Google Analytics Benchmarking: Share Your Data

Google has introduced a nifty new benchmarking report:

With it, you can see how you measure up against others in your industry. This kind of data is pure gold.
There’s one catch: You have to agree to share your data with Google, so that they can establish the benchmarks.
I strongly, strongly suggest that you do so. Here’s why:

1. The tradeoff: Google gets some basic analytics data that they could have anyway. You get to compare yourself to the rest of your industry. It’s a no-brainer.
2. The data: While you’re giving Google data like pageviews and visits, and they could potentially share this data with your competitors, guess what? Competitors can already get this kind of information through Compete.com (for free) or Hitwise (for a lot of money).
3. It’s anonymous: Your competitors won’t be able to look up “page views for Portent Interactive”. They’ll only see aggregate data for the entire industry. So, for example, I’ll be able to see how Portent Interactive compares to similar internet marketing agencies.

While the jury’s still out on how effective this new benchmarking tool will be, the potential upside is huge: Accurate, free, anonymous information showing how you’re doing compared to the rest of your industry.
Share your data. Everyone will gain for it.
If you want to learn more about Google Analytics Benchmarking and data sharing, visit the FAQ Google’s posted: Click here.
To read Google’s announcement about the new feature, click here.