Google Analytics & Benchmarking

[rawTOP]

Just curious how many of you guys 1) use Google Analytics and 2) turned on "data sharing" to get benchmarking data.

In case you haven't heard of it, with benchmarking you can see how your site is doing compared to similar sites. They have basic categories and add new ones as they get enough similar sites so the source of the data are completely unidentifiable.

Thing is, I don't understand is what category my site will even fit into... I mean is a sexually explicit blog "entertainment", "lifestyles", "recreation" or "photo & video". None of the subcategories fit and they don't tell you how they've categorized your site. They don't even tell you what size category they've put you in...

What I have found really useful is to swap access to Google Analytics stats with some other bloggers... It's really cool to see different strategies, content and outcomes. I get to see everything from hobby video blogs, to personal stories/encounters, to commercial blogs for pay sites...

I just wish they they'd let you compare different sites you have access to, so you could do your own benchmarking across different sites.

If there are any of you who'd like to swap Google Analytics stats, let me know...

[gaydemon]

Where or how do you enable this? I cant seem to find it in analytics but sounds interesting.

Do you actually see what or who the sites are?


Just curious how many of you guys 1) use Google Analytics and 2) turned on "data sharing" to get benchmarking data.

In case you haven't heard of it, with benchmarking you can see how your site is doing compared to similar sites. They have basic categories and add new ones as they get enough similar sites so the source of the data are completely unidentifiable.

Thing is, I don't understand is what category my site will even fit into... I mean is a sexually explicit blog "entertainment", "lifestyles", "recreation" or "photo & video". None of the subcategories fit and they don't tell you how they've categorized your site. They don't even tell you what size category they've put you in...

What I have found really useful is to swap access to Google Analytics stats with some other bloggers... It's really cool to see different strategies, content and outcomes. I get to see everything from hobby video blogs, to personal stories/encounters, to commercial blogs for pay sites...

I just wish they they'd let you compare different sites you have access to, so you could do your own benchmarking across different sites.

If there are any of you who'd like to swap Google Analytics stats, let me know...

[rawTOP]

When you first login to Google Analytics (or on the "Analytics settings" page, after you login) you'll see a link entitled "Edit Account and Data Sharing Settings" (or you'll see a big highlighted box if you haven't already set your data sharing preferences). Click that you'll see another page. On that page click "Share my Google Analytics data" and "Anonymously with Google products and the benchmarking service". I think they make you wait two weeks, and then you start seeing benchmarking data.

You can see their explanation of benchmarking at: http://analytics.blogspot.com/2008/03/benchmarking-now-available-plus.html