August 22nd, 2009
Google, let's see what you've got
Google shares a lot of data already through tools like Google Trends, Google Ad Planner and the Zeitgeist — but there are several “secret” pieces of info that could be very useful, and interesting for many people.
Asa Dotzlen has a good point — Google is in a special position to collect very accurate data about the internet landscape. Unfortunately, there are pieces of information that they seem to be hoarding.
Google is in a pretty special position with the breadth of their usage so their browser breakdown could give the entire industry a much better picture of the Web than what we currently get from analytics firms like Net Applications and StatCounter.
Google search is available in more than 125 languages, is in widespread use in almost every geography on the planet, and Google obviously has the resources to produce solid metrics reporting. So, why don’t they? What commercial value is there in keeping that close to their chest?
Browser Statistics
Google knows a lot about browser usage. Being the homepage for so many internet users around the world, Google’s data is about as good as it gets. If you wanted an accurate representation of the current browser landscape, you shouldn’t have to look much farther than Google.
Operating System Statistics:
Along with which browser its users user, Google also gets information about operating systems. A current and accurate breakdown between Windows, OS X and Linux (and soon Chrome OS) would be quite interesting to follow. Granted, information like this can be obtained through sources like Comscore, but Google has a much larger sample size which would be more accurate.
Statistics about Google’s own web properties:
Google is quick to share information about everyone else — but they refuse to show any information about themselves. Using Google Ad Planner, you can quickly get a sense of usage trends for any website with a enough traffic, but they have excluded themselves.
Honestly, I’m surprised there hasn’t been more of an uprising due to the fact your websites show up in Ad Planner, and you have no way of excluding your site data without stopping Google from indexing your website altogether.
What do you want to know more about that Google has access to?
Garett Rogers is employed as a programmer for iQmetrix, which specializes in retail management software for the wireless industry.
See his full profile and disclosure of his industry affiliations.
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