When visitors reach a site "Google Analytics stores the type of referral information in a cookie" and the analytics application ends the session after thirty minutes of inactivity or when the browser exits (Rutter 2010). Repeat activity is tracked as well: "Each unique browser that visits a page on your site is provided with a unique ID via the __utma cookie. In this way, subsequent visits to your website via the same browser are recorded as belonging to the same (unique) visitor" (Rutter 2010). Website owners can discover what keeps loyal customers coming back, as well as what draws first-time visitors. This is important, as for many sales-related products repeat use is more important than simply generating many first-time 'hits' from users who do not return.

Google Analytics also helps website owners "better realize their goals for sales" by tracking what users click on high-priority advertisements, such as advertisements for a unique campaign (Google Analytics, 2010, Official Website). For example, McDonald's might want to encourage traffic to the areas of its website promoting a new, special edition burger, not simply traffic in general. Google Analytics can also track surfing on web-enabled phones, mobile websites and mobile apps and can distinguish what...

those that use a standard computer (Google Analytics, 2010, Official Website). As exclusively mobile-based internet applications may be the trend of the future, this also increases the utility of Google Analytics.
While other analytics applications are available, Google Analytics remains the most popular because of its comprehensive and thorough nature: it is of use to both sales-based website owners and for owners of information-based websites. Its new features tracking mobile-based surfing is likely to ensure that it has a secure place in analytics research in the near and far future.

References

Google Analytics. (2010). Official website. Retrieved August 15, 2010 at http://www.google.com/analytics/

Google Analytics usage. (2010). Built With. Retrieved August 15, 2010 at http://trends.builtwith.com/analytics/Google-Analytics

Rutter, Jake. (2010). How Google Analytics uses cookies to track your visitors. Retrieved August 15, 2010 at http://onerutter.com/web/web-metrics/how-google-analytics-uses-cookies-to-track-your-visitors.html

What is Google analytics? (2010). Google. Retrieved August 15, 2010 at http://www.google.com/support/analytics/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=55591