As I mentioned yesterday, I’ve recently added Google Analytics to the company website and this blog.  I know that I should have done it long ago, but I’ve been too busy working on other people’s sites.

Since the main site uses Joomla!, I looked through the various extensions for Joomla! that support Google Analytics in some way.  I took a look at several and ended up selecting BIGSHOT Google Analytics.  Here is what I found:

Update Sept. 22, 2011: OpenPotion Asynchronous Google Analytics is an update to BIGSHOT that adds asynchronous loading.

J!Analytics

This looks like a nice extension and it has good reviews, but it bothered me that it requires adding a module to every page.  Modules should, in my opinion, be used for visual components, not just adding some JavaScript.  Worse yet, it requires you to modify your template: see step 1 of the installation instructions.  If you update your current template or switch templates, you’ll have to redo this step.  I didn’t find that to be an attractive option.

WebGuru’s Google Analytics

Even with fewer reviews than the others, I figured I’d give this one a look.  However, the very first review reports that it breaks RSS feeds.  The author reports that this will be fixed in the next version, but I use RSS feeds and don’t want them broken.

Google Analytics Tracking Module

This is another module-based extension.  It has a good overall rating, but the recent reviews have gone downhill for a few reasons.  First, it hasn’t been updated in a while.  This makes people worry that it has been abandoned.  Second, it’s using the old version of the Google Analytics JavaScript, urchin.js.  While it will still work, everyone should be using the newer version of the code.  Between the outdated code and the fact that is uses a module, I skipped it.

BIGSHOT Google Analytics

This one caught my attention, because it’s a plugin rather than a module.  That means that it adds the Google Analytics JavaScript to every page without needing to add a module or alter the template.  For something like g.a., that’s perfect.  In addition, this extension was quite highly rated based on a good number of votes, which is a good indication of quality.  There was one recent complaint that the user couldn’t get it to work and was told it was no longer supported, but everyone else seemed to have no problems.  I gave it a shot.  The installation was quick and painless.  It took me a minute to find the configuration area (it’s under Extensions -> Plugin Manager, and the name of the plugin is “System – BIGSHOT Google Analytics”), but once I did, I only had to enter the UA identifier for my Google Analytics profile and it started working.

Next: Statistics

There are at least a couple of extensions that claim to allow you to view your statistics via the administration panel.  I’m going to give those a whirl.