Web Analytics and Web Metrics...a bewildering maze of connotations

Let's start with the basics: the terms we use and confuse...

• www.webopedia.com defines Web analytics as "A generic term meaning the study of the impact of a Web site on its users." and searchcrm.techtarget.com defines the same as "...the process of analyzing the behavior of visitors to a Web site". There is an agreement over the fact that the data thus collected is used "...to streamline a site to create a better user experience". Web analytics is the in-depth study of data collected from tracking of website activity data. Tracking itself is a combination of various quantitative and qualitative methods employed using various means, like a 'web-bug' or 'server log files'.


• Web Metrics on the contrary are standardized ways of measuring something that relates to the Web itself. Web Metrics has a considerably broader scope. "Web metrics focuses on the number and types of people online, the number of broadband versus dial-up connections, advertisers, advertisements (shapes, sizes, level of annoyance) and all things related to the Internet as a whole." (Excerpt from Web metrics versus Web analytics by Jim Sterne)

Whereas Web Analytics concerns itself with the microcosm of the website, Web Metrics concerns itself with the macrocosm of the WWW. Both are too intricately related to instigate mortals like me to indulge in the crime of confusion...but I'm trying to improve :)