Google Analytics vs. HBX Analytics

Kaushik said it best when he said, “Buying a web analytics tool is like buying a car, you can do all the research on the web you want but you have to get your butt into the seat of a real car and take it for a test drive and see how you feel about it..” (Kaushik, 2007). Similarly to the car industry, there is an array of web analytic software at a company’s finger tips. Of course for most people, buying a car is highly dependent on budget. The same can be said regarding a company that is operating on a tight marketing budget. Luckily, Google Analytics is a free software program that offers standard features and highly advanced reporting for anyone with at least a baseline understanding of web metrics – conversions, acquisitions, filtering, etc. However if budget is not a factor and a company is vying for top-of-the-line web reporting, supplemented with an advanced marketing and IT team, Visual Sciences – HBX Analytics 4.0 may be for you (Kaushik, 2007). The following summary will include a brief overview of each tool, specifically a comparison/contrast of each tools functionality. 

Google Analytics
Google Analytics is a 100% free platform that provides free connection to Google AdWords. Aside from the baseline measurements of how many visitors are on the site, their traffic type (Where did they find your site-Facebook, direct, referral traffic) and basic demographics. In addition, behaviors are also measured such as time on site, bounce rate and behavior flows. All of these measurements can be filtered against a period of time. Plus with over 80 potential reports a company can gauge its website performance (Reed College of Media, West Virginia University, 2016). In addition, goals can be defined based on a company’s objectives. These goals are calculated based upon users taking a particular action such as hitting a landing page, joining a mailing list, lead generation form, etc. 

HBX Analytics
Visual Science, what used to be WebSideStory, fully integrates web analytics in addition to other aspects of a company, such as point-of-sale transactions, customer information and interactive voice response (Dignan, 2007).  Specifically within HBX Analytics 4.0 which offers a subscription based pricing model as compared to Googles free web services. HBX Analytics 4.0 offers not only its standard features but also extensions which measures e-commerce order data, product placement and reports on multiple storefronts within one account (Riley, 2007). The release is a result of aiming to be a business leader in terms of analytical capabilities. Jim MacIntyre, CEO of Visual Sciences says, “For years HBX has answered the most common Web analytics business questions and this release demonstrates our commitment to enable HBX clients to get fast answers to even the very hardest Web analytics business questions” (Riley, 2007). With an abundance of information collected, HBX Analytics 4.0 has the ability to tie in its web performance with other aspects of the business which results in a well-informed management team. While Google Analytics is administered by a team of web strategists, marketers and the like, who then passes on reports or any valuable statistical data to member of its executive team, HBX Analytics differs. In order for HBX Analytics to be fully integrated and a valuable tool, all levels of management should be fully trained and inundated to its capabilities since the tools offered are beyond that of brand engagement. 

The added value of HBX Analytics

At the elementary level of web analytics, the foundation of HBX is closely related to the capabilities of Google without the additional plugins available in the 4.0 version. Drilling down to the precise measurements, the following compares key differences between HBX 40 Analytics and Google Analytics. 

HBX offers a feature they refer to as “active viewing” which is a site overlay feature on a particular web page that allows someone to see click through rates on every link on a page which allows for a marketer to test visual aspects of a pages layout and design (Enge, 2011). In addition, user behavior is also provided in the overlay and can be segmented to one particular group of people (Enge, 2011). This feature can be beneficial because it provides an interactive approach to analytics. As compared to Google, HBX offers a visually friendly presentation to a group of executives who may not well versed in web analytics and may capture their attention in a way that a traditional graph cannot.

(Image provided by: Stone Temple Consulting, 2011)

Similarly to Google, HBX offers a customizable dashboard where specific goals and key performance indicators can be evaluated. In addition, the use of funnels are also present within both tools. However, HBX once again strikes more visually than Google.

Available as an add-on is the added value of HBX report builder. The report builder allows for a team to present key performance indicators to management and keep the report live by actively feeding into Excel in real time. This also has the ability to predict any particular measurement from one reporting period to another. For example, the image below identifies an active slider model. A relevant scenario would be as follows: If we were to increase cart conversion by 5%, we can expect to see “X” percentage increase in resulting revenue. This type of reporting shows where a company is at but also analyze the growth potential. This is what will really captivate an executive team!

(Image provided by: Stone Temple Consulting, 2011)

 So as you can see, HBX offers the same key measurements as Google at its core level of traffic, acquisition and visitor information. However, HBX allows a company to enhance its web analytics software with additional plug-ins and services. By doing so, a company can evaluate its brand engagement at all levels and can assist with achieving future goals. But at what cost does this extra data cost? Even if the service was available for $10/month that is $10 more than what Google Analytics costs. As mentioned earlier, don’t be afraid to shop around for the best services for your company’s needs in terms of data collection and budget. Take the test drive but don’t be fancied by the bells and whistles that one particular service offers because it will not change the results. It could also decrease marketing dollars available elsewhere such as lead generation.

Resources                                                            
Dignan, L. (2007, May 9). Visual Sciences: Web analytics style throughout the enterprise.  Retrieved on November 7, 2016 from http://www.zdnet.com/pictures/visual-sciences-web-analytics-style-throughout-the-enterprise/

Enge, E. (2011, October 1). 11 Cool Things you can do with HBX Analytics. Retrieved on November 7, 2016 from https://www.stonetemple.com/11-cool-things-you-can-do-with-hbx-analytics/

Kaushik, A. (2007, April 30). Web Analytics Tools Comparison: A Recommendation. Retrieved on November 7, 2016 from http://www.kaushik.net/avinash/web-analytics-tools-comparison-a-recommendation/

Reed College of Media, West Virginia University. (2016). Week 4 lesson: Google Analytics. [Online]. Retrieved from https://cas-ecampus.wvu.edu/webapps/blackboard/execute/displayLearningUnit?course_id=_69901_1&content_id=_3398295_1&framesetWrapped=true

Riley, A. (2007, June 11). Visual Sciences unveils HBX Analytics 4.0. Retrieved on November 7, 2016 from https://econsultancy.com/press-releases/2361-visual-sciences-unveils-hbx-analytics-4-0