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Mixpanel buys a billboard, declares page views are dead.

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Re: Mixpanel buys a billboard, declares page views are dead.

#11

Post by catshirt »

"Same with Facebook, it’s ajax heavy, what people are liking, commenting, etc is more valuable to facebook than someone just viewing the site."

how does facebook compensate here? i believe engagement is more important, but are the lost pageviews really of no matter? how does it play into alexa etc?

Re: Mixpanel buys a billboard, declares page views are dead.

#12

Post by vaksel »

citricsquid wrote: post #2

Didn't they see how it didn't work too well for DDG? It ended with (last I saw) many people criticising their "attack" and even Matt Cutts getting involved, it seems strange they'd do this after that... assuming "the ‘war’ they have declared on Google" is accurate. Also I suspect a billboard advertisement for something with such a small user base (vs. the average person who will see this) won't convert much so they'r…

think of it as the ultimate link bait

Re: Mixpanel buys a billboard, declares page views are dead.

#13

Post by yahelc »

All the examples of things Google Analytics can't do are incorrect. Google Analytics Custom Events are fairly robust, providing a 4 level data hierarchy. 'Pageviews' are a concept that can be applied in non-pageview scenarios, and they regularly are in apps. And being able to flag people as logged in vs. not logged in is a classic example of what you can use Custom Variables for. Mixpanel has some interesting offerings, particularly in the real-time space, but Google Analytics offers 99% of what most sites need, and without a price tag.

There are things Google Analytics does poorly, though, like Goals (which don't work for Events, aren't retroactive, and are limited to 20 per profile) and Funnels (which are even more rigid than Goals).

I wish MixPanel well, since a competitive analytics space is good for us all, but the developer they quoted could use some advice on how to maximize his/her Google Analytics experience. Can't beat the price tag!

Re: Mixpanel buys a billboard, declares page views are dead.

#14

Post by arst »

citricsquid wrote: post #2

Didn't they see how it didn't work too well for DDG? It ended with (last I saw) many people criticising their "attack" and even Matt Cutts getting involved, it seems strange they'd do this after that... assuming "the ‘war’ they have declared on Google" is accurate. Also I suspect a billboard advertisement for something with such a small user base (vs. the average person who will see this) won't convert much so they'r…

While HN's reaction to DDG's 'war on Google' has been mixed, their search traffic doubled in January (according to Gabriel's newsletter, not sure if there's a linkable source on this), so I'm not prepared to consider the strategy a failure.

Re: Mixpanel buys a billboard, declares page views are dead.

#16

Post by tzs »

citricsquid wrote: post #2

Didn't they see how it didn't work too well for DDG? It ended with (last I saw) many people criticising their "attack" and even Matt Cutts getting involved, it seems strange they'd do this after that... assuming "the ‘war’ they have declared on Google" is accurate. Also I suspect a billboard advertisement for something with such a small user base (vs. the average person who will see this) won't convert much so they'r…

Well, DDG's argument was essentially that they offer the same service as Google, but without certain risks. Both services give you the same thing--search results.

Mixpanel's argument is that you don't need the service Google and others offer (page view stats)--you need a different service, and Mixpanel offers that.

Re: Mixpanel buys a billboard, declares page views are dead.

#17

Post by citricsquid »

endlessvoid94 wrote: post #15

One huge caveat: Google Analytics is completely FREE.

It's weird, they claim that once you it a certain level they require you to either use Adwords or pay (I think you have the option of paying) but they don't seem to enforce it, do you happen to know if it's true?

Re: Mixpanel buys a billboard, declares page views are dead.

#18

Post by endlessvoid94 »

citricsquid wrote: post #17
endlessvoid94 wrote: post #15

One huge caveat: Google Analytics is completely FREE.

It's weird, they claim that once you it a certain level they require you to either use Adwords or pay (I think you have the option of paying) but they don't seem to enforce it, do you happen to know if it's true?

No idea. I've definitely looked at MixPanel and would love to give it a shot, but my site would instantly put me into the paid range, which means I'll stick with GA for now.

Re: Mixpanel buys a billboard, declares page views are dead.

#19

Post by yahelc »

citricsquid wrote: post #17
endlessvoid94 wrote: post #15

One huge caveat: Google Analytics is completely FREE.

It's weird, they claim that once you it a certain level they require you to either use Adwords or pay (I think you have the option of paying) but they don't seem to enforce it, do you happen to know if it's true?

The claim is 5 million pageviews per month if you're not an AdWords customer, but its not actively enforced, though all indications are that they'll get more serious about this over time.

Re: Mixpanel buys a billboard, declares page views are dead.

#20

Post by Charuru »

yahelc wrote: post #13

All the examples of things Google Analytics can't do are incorrect. Google Analytics Custom Events are fairly robust, providing a 4 level data hierarchy. 'Pageviews' are a concept that can be applied in non-pageview scenarios, and they regularly are in apps. And being able to flag people as logged in vs. not logged in is a classic example of what you can use Custom Variables for. Mixpanel has some interesting offerin…

I think the biggest problem with GA is actually its usability. Mixpanel doesn't do what GA can't do, but does better what GA does poorly.
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