Google Analytics boost for SMEs in Malaysia

Google Inc, developer of the award-winning search engine, is providing Malaysian small and medium enterprises (SMEs) a simple and flexible analytical tool to strengthen their online marketing and business.

Dubbed "Google Analytics", the enhanced tool provides new flexibility to customise and adapt it according to the needs of the marketers, advertising agencies and businesses of all sizes in Malaysia and Southeast Asia.

"Kuala Lumpur was chosen for the launching (of Google Analytics) as Google sees the rapid economic development that is taking place in Malaysia. We are also looking at other economies, namely Thai-land, Vietnam and the Philippines," Google Southeast Asia web analytics chief Vinoaj Vijeyakumaar told a media briefing in Kuala Lumpur yesterday.

Vinoaj said some of the new features of Google Analytics include new engagement goals, expanded mobile reporting and analytics intelligent and custom alerts.

"Google Analytics is now more powerful, flexible and intelligent to help marketers, advertising agencies and businesses of all sizes make quicker, smarter decisions on how to get the most business value out of their online marketing campaigns and websites.

"We believe that more transparency, data and analyses lead to more effective marketing, from sharing content to converting sales, to increasing brand engagement," he said.

Google Analytics is a free, next- generation web analytics tool that shows how visitors find their website, how they navigate through it and how they become customers. Google Analytics users can also get important information, which will help them strengthen their online marketing and create the potential for higher-converting websites.

In conjunction with its launch, Vinoaj said Google invites Malaysians to become its local partners for the Google Analytics Authorised Consultant (GAAC) programme in Malaysia.

To qualify, applying organisations need to pass web analytics client satisfaction criteria and a rigorous web analytics technical and survey test.

There are now 155 GAACs globally, who are located in the US, Canada, Europe and Singapore.

"We hope to appoint a GAAC in Malaysia soon after today's (Thursday's) launching and briefing," he said.