WebTrends

Infobox_Company
company_name = WebTrends Inc.
company_type = Private
foundation = 1993
key_people = Alex Yoder, CEO
Paul Wilde, CFO
location = flagicon|Oregon Portland, Oregon, USA
industry = Web Analytics Enterprising Marketing Software
products = WebTrends Analytics WebTrends Visitor Intelligence WebTrends Score WebTrends Ad Director WebTrends Open Exchange WebPosition 4
homepage = [http://www.webtrends.com www.WebTrends.com]

WebTrends, Inc. is a private company headquartered in Portland, Oregon. It provides web analytics and other software solutions related to marketing intelligence. The company was founded in 1993 and now serves more than 10,000 firms ranging in size from small companies to large enterprises. cite news | first=Phil | last=Kemelor | coauthors= | title=Put to the Test: WebTrends Analytics 8 | date=2007-05-21 | publisher= | url =http://www.intelligententerprise.com/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=199700517 | work =Intelligent Enterprise | pages = | accessdate = 2008-03-06 | language = ]

Products

WebTrends Analytics

WebTrends Analytics is a Web analytics tool which collects and presents information about user behaviour on web sites. It collects data from Web server log files augmented with information from client-side scripts, presents results through a graphic user interface, and can present a large variety of data and analyses on many different kinds of web sites. The report presentation interface is highly configurable, allowing the administrator to select specific information to present. It has a large number of configuration parameters, and requires the administrator to understand HTTP and other Web technologies in detail.

WebTrends Analytics can require considerable resources for web sites with high traffic.

Presentation of collected data

The WebTrends Analytics interface presents reports such as top pages, referrers, search words, visitor information, etc. in detailed tables, with some drill-down options. The data is also normally presented in graphs, although these require Java runtime environment, and are not always as detailed as the tabular data. Although in the latest version (8.5) the use of Java has been removed for displaying graphical information. It has been replaced with flat files (gifs)

Practical uses

Web analytics reporting is useful to analyze and understand
* User behavior on each particular page of the site
* User navigational behavior between pages on the site
* Task execution by users
* Referrals from search engines
* User behavioral and demographic data
* Advertising results

Web analytics reporting is often used to improve web site design, such as
* Improving conversion of visitors to sales and subscriptions
* Streamlining website navigation

Collection of data

There are two ways to collect data:

Built-in Tracking / SDC

WebTrends can collect data using its own collecting mechanism (Smart Source Data Collector / SDC), where data is collected by implementing a 4Kb script on each page of the website, which then collects a myriad of variables about the user including:
* the page being visited
* the page which was just left (assuming that the user entered the site via a link, or came from a page within the tracking realm)
* revisit information (assuming the user has visited the site before)
* IP address
* country code
* screen resolution
* browser and browser version
* window size
* JavaScript support
* regional settings.

Accurate reporting depends on cookies and JavaScript being enabled on the user's client.

Web Server Logs

WebTrends can analyze Web server logs, both current and historical. Client-side tracking is unnecessary.

Web server logs may not contain full sufficient information for some kinds of analysis.

Current version & Brief version history

WebTrends Analytics prior to Version 6.0 was primarily a log analyzer.

Version 6.0 became more a hosted application - with a central server - analyzing logs on a scheduled basis and presenting the reports on a need basis thru a login interface.

WebTrends has undergone big changes in the application and the interface from Version 6.x to Version 7.x. The most visible changes are a cleaner interface, more features, and support for new technologies. An important internal change was the new focus on client-side tracking for increased accuracy.

From Version 7.5 (last 7 version) to Version 8.0 there were only minor visible changes. Multiple features were modified, altered and in other ways improved. Some features were added.

Version 8.1 of WebTrends is a completely redesigned tool and was released on July 31, 2007.

