analytics provide the basis for solutions in keyword research, website optimization, lead scoring, visitor tracking, marketing and social media campaign creation and management.

 

Optify offers a free trial for 30 days, beyond which customers can elect for a continuation of the free service or one of three packages ranging from $500 per month to $3,000 per month. Optify is a rising star in a developing market that has significant value to any online business, and here are some other providers making a name for themselves in the real-time Web analytics space.

 

Woopra is a real-time Web tracking and analysis desktop application with an open API and plugin capabilities. The service just launched a new interface in which users can connect to and track activity on multiple websites in one browser tab and switch back and forth without having to reload data or open new tabs. Woopra also added advanced funnel analytics and campaign management features as part of the version 2.1 it released this week. Woopra's pricing plans, seven options to choose from, range from a free service to the Kryptonite package for $180 per month.

 

Clicky also recently launched a new interface, making the latest version available to all users at the end of September after two months of beta testing. Clicky's look has been updated somewhat, but the feature-rich service largely remains the same that has made it the favorite real-time analytics choice for more than a quarter of a million site owners and business leaders. Clicky also provides video analytics from most services including YouTube, Vimeo and Viddler through an API for tracking interactions with HTML5 and Flash video players. Clicky is affordable and offers a free service as well as four packages that range from $5 per month to custom price points. Each new account comes with a 21-day free trial of the popular $10/month Pro service.

 

Chartbeat launched in 2009 and is already used to track the real-time analytics and social media engagement for some of the Web's most well-known sites. Clients include the New York Times, Groupon, Forbes.com and the Onion, all of which take advantage of Chartbeat's detailed reports on the real-time activities of concurrent visitors to their sites. Chartbeat also recently received new funding when it raised $3 million from Index Ventures at the end of August. Standard packages start at $10 per month and prices go up to $150 per month for the XXL plan.