If ClickTracks 6 were a candidate, I'd endorse it. The latest version of the web analytics software has won the ClickZ Marketing Excellence Award for Best Web Site Analysis Tool every year it has been awarded. It should go on winning more awards – even without my endorsement.

Now, I'm not going to claim that this is a “fair and balanced” review of ClickTracks 6. When I wrote an earlier review, “ ClickTracks 5.0 is just as easy to use ‘while adding more power ,” back on March 31, 2004, I was being unbiased. I'm a former newspaper editor and columnist, so I know the difference between an objective review and editorial opinion.

But, since then, I've become a ClickTracks user, then a ClickTracks partner, and now I'm helping Amy Hooker of maven communications with the launch of ClickTracks 6. So, I recognize that I've crossed over from news to commentary.

From a business point of view, it would have been safer for me to appear to be neutral when it comes to working with all the major web analytics vendors. But, ClickTracks is just too good a product for me to pretend to be impartial.

And ClickTracks 6 raises the bar again by providing the must-have tools that marketers like me need to turn web site traffic analysis into marketing insights. Instead of guessing the effectiveness or conversion rate of site changes or online campaigns, ClickTracks 6 web analytics software helps marketing and design staffers literally see the way that visitors behave and interact with a site.

Or, as John Marshall, the founder and CEO of ClickTracks, said yesterday during a ClickTracks 6 webinar, “We're taking the same data many other web analysis programs collect, but we're simply presenting it to the user in a fundamentally different, yet instantly intuitive way.”

With characteristic British understatement, John was being modest about the intuitive, insightful way that ClickTracks helps my customers understand and act on web site traffic trends in both current and previous versions of their sites.

Key Features of Version 6

ClickTracks 6 offers unique capabilities that are not available in competitive products. Its top four new features include:

Funnel Reporting: You can follow visitors – and specific groups of visitors who meet criteria that you can set – down the paths they take to the checkout page to see which pages are most effective at turning browsers into buyers. ClickTracks also lets you see funnel stages, exit/abandonment areas and additionally, which pages and sections are more influential to conversion.

Site Archiver: You can capture your web site as it exists at a given point in time, and store it for future analysis. The site archiver can be manually launched or scheduled, and ClickTracks' compression technology reduces archived files down to 1/10 of the size of the original site.

Time Splits: You can use ClickTracks' browser overlay technology to see visitor behavior on two different versions of your web site – on one screen. This lets you see your site as it was during two different time periods. This is perfect for determining the result of site changes/upgrades, or proving to clients and managers that a suggested change has had the desired outcome.

A/B Splits: ClickTracks' A/B split functionality lets you visually compare different versions of your web site, simultaneously. The wizard interface makes it easy to set up and monitor which page or page element has the desired effect on your site visitors.

There are several additional new features in ClickTracks 6 that marketers will love. This includes:

Page-level Keywords: ClickTracks' Navigation report now enables you to view all the keywords that lead to any given page.

Browser-based Reporting: This provides pre-analyzed data in an instant report that can be accessed from anywhere. Smart permission controls allow users access to only the reports you want them to have.

Scheduled E-mailing of Reports: You can set up which reports you want mailed, how often, to whom and when, and ClickTracks makes it happen.

Thumbnails and Page Titles: You can mouse over the URL – or page title, if you prefer – to see a pint-sized version of the page before your eyes—without having to leave your report.

Parameter and Cookie stats: You can put your URL parameters to work. This lets you determine which product is most popular or which affiliate is the highest performing by accessing information you're already collecting.

Version 6 will be available to the public on October 12, 2005. It covers the entire family of ClickTracks products: ClickTracks Analyzer ($495), the company's entry-level analytics offering; ClickTracks Optimizer ($1195), mid-range web analytics with robot reporting and e-mail campaign tracking; and ClickTracks Professional (starting at $3495), robust metrics that include ROI tracking capabilities.

The A/B Splits, Funnel Reporting, Time Splits and Site Archiving features are only available in ClickTracks Professional. You can visit http://www.clicktracks.com/6 to view a complete feature breakdown for each product. Hosted versions of each product are also available; pricing starts at $49. For more information on hosted offerings, you can visit http://www.clicktracks.com/products/pro/hosted.php .

And next year, when ClickZ holds its next Marketing Excellence Awards for Best Web Site Analysis Tool, I plan to vote early and often for ClickTracks 6.