If you’re someone who checks your stats at least twice a day, then you have probably noticed that none of the analytical programs match up. AWStats is usually inflated and WordPress goes through phases where it’s higher or lower than Google Analytics. Personally, I’ve had a lot of issues with Google Analytics, which has traditionally been the industry standard. Despite friends telling me how great it is, I’ve had problems with it consistently working. Below is a mini-breakdown of each of the popular programs, as well as their pros and cons (based on my own experiences).
AWStats
This program is typically offered through your host and tracks every single ping to your host files. This includes the normal hits, such as search engine results and direct website hits, but it also means that it tracks your own activity within the dashboard. You do have the option to ignore your own IP address but it’s not a super-simple thing to do.
- Pros:
- Logs all pings
- Differentiates between robots/autocrawlers and actual hits
- Allows you to ignore your own IP Address
- Cons:
- Not user friendly
- Does not give details about why or how you show up in search engines
Final thought: Great for keeping up with trends on your site, but not great for detailed breakdowns.
WordPress Stats
This is a built-in program that comes with WordPress’ Jetpack. It has a great visual representation and allows for easy one-click access in the admin toolbar at the top of your site (when logged in). It also lets you know the top keyword searches, pages, referral links, and more. It also allows you to see summaries, but they are predetermined (as in, you can’t select a date range).
- Pros:
- Built-in – No work necessary!
- Easy to navigate with multiple options
- Summaries available
- Great mobile app
- Automatically excludes your own views
- Cons:
- Summaries are pre-set (all-time, month, week, day)
Final thought: It’s the best option for WordPress users.
Google Analytics
Google Analytics is usually the go-to analytics apps, and until recently advertisers relied on it for what to charge. It’s great for letting you see stats for any date range, as well as tracking social channels and, or course, Google searches. Unfortunately, it runs on Javascript, which Internet users are increasingly blocking and/or disabling. Users can disable tracking by either blocking Javascript or installing one of Google’s browser add-ons, which makes it increasingly unreliable. My personal experience with Google Analytics has been overwhelmingly disappointing. I have had days where I have more comments than views, which is obviously indicative of poor tracking. I also noticed that Google was consistently lower than WPStats, but when I excluded my own IP address, it jumped to being consistently higher then WP (one would think that eliminating my own visits would cause the number to go down).
- Pros:
- Often seen as the industry standard
- Reports availably by any date range
- Easy to disable tracking from your own IP address (such as Google’s browser add-ons and manual configuration)
- Cons:
- Easily disabled
- Unreliable
Final thought: While it used to be the best option, it’s becoming increasingly unreliable.
Regardless of which program you use, keep in mind that the most important things to keep track of are trends. Are your views trending upward? Are people commenting more and more? If the answer is yes, then you’re probably in good shape. If you’re like me, however, you’re interested in actual numbers, and hopefully the above list will help you decide which program works best for you.