Version 8.5 of Webtrends now features calculated measures and Enhanced Media/RSS and Web 2.0 Tracking out of the box

WebTrends Ad Director

WebTrends Ad Director is an automated optimization solution for management of paid search advertising. The technology evaluates combinations of networks, keywords, positions, creative, and landing pages, then allocates advertising dollars to the top-performing combinations across major search networks, including Google, MSN and Yahoo!. cite news | first=Helen | last=Leggatt | coauthors= | title=WebTrends' Ad Director to improve search results | date=2008-08-18 | publisher= | url =http://www.bizreport.com/2008/08/webtrends_ad_director_to_improve_search_results.html | work =BizReport | pages = | accessdate = 2008-08-21 | language = ]

WebTrends Open Exchange

WebTrends Open Exchange is a partnership network of related marketing technologies that integrate with WebTrends products. The Open Exchange partnerships fall into nine technology categories - ad serving, content management, customer relationship management, email marketing, enterprise campaign management, site search, targeting and optimization, users experience, and web site monitoring. Integrations exist with both mid-market and enterprise solutions such as Percussion and Interwoven (content management), ExactTarget and Responsys (email marketing), and Microsoft Dyanmics CRM (customer relationship management). cite news | first=John | last=Conroy | coauthors= | title=WebTrends Launches Dynamic Search | date=2006-12-11 | publisher= | url =http://www.cmswire.com/cms/web-cms/percussion-repositions-web-content-management-solution-001856.php | work =CMS Wire | pages = | accessdate = 2008-02-23 | language = ]

Corporate history

Founding

In 1993 Glen Boyd and Eli Shapira founded a company by the name of e.g. Software. They introduced a new product, AuditTrack, which generated performance reports on Novell servers.

In 1995, they turned their reporting technology towards the Internet and introduced the first version of the WebTrends product, WebTrends 1.0.

In 1999 the founders took it public in 1999, raising $45.5 million.

In 2001 California company NetIQ bought WebTrends for $1.1 billion, then sold it to Francisco Partners four years later for $94 million.

During the four years NetIQ owned WebTrends, the California company hired Greg Drew to run the business, and pulled an $18 million division from WebTrends to combine with NetIQ's other businesses.

ClickShift acquisition

In December 2006, WebTrends acquired ClickShift, an automated optimization solution in online advertising.cite news | first= | last= | coauthors= | title=WebTrends Acquires ClickShift | date=2006-12-04 | publisher= | url =http://www.bizjournals.com/portland/stories/2006/12/04/daily2.html | work =www.bizjournals.com/portland | pages = | accessdate = 2008-01-31 | language = ]

ClickShift's technology was integrated into WebTrends' Marketing Lab suite, which includes its analytics and marketing warehouse products. The offering was re-branded as WebTrends Dynamic Search. cite news | first= | last= | coauthors= | title=WebTrends Buys Optimization Firm ClickShift | date=2006-12-05 | publisher=MarketingVOX | url =http://www.marketingvox.com/archives/2006/12/05/webtrends-buys-optimization-firm-clickshift/ | work = | pages = | accessdate = 2008-02-07 | language = ] In August 2008, the product was relaunched as WebTrends Ad Director. cite news | first= | last= | coauthors= | title=WebTrends appoints new president-CEO | date=2008-08-19 | publisher=BtoB Online | url =http://www.btobonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080819/FREE/991465 | work = | pages = | accessdate = 2008-08-21 | language = ]

Change of management in 2007

On October 31, 2007, a significant change of executive staff was announced. The CEO plus three top vice presidents were asked to leave.cite news | first= | last= | coauthors= | title=WebTrends CEO gone | date=2007-10-31 | publisher= | url =http://www.bizjournals.com/portland/stories/2007/10/29/daily29.html | work =www.bizjournals.com/portland | pages = | accessdate = 2007-11-03 | language = ]

Although there was initial speculation the company was to be quickly sold to its largest competitor, later reports indicated the change signaled a long-term move.cite news | first= | last= | coauthors= | title=WebTrends sale not imminent | date=2007-11-01 | publisher= | url =http://www.bizjournals.com/portland/stories/2007/10/29/daily39.html | work =www.bizjournals.com/portland | pages = | accessdate = 2007-11-03 | language = ]

References

External links

* [http://www.webtrends.com/ WebTrends official homepage]
* [http://forums.webtrends.com/eve WebTrends online forums]