On top of that, 40% say they also use Google Analytics alongside other analytics packages – while one in 20 are now using Google’s paid-for Premium product, with a further 26% considering upgrading to the Premium package in the future.

The research, by Lynchpin, is based on a survey of 700 clientside users of analytics and vendors of analytics packages and related services.

Lynchpin found that investment by companies in analytics staff stalled in 2012. In the previous year, 40% of companies surveyed said they planned to increase their budget on staff to analyse web data, yet average employee costs in 2012 remained unchanged from 2011 at 52% of total web analytics expenditure.

Meanwhile, the number of companies who employ no dedicated web analysts increased from 25% to 30% while the proportion of companies employing up to four analysts decreased from 65% to 58%.

“Resourcing is clearly an issue, with businesses struggling to recruit experienced analysts,” said Lynchpin managing director Andrew Hood (pictured). “However there is often little clarity around exactly what the ‘web analyst’ skillset should be, with the boundaries between technical, analytical and commercial often loosely defined.”

Download the full report here.