CMS Watch reports organizations are now considering vendor commitment to their customer base and product development paths to be more critical as a result of the recent shake-up and shake-out in the web analytics industry.

Who could blame them? First John Marshall leave ClickTracks and the prices soar. Now WebTrends management is breaking up with no warning. This is downright bad for the industry. At the same time, we’ve got Google and Microsoft, two stable companies with proven track records, making moves in the industry. It doesn’t seem to me a good time to rock the analytics boat.

I’ll leave you with this comment from CMS Watch founder, Tony Byrne:

“While Web managers and marketers may want to concentrate on the value of analytics for their organizations, they need to be aware of the larger marketplace environment and how it can seriously impact their investment in web analytics solutions. It is absolutely necessary to stay current with your vendor’s business strategy.”

I couldn’t agree more.

The Web Analytics Demystified Fall survey is live. The survey focuses on three aspects of Web analytics tools: distribution, deployment and overall customer satisfaction. So here’s your chance to let your voice be heard in this online survey. It only takes about 15 minutes to complete — less if you are a fast reader — and you can remain anonymous.

Eric T. Peterson, head of Web Analytics Demystified, is offering some pretty groovy incentives for participating. You’ll receive both a complimentary copy of any and all research he prodoces based on this survey and a coupon for $10 off the purchase price of The Big Book of Key Performance Indicators.

Click here to take the survey, or to learn more about it.

Having just completed writing QuestionPro For Dummies, I can attest to the power of online surveys to gather opinions. There are even some neat analytics tools on the back end of online survey software that would gain your approval as a Web analytics practitioner.