CMS Watch rejected the snowball of hype suggesting that Google Analytics and Omniture are the only remaining solid choices for Web Analytics. For mid-sized and larger enterprises in particular, and buyers in the UK and Europe, there are many established vendors who can provide advanced analytics functionality.

This analysis stems from the 2008 edition of the Web Analytics Report, released today by CMS Watch, which evaluates 15 major Web Analytics suppliers based on extensive vendor research, interviews with customers across a range of industry sectors, and hands-on testing of solutions.

"The web analytics marketplace has seen some instability and consolidation -- such as ClickTracks and SageMetrics being acquired by larger entities, and Omniture's imminent acquisition of Visual Sciences -- and this has led some to believe that web analytics has become a two-party system," said Phil Kemelor, lead analyst for the report. "But don't believe the hype that Google Analytics and Omniture are your only choices, because that's hardly the case."

While Omniture is the largest pure-play web analytics firm and Google has brand cachet, CMS Watch research finds that enterprises can select from a broad selection of established vendors that work well in diverse scenarios and can scale as web site traffic grows. Moreover, Microsoft is planning to enter this space later in 2008. "Especially with Microsoft's looming entrance, the Web Analytics marketplace is far from limited," Kemelor added.

"As we see across different content technology marketplaces, enterprises can pick from a wide array of tools they can leverage for their e-marketing arsenal," added CMS Watch Principal, Theresa Regli. "Web analytics tools are often used in tandem with e-mail campaign management systems or enterprise portal products that deliver messages to users in a targeted manner. It will be an ongoing challenge for enterprises to determine which tools work best together and how to implement them in an effective way."

The 2008 Web Analytics Report provides a comprehensive overview of web analytics solution providers and best practices, and comparative evaluations major vendors, including:

• AuriQ Systems: RTmetrics
• Lyris: ClickTracks
• Coremetrics: Online Analytics
• Digital River: Fireclick
• Foviance: WebAbacus
• Google Analytics
• IndexTools: Web Analytics
• Nedstat: Sitestat
• Omniture: SiteCatalyst
• SageMetrics: SageAnalyst
• 24/7 Real Media: Open AdStream
• Unica: Affinium NetInsight
• Visual Sciences: Platform
• Visual Sciences: HBX Analytics
• WebTrends Analytics

The report is available for purchase online from CMS Watch (http://www.cmswatch.com).