Google Analytics just got better, or did it?
Overall, I think the industry benchmarking statistics is a good idea. I welcome them. But there is something that eats at me about it and, no, it isn’t the privacy issue.
It is Google’s assertion that they won’t use your data unless you opt in. Well, that bothers me because it really isn’t industry statistics if it doesn’t include the entire industry. It is more like Alexa where the only people who are measured are users. That discounts the value of the information somewhat.
Let’s say that out of 100 Google AdWords customers within your industry only 20 of them opt in to the Google Analytics industry benchmarking. You’re one of them. Great! Now you get to see how you compare to 19 of your competitors. But you don’t know which 19. What if those 19 competitors are all below you in terms of market share? How would you know? There’d be no way to know, would there? And not only that, are you going to know that you are being compared to only 19 out of 99 competitors? Likely not.
That’s what bothers me.
Of course, I like the idea that competitors aren’t going to be able to see your personal business statistics. That’s the way it should be. But I do think that all users within your industry should be rolled into the statistics. Otherwise, the information is only half-good.
