CEM: 5 Great Tools for Tracking Online Visitor Behavior

Choosing a web visitor behavior tracking tool can be a bit overwhelming these days. The field is filled, many tools are confusing, and trying to get a bang for your buck can be tricky. As an assist, we trawled for 5 kick-butt solutions to set you on the path towards better customer experience management.

Google Analytics (Free!)

Most of you probably like free best, so we'll start with Google Analytics. The enterprise-oriented service provides extensive insight into website traffic and marketing effectiveness at no cost. It is currently utilized by 57% of the 10,000 most popular sites on the web, making it the most widely used statistics service currently available.

Big G’s approach is of the dashboard variety, which powers visual data targeted towards both the casual and seasoned user. A technique called funnel visualization, for instance, can reveal leaks by displaying which pages result in lost opportunities and where your would-be customers go:

Meanwhile, In-Page Analytics reports from the Content section of Google Analytics enables you to see visitor behavior (click) and goal data superimposed on your website, as you browse:

Google's latest update to the platform (see our article: Google Updates Analytics: 3 Power User Tips) got even more dashboard friendly by making it widget-based and fully customizable.

Widgets include: Simple Metrics, Pie Charts, Timelines, and Tables. This revamp gives you the ability to choose your preferred activity snapshots, with customization supported via filters and easy-peasy drag-and-drop.

The integration of Webmaster tools was another big step, as it creates a set of reports using organic search data including query information, clicks, impressions, clickthrough rate, and average position. 

The platform can also perform the usual tricks, like tracking visitors from all referrers, including search engines, display advertising, pay-per-click networks, and e-mail marketing. And, because it’s integrated with Google AdWords, you can also review online campaigns by tracking landing page quality and goals such as sales, lead generation, viewing a specific page, or downloading a particular file.

“There’s really only one tool for small businesses need and that’s Google Analytics,” said Christopher Penn of Blue Sky Factory. “It's so incredibly robust in terms of what it offers and if someone tells you that Google Analytics isn't enough for a small business, then frankly they have no idea how to use it properly.”

ClickTale  (Free to $990/month)

In addition to traditional conversation analytics, ClickTale uses meta statistics to create visual heatmaps and reports on customer behavior. For instance, it turns out website visitors tend to hover over the text they’re actually reading. ClickTale’s Mouse Move Heatmap displays these statistics like so, allowing you to see how different page layouts affect behavior:

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Tags: analytics, cem, clicktale, clicky, crazyegg, customer experience management, cxm, google analytics, kissmetrics, web analytics, web engagement, wem

Choosing a web visitor behavior tracking tool can be a bit overwhelming these days. The field is filled, many tools are confusing, and trying to get a bang for your buck can be tricky. As an assist, we trawled for 5 kick-butt solutions to set you on the path towards better customer experience management.

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