Google Buys Urchin

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On March 29th Google announced its' intention to by website analytics vendor Urchin. The terms of the transaction where not disclosed. The transaction is expected to close by the end of April. Google's entry in the web analytics space fortifies the importance of utilizing web site statistics to track visitor conversion in conjunction with pay per marketing programs.

There is speculation that Google revise the pricing strategy of Urchin at some point in the future, although no definitive information has been released by Google. This may put the squeeze on some of the more expensive analytics vendors such as Webside Story's Hitbox and Web Trends. At the same time some of the more affordable offerings such as HitsLink may benefit by becoming a low cost source of independent Web site statistics and performance measurement of pay per click programs such as Google Adwords and Yahoo Search.

Additionally, many of Urchin's partners are expected to "switch horses" to provide unbiased information to their clients.