The best Google Analytics apps for Android

I'm no math wiz, but I'll admit it: When it comes to the Web, I'm a total stats nerd.

My statistical obsession actually began during my days as a TV news producer. Back then, I'd eagerly check my inbox every morning to see the all-important daily ratings report. The truth is, it eventually becomes like a game -- a payoff you crave in a slightly strange and incredibly geeky way.

Last summer, when I launched a new Web site called eSarcasm -- known, fittingly, as "Geek Humor Gone Wild" -- I immediately felt a familiar tinge. Thanks to Google's free Google Analytics tool, I could pull up all sorts of stats on each day's visitors from my PC. And now, with my Android phone always readily at-hand, I can keep tabs on the traffic 24/7, wherever I am.

If you run your own Web site, odds are, you know the feeling. Here are three top-notch Google Analytics apps for Android that can help you stay in touch with your stats in style. As far as I'm concerned, these are the cream of the crop.

[This story is from the new Android Power blog at Computerworld. Follow @AndroidPower on Twitter or subscribe via RSS to make sure you don't miss a beat.]

Best Google Analytics Apps for Android: DroidAnalytics

If you're looking for a great way to track trends and see the big picture of your site's traffic, DroidAnalytics is the way to go. The app -- available for about $1.24, when converted into U.S. dollars -- supports Analytics accounts for multiple sites and offers a rich array of data-viewing options.

DroidAnalytics' default view shows you an easy-to-read chart with a slew of stats for the past 30 days. You'll see columns indicating the total pageviews, visits, visitors, pages-per-visit, bounce rate, and average time spent on the site for each day.

From there, you can customize to your heart's content. One icon allows you to change the date range to whatever you need; another lets you switch to hourly stats. With a couple of clicks, you can convert any of the data into a line graph to get a more visual representation. You can also opt to swap the day-to-day breakdown for a week-by-week, month-by-month, or year-by-year analysis.

DroidAnalytics offers options to view more specific info on numerous Google Analytics stats: top keywords, top countries, top traffic sources, and so on. For me, however, the big picture stuff is where the app really shines. When it comes to honing in on a specific day's results, I fire up our next selection.

Best Google Analytics Apps for Android: Mobile GA

Mobile GA, available for free in the Android Market, is my go-to pick for quick check-ins on any given day's traffic.

The app allows you to configure favorites that deliver easy access to the stats you need. For example, I have favorites set to show me info on visitors and content for both the current day and the previous day. With visitors, Mobile GA gives me a clear synopsis of the number of new and returning visitors for the day, how many pageviews each group generated, and how long each group stayed on the site. One more tap, and I can get each group's data broken down by referring site, too.

When it comes to content, Mobile GA displays a list of the most viewed pages for the day, along with each page's total views, bounce rate, and average viewing time. I can tap on any page to go a step further and see a breakdown of where its visitors came from and how they reached the site.

Mobile GA can produce reports for other Google Analytics variables, too, including keywords, goals, and visitor location.

Best Google Analytics Apps for Android: Analytics Widget 

The final Google Analytics Android app on the list is the simplest of all, and it's probably the one I use the most. That's no coincidence, either: It's the app's simplicity that makes it such a gem.

Analytics Widget, available for free in the Android Market, puts a 1-by-1 square on your phone's home screen. (Like with any Android widget, you'll have to add it onto your home screen yourself after downloading it: Long-press on a blank space, select "Widgets," then select "Analytics Widget" from the list that appears.) The widget shows your site's current running total for pageviews or visits thus far that day. That's all there is to it; you never open a program, and you never wait. The number you need is right on your home screen, always available at a glance.

Analytics Widget refreshes on its own once every 30 minutes, and you can single-tap it to force an immediate update anytime. You can install multiple instances of the widget, too, so if you have more than one Web site or want to see more than one metric, it's easy to achieve.

The Analytics Widget app is still in beta, and its developer has big plans for its future. Eventually, he intends to build in functionality for more varied metrics, customizable time spans, and user-set refresh frequencies, among other things.

That's all fine and dandy -- but for me, this simple little widget is pretty damn near perfect already.

Got a favorite Analytics app I didn't mention here? Leave your review in the comments section at Computerworld.com and let us know.

Author JR Raphael writes the new Android Power blog at Computerworld. You can find him on Facebook: facebook.com/The.JR.Raphael.