BrightEdge vs. Google Universal Analytics (discontinued)

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
BrightEdge
Score 7.5 out of 10
N/A
BrightEdge is an enterprise-level SEO (Search Engine Optimization) platform from the company of the same name in San Mateo, California. It includes customizable dashboards, reporting, forecasting, SEO recommendations, backlink management and competitive analysis. It covers local, global, mobile, social and content centric SEO. Presently BrightEdge's platform supports the marketing efforts of many well-brands, like Nike, Microsoft, and Netflix.
$0
per month
Google Universal Analytics (discontinued)
Score 8.2 out of 10
N/A
Google Universal Analytics was an enterprise-level analytics solution that was sunset in July of 2024.
$150,000
Up to 1 Billion hits/month
Pricing
BrightEdgeGoogle Universal Analytics (discontinued)
Editions & Modules
No answers on this topic
Google Analytics Premium
$150,000
Up to 1 Billion hits/month
Google Analytics
Free
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
BrightEdgeGoogle Universal Analytics (discontinued)
Free Trial
NoNo
Free/Freemium Version
NoYes
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoYes
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
Additional Details
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
BrightEdgeGoogle Universal Analytics (discontinued)
Considered Both Products
BrightEdge
Chose BrightEdge
BrightEdge is able to do more in many ways - it's a more comprehensive tool for SEO keyword research (at least based on my personal experience) and also is able to present dashboards online, which was a major hurdle for us using the locally-installed version of AWR which could …
Google Universal Analytics (discontinued)

