Google Analytics vs. Awstats Web Tracking Tools

People who use both Google Analytics and Awstats advise that the two report drastically different data.  Awstats will report twice the amount of unique visitors per day as Google Analytics.  Aside from the unique visitors data everything else seems to be in sync.   

Each service has its pros and cons so why not use both of them?

The most accurate logs are any that will read directly off your server and not a 3^rdparty tracking system. Google Analytics (GA) uses a 3^rd party tracking system. Basically every time a visitor goes to your site APACHE will store this information in log files which later Awstats reads off. What does all this mean? It means that Awstats would be providing you with the most accurate data aside from you reading your web server logs personally.

GA and most 3^rd party tracking will usually rely on cookies that they write to each user who visits your site. GA relies on two things:

• First, that the user who is browsing has JavaScript enabled.
• Secondly, that the user fully loads the page far enough that the GA code is loaded.

Analytics has a much more valuable use than most traffic stats such as tracking ad words campaigns, conversions either paid or organic, and funnel system. These are extremely valuable tools in analyzing a site but when it comes down to the numbers regarding number of visits or page views nothing better than a system that will read your files such as Awstats.

Here is a web traffic tutorial than will help clear things up for you.

Web Tracking Tutorial

Other web tracking tools worth taking a look at:

• goingup.com:  uses an AJAX interface and proclaims to be a powerful SEO tool. I haven’t used GoingUp but asked around and found a few users who raved about it.
• Urchin from Google:  The Urchin Software creates reports by processing your web server logfiles (including hybrid logfiles) and is commonly referred to as server-side web analytics. Urchin is essentially the same technology as Google Analytics—the difference when using Urchin is that your organization needs to provide the resources for log storage and data processing. Urchin can provide complementary reports that Google Analytics currently does not (or cannot because of its methodology).
• SmarterStats accuracy of statistics:  SmarterStats provides more accurate website statistics than Google Analytics because SmarterStats reports all requests to the server, not just what is tagged with tracking code.