The Emterics summit is the premier event for the analytics industry. The report also contains an introduction by Jim Sterne, the president of the Web Analytics Association, and the Emetrics Summit.

In the study, the web analytics packages were run head to head across 4 different sites, and detailed statistics were recorded. Data recorded included Visits, Unique Visitors, Page Views, as well as a variety of content groups.

The Interim Report provides detailed tables of the data, as well as a standard deviation analysis of the results, and a written discussion of what we saw.

The Interim Report also contains an analysis of third party cookie deletion rates vs. first party cookie deletion rates, showing that third party cookies get deleted by 13% more users than first party cookies do. For example, if first party cookies get deleted 3% of the time, then third party cookies are deleted 16% of the time.

The significance of this measurement is that cookies play a critical role in web analytics. If a user deletes their cookies, then the analytics software can develop inaccuracies in their count of unique visitors, visits, and understanding whether or not a user is a repeat visitor.

STC is also working on a follow on report (the "Final Report") that will include a head to head features, functions, and usability analysis of the 7 packages. This report will be published in July of 2007. To get a copy of the Final Report, please email analytics @ stonetemple.com with a Subject Line of "Analytics Report", and let us know that you would like a copy.

About Stone Temple Consulting
Stone Temple Consulting provides Web analytics and SEO consulting to companies ranging from large media conglomerates to aggressive Silicon Valley startups. Services include web analytics setup, web analytics analysis, organic search engine optimization, PPC campaign design and management, and blog design, development, and promotion.