Archive for June, 2010

Metrics Showdown: Mixpanel v. KISSmetrics v. Google Analytics

NOTE: This post describes Mixpanel, KISSmetrics, and Google Analytics as I used them in Spring and Summer 2010. At least Mixpanel has changed substantially since then. I’m planning to do an updated post.

If you’re building a new web app, you’d rather focus on the app instead of building complex data collection tools. You need a metrics solution along the lines of Mixpanel, KISSmetrics, or Google Analytics. But which should you use and why?

I evaluated Mixpanel, KISSmetrics, and Google Analytics with an early prototype of Slipstream, a new web-based Twitter client. I had previously built my own tool for collecting and reviewing user data but thought that I could save time using an existing solution. I picked these three tools because they were the main metrics tools I had heard of. I used most of the client-side features of all three tools.

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2010
06/15
CATEGORY
tools
33 comments

Is Your Landing Page Just Collecting Email Addresses?

Most new product landing pages suck because they miss out on opportunities to learn more from people. Your page can articulate a great value proposition with clear benefits, strong credibility, clean design, and the perfect call to action but it’s lacking if all you’re doing is capturing a stranger’s email. How much can you really learn from an email address?

I believe the perfect landing page for a new product is somewhere between a single field form and a survey. No one likes answering a ton of questions but that doesn’t mean all you should ask for is an email address.

So how can you improve your next landing page? Here’s my approach:

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2010
06/06
CATEGORY
Customer Development
9 comments