Tim Howell’s Weblog

It’s an oldie but a goodie: “knowledge is power.” Google’s recent purchase of Urchin, a web analytics company, didn’t create much of a stir, but looking further down the track there are some definitive short- and long-term benefits for such a union.

They all relate to the usage of the web, and in the context of Google, being able to profile what web site visitors are doing, and then relating that back to the site’s web advertising dollars. This information can then be used to determine what marketing initiatives generate the most activity, and then which activities generate the most sales. For Google, most of what they do is about monetising their search technology thorugh the sale of contextual advertising, and the purchase of Urchin helps to justify AdWords AdSpend.