Search Trends - Search Engine Marketing

On his blog, Paul Allen pointed out this misguided article on BusinessWeek.com that foretells the impending doom of all SEO companies due to Google's new analytics, (formerly known as Urchin). The truth is, SEOs are safe (for now), but it's the web analytics companies that have to be shaking in their boots. I'm sure there will continue to be a market for high-end, customizable analytics software like Omniture and Coremetrics, but for the small biz market, why would anyone pay $50 or more per month for stats that aren't even as robust as what Google offers for free? They won't. It's that simple. Small business owners and webmasters aren't stupid. They'll go with the solution that provides the most benefit at a price they can afford. And who can't afford free? There is certain to be at least some type of shakeout in the web analytics marketplace, but I say it's about time. Thank you Google. You might be taking over the world, but at least you're making it a little bit more affordable!