Website analytics refers to the concept of tracking, measuring and analyzing the traffic to and away from a website. Google Analytics is the dominant player in this space, thanks to their purchase of market-leader Urchin several years ago. Google actually offers Urchin software for installation on your web server for $3000, but most users’ needs are met by the use of the free Google Analytics which is installed by placing a few lines of JavaScript at the bottom of every web page on a site.
The problem with Google Analytics is the delay. Statistics are reported, on average, 24 hours after they occur. If you get a run of visitors to your site, you won’t know it until the next day. If your site is referenced in a popular blog or on a site with traffic such as Digg, you may not know what is happening until well after the fact.
Enter Woopra. Woopra is a product from iFusion Labs, LLC. Woopra gives you a real-time look at who is looking at your website and what exactly they’re doing. Woopra is installed on a website like Google Analytics, with a simple piece of JavaScript on each page. Unlike Google Analytics, which is accessed by a browser, Woopra is used by installing the desktop client software on your computer. This method allows for better visual effects and faster response time than Google Analytics.
Click to enlarge - image from woopra.com
Elsewhere in the software lies the ability to tag users. If you recognize the IP or referring site as belonging to someone you know, you can name that viewer so you can quickly tell when he comes back the next time. You can configure notifications to tell when that tagged user comes back. The part we found scary is the actual ability to initiate a pop-up on the screen of your viewer that allows you to chat with him or her.
Woopra’s analytics package is still in beta. We started using it eight months ago, both for auctioneertech.com and aarontraffas.com, as well as at the Purple Wave. For the Purple Wave website, we quickly learned that the page views are capped at 10,000 per day while the service is in beta – once a site has that many views, it simply doesn’t record any more for the day. We don’t have that problem yet at auctioneertech.com, but when we requested acceptance into the beta program it took us four weeks to become approved for the trial. I’ve received reports that their wait time is closer to a couple weeks, but be prepared to wait a while after you request to try it.
We haven’t seen any reports as to what the service will cost when its finally released from the free beta, but we can say that the information Woopra provides even during the trial is impressive and valuable for any website, especially considering that it can be used in conjunction with Google Analytics without any problems.
Sign up for your Woopra trial today at http://www.woopra.com/members/signup.jsp.
By Brandon Howe 17 February 2009 - 7:47 am
Thanks for sharing this. I saw it on the purplewave code, but only gave it a cursory glance. I appreciate the more in depth review of its benefits.
By Will McLemore 28 February 2009 - 11:58 am
We've been using a service called clicky for several months now. It also compiles statistics in real time. I've been impressed with it and its management. Check out http://www.getclicky.com if you are interested.
By Will McLemore 28 February 2009 - 7:58 pm
We've been using a service called clicky for several months now. It also compiles statistics in real time. I've been impressed with it and its management. Check out http://www.getclicky.com if you are interested.
By Wheels For Sale 28 April 2010 - 3:31 am
Honestly speaking I have never heard about Woopra before. I have just known it from here. But I am now interested on it.
By Wheels For Sale 28 April 2010 - 3:31 am
Honestly speaking I have never heard about Woopra before. I have just known it from here. But I am now interested on it.