The first web analytics tool I ever used was a product called Xiti.com, I was amazed at how much data you could gather. When I joined my old company, we used Analog and dreamed of the day when we could get Urchin. Google made that dream come true, by acquiring them, integrating them in Ad Words and making the product free. I recall the mad rush to obtain Google Analytics Welcome Codes.

When Google bought Urchin and made it free, things had to change for competitors. Websidestory bought Atomz, and acquired Visual Sciences. Despite what management said then, it knew that it needed to change its product assortment, today, it trades under the VSCN ticker. continue reading...