Beyond SmugMug: Usage Stats / View Counts

LCKatMPN

This thread relates in part to the "Photo View Count" thread, but I wanted to separate it out so the question can stand alone and not in respect to the stats count work going on at SmugMug and how it will be working in the future. Suffice it to say, the experience there has caused me to consider more carefully how I collect statistics and how I can ensure that those statistics today are comparable to the statistics compiled in previous months and quarters.

I use Google Analytics.
People online say these statistics are upgraded every three hours.
I beg to differ.
And I'm not sure everything is captured.
Or that the service, as it is now, will be around tomorrow (at least in refernce to the free offering).
I've heard people here mention Stat Counter as well.
Back in the day I chose one service (Google vs. Stat Counter) over the other just to choose.

QUESTION: Is one service better than the other?

QUESTION: Can you use both?

QUESTION: If you knew that your business's growth, at least early on, would depend on a reporting of usage statistics, which service would you use?

QUESTION: If you knew that you had to account for accurate usage statistics today and in the future, what is the best service to use, even if there is a cost involved?

Thank you for your help on this,
Linda
www.MyPaperNow.com

TalkieT

LCKatMPN wrote:

This thread relates in part to the "Photo View Count" thread, but I wanted to separate it out so the question can stand alone and not in respect to the stats count work going on at SmugMug and how it will be working in the future. Suffice it to say, the experience there has caused me to consider more carefully how I collect statistics and how I can ensure that those statistics today are comparable to the statistics compiled in previous months and quarters.

I use Google Analytics.
People online say these statistics are upgraded every three hours.
I beg to differ.
And I'm not sure everything is captured.
Or that the service, as it is now, will be around tomorrow (at least in refernce to the free offering).
I've heard people here mention Stat Counter as well.
Back in the day I chose one service (Google vs. Stat Counter) over the other just to choose.

QUESTION: Is one service better than the other?

QUESTION: Can you use both?

QUESTION: If you knew that your business's growth, at least early on, would depend on a reporting of usage statistics, which service would you use?

QUESTION: If you knew that you had to account for accurate usage statistics today and in the future, what is the best service to use, even if there is a cost involved?

Thank you for your help on this,
Linda
www.MyPaperNow.com

Yes you can use both no problems. I do this on my site.

You may as well sign up and set both up... I find Google Analytics nice and more in depth, but I end up perusing the statcounter ones more often as they happen to have a couple of pages that tell me exactly what I want to know... (What the most common referrers are)

Cheers - N