It's all well and good to sign up for a GA account: the problem is that the wait to actually be activiate is interminable. I requested a GA account at least 6 months ago and still have no clue when they'll get around to me.

Great post guys and thanks for the pointer to Avinash's blog, you are right it is a great read. He makes a compelling case for investment in brainpower but in your post you missed point #5 and #6 in the list (I read that on his blog):

5 Your smart analyst will be able to extract just as much value from GA than your old tool, in fact my prediction is that it will be a lot more.

6 As the level of savvy in your org grows, as the level of sophistication of supporting processes increased, perhaps in two years you might be ready to plunk down $200k on a web analytics tool and then be ready to extract a corresponding amount of value from it.

Thanks again for sharing the post.

Lisa:
I know you've probably heard this spiel before, but bear with it. Google is working very hard to clear out the queue. It's a very high priority. And when you get your invitation code, it will be well worth the wait.

Joel:
Thanks for the comment. I think the key word in Kaushik's sixth point is "perhaps." As in, "...perhaps in two years you might be ready to plunk down $200k on a web analytics tool..." One of the best points of his article is that the tool itself is not a silver bullet. You need good analysis to get your money's worth. You're going to need a pretty hefty return for that $200k Omniture subscription to actually pay for itself. Finding a good analyst is the key. Kaushik suggests hiring one, and we tend to agree.

I absolutly agree with Google's approach to providing the GA for free. It really help to establish Google as a brand for the people. Obviously, their main focus is revenue but by providing this and other services for free, they are gaining millions of people's loyalty. Great Strategy!

Thanks,
Brad