No answer on this topic

Features
BrightEdgeGoogle Universal Analytics (discontinued)
SEO
Comparison of SEO features of Product A and Product B
BrightEdge
7.3
48 Ratings
5% below category average
Google Universal Analytics (discontinued)
-
Ratings
Keyword analysis7.448 Ratings00 Ratings
Backlink management7.041 Ratings00 Ratings
SERP ranking tracking8.045 Ratings00 Ratings
Page grader5.040 Ratings00 Ratings
Competitive analysis7.548 Ratings00 Ratings
Site audit / diagnostics8.245 Ratings00 Ratings
Site recommendations6.248 Ratings00 Ratings
Task management8.941 Ratings00 Ratings
SEO Channels
Comparison of SEO Channels features of Product A and Product B
BrightEdge
9.0
46 Ratings
18% above category average
Google Universal Analytics (discontinued)
-
Ratings
Local SEO9.037 Ratings00 Ratings
Social SEO9.031 Ratings00 Ratings
Mobile SEO9.042 Ratings00 Ratings
Global SEO9.035 Ratings00 Ratings
SEO Platform & Account Management
Comparison of SEO Platform & Account Management features of Product A and Product B
BrightEdge
8.7
46 Ratings
3% above category average
Google Universal Analytics (discontinued)
-
Ratings
Multi-domain support9.036 Ratings00 Ratings
Integration with web analytics tools8.445 Ratings00 Ratings
Web Analytics
Comparison of Web Analytics features of Product A and Product B
BrightEdge
-
Ratings
Google Universal Analytics (discontinued)
6.9
1 Ratings
16% below category average
Lead Conversion Tracking00 Ratings7.01 Ratings
Device and Browser Reporting00 Ratings1.01 Ratings
Pageview Tracking00 Ratings7.01 Ratings
Event Tracking00 Ratings8.01 Ratings
Reporting in real-time00 Ratings10.01 Ratings
Referral Source Tracking00 Ratings10.01 Ratings
Customizable Dashboards00 Ratings5.01 Ratings
Best Alternatives
BrightEdgeGoogle Universal Analytics (discontinued)
Small Businesses
Nozzle
Nozzle
Score 10.0 out of 10
StatCounter
StatCounter
Score 9.0 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
Advanced Web Ranking
Advanced Web Ranking
Score 8.2 out of 10
Siteimprove
Siteimprove
Score 9.1 out of 10
Enterprises
Dupli Checker (DupliChecker.com)
Dupli Checker (DupliChecker.com)
Score 8.5 out of 10
Optimal
Optimal
Score 9.0 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
BrightEdgeGoogle Universal Analytics (discontinued)
Likelihood to Recommend
8.6
(80 ratings)
8.0
(55 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
10.0
(35 ratings)
10.0
(11 ratings)
Usability
8.2
(12 ratings)
9.0
(5 ratings)
Performance
-
(0 ratings)
10.0
(1 ratings)
Support Rating
9.0
(14 ratings)
10.0
(23 ratings)
In-Person Training
-
(0 ratings)
9.0
(1 ratings)
Online Training
-
(0 ratings)
7.0
(1 ratings)
Implementation Rating
8.3
(2 ratings)
10.0
(3 ratings)
User Testimonials
BrightEdgeGoogle Universal Analytics (discontinued)
Likelihood to Recommend
BrightEdge
BrightEdge is great for large companies and large SEO teams since it's pricey but worth it if you have a large team or organization using it. For small businesses, I would use a different tool like Semrush because of the price and the variety of tools it offers.
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Discontinued Products
As I have discussed previously their insights were very useful. The second thing is since it is a Google product you will connect the data very easily from other platforms like Bigquery, Google Drive, etc. and even you can connect Google marketing platform. through this tool, you can track your live campaign how they were performing, and how it will be engaging your customer as well.
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Pros
BrightEdge
  • Instant - Keyword research tool is by far our team's favorite item on the platform
  • DataCube - We are able to uncover competitive gaps and hone in on specific sets of pages using filters containing our business product assortment attribute.
  • Professional services have been attentive when asking for changes
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Discontinued Products
  • It is an excellent cloud analytics platform that is easy to install and configure and easy to deploy and use, allowing us to measure web traffic and other tools.
  • It is an entirely online tool; it does not take up hard disk space like other desktop tools.
  • Since this tool is draggable, Google is constantly adding more features.
  • Even beginners who do not have a custom dashboard can get information. If there is a problem somewhere on the site that needs to be investigated, Google Analytics 360 will notify you.
Read full review
Cons
BrightEdge
  • The storybuilder feature isn't anything outstanding. I feel like I can get the same type of data and format from Google Data Studio.
  • I feel like the Hyperlocal feature is still very junior compared to other features. It provides you good insights, but you have to set all the data fields before you can get a picture as well as it doesn't really give you an idea of how you can improve.
  • The mobile SEO solution is a good concept, but it needs some tweaks to be better, especially when building out a mobile story builder. Some of the data isn't simple to read and the mobile keywords functions don't also account for voice searches.
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Discontinued Products
  • Generally I think there is a lot you can do within the tool, but as it is a Google product it means there is limited support - something which I think lets all of the platform stacks down
  • There could be more visual signifiers to identify if a feature is a normal or 360 feature. This would mean you can really get to grips with what the extra more advanced elements are
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Likelihood to Renew
BrightEdge
I would renew, as I don't feel there is a product out there that would have the impact on our SEO efforts as effectively as BrightEdge. It provides the information I need and integrates with other tools like Google Webmaster Tools, to truly have the depth of information that makes their suggestions for SEO changes so valued.
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Discontinued Products
Google Analytics 360 is an upgraded version of the most widely used web/app analytics tracking tools in the market. The price is stable and predictable making it a long-term product of choice. It's easy to use and pairs so well with other Google Marketing Platform products.
Read full review
Usability
BrightEdge
Because it depends on the feature, it's either easier or not to use. Some of them, not being particularly friendly, I no longer use, and I focus on the ones where insights are easy to understand and data seems well-elaborated.
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Discontinued Products
The UI is very easy to navigate and use. The features are well designed and intuitive. As long as the user has a good understanding of basic digital analytics definitions and capabilities, this tool should be quite easy to use. I consider Google Analytics Premium to be the easiest of all of the enterprise solutions out there to use.
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Support Rating
BrightEdge
This is a area where the BrightEdge team really shines. Their commitment to training and product support is unmatched not only for SEO platforms, but life in general. I often find myself wishing my internet provide and similar would go to BrightEdge for training on support and attitude. I would rank them an 11 if I could.
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Discontinued Products
If you purchase Premium through a reseller like LunaMetrics, you are going to be taken care of. The additional amount of support and services that a reseller provides to make sure you have the best experience with the product is the reason why the reseller program exists to begin with. Support doesn't have to be just reactive, it can be proactive as well.
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Online Training
BrightEdge
No answers on this topic
Discontinued Products
There is a ton of information online about Google Analytics, but Google Analytics Premium users will have dedicated support and training from Google or an Authorized Reseller.
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Implementation Rating
BrightEdge
For the most part it was seamless. The load time of clients was a little long, but otherwise was quite easy.
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Discontinued Products
If you already have the basic version of GA installed, "getting" GA Premium happens immediately through a virtual flipping of the switch - no need to re-implement. You'll want to expand your use of custom dimensions and metrics (you get 10x the amount with Premium). Ideally, you'll be using a tag management solution to talk with GA Premium, in concert with implementing a dataLayer (to note, Google's Tag Manager platform is covered under the same GA Premium SLA, and it's free). There are some welcomed "configurations" with GA Premium, such as integrating with DoubleClick products, activating data driven attribution models, and building roll-up executive reports - but all of these are easy point and click solutions. In comparison with any other enterprise analytics solution, implementing GA and GA Premium is traditionally easier and more flexible. And if you have any trouble or need an extra set of hands for implementation, GA Certified Partners like LunaMetrics can help
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Alternatives Considered
BrightEdge
While relatively expensive, Brightedge really does offer the best quality product but just as importantly (if not more so) the level of client/agency support. We have biweekly training with the entire team to continually stay up to date on Brightedge's offerings and strategies. They also offer the ability to do ad hoc reporting using some of their tools that can help us win new business and recommend Brightedge to additional clients, expanding our business as well.
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Discontinued Products
Unless you have very complex and edge case analytics needs, Google Analytics [360 (formerly Google Analytics Premium)] is likely going to be the best choice. From both a cost and usability stand point, Google wins. Adobe has the edge case when you need to create really custom reports, dimensions, metrics, etc. In my experience, this is rarely the case and you end up biting off more than you can chew. Stick with Google unless you are or plan on hiring an Adobe Analytics expert.
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Return on Investment
BrightEdge
  • We have only started with BE a few months ago and so I don't have any hard numbers from an ROI perspective, but i can say that what we spent on BE is a fraction of what we were spending with agencies and we are actually getting results by doing this ourselves. From that perspective we have seen a cost savings.
  • With focused SEO campaigns and projects we have been able to move the needle on our SEO rankings for specific products and services. This is going to have a great impact for us in 2019 as we have some specific product goals and campaigns for 2019 that we have been working to build up over the last couple months of 2018.
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Discontinued Products
  • It helps me understand which social media platforms are most successful for me - which I should focus on and which I might want to focus less on.
  • I can also see which blog posts people are reading - so I know which topics resonate most. I can write more of those, hopefully gaining more visitors.
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ScreenShots