The effectiveness of on-site verses off-site web analytics is measured upon the goals of the web analysis. It will not be prudent for the mom and pop boutique to spend tens of thousands of dollars at HitWize.com to receive off-site website tracking data which is irrelevant to tell them if the locals of the county are searching for their store or finding their store online. The mom and pop boutique will benefit from a free and user friendly on-site analytics like Google analytics, Adobe, or VWO to name a few. On the other hand, BestBuy, Target, and other large box stores like Ikea will benefit from off-site website tracking data to analyze shoppers’ behaviors, understand online trends, and study competitors’ online campaigns.
On-site tracking measures actual traffic to your site. On-site tracking can report the visitor engagements and page interactions, the referring page, where the visitor is located and other demographics, what type of computer and operating system the visitor is using, and the list goes on. On-site tracking data is available for only the website administrator and the people to whom is granted access. On-site tracking measures real visitors and is available for any sized website.
Off-site tracking using ISP data is anonymous so demographics are unavailable. ISP data represents all visitor types to include public access spots, mobiles, business, and home. Off-site tracking data is available for any website. One may receive data not only for their website but also for a competitor. Off-site tracking measures all traffic and is geared towards high traffic sites who typically receive a million plus visitors a month because it is not a full a report yet a sampling.