Website Traffic in a Nutshell

Analyzing Results with Analytic Tools

Website traffic statistics can be gathered and analyzed through website analytics software. Website analytics can be summarized as an extensive data gathering and reporting activity through the usage of log files and tracking scripts.

By gathering your website’s traffic results, you can organize the visitor data in different reporting formats to be able to analyze the effectiveness of your website’s design and function.

Log File Analysis

Everything you do online can be tracked. There are Log files that track all requests that are made by various web browsers to your web server. These files are text files that serve as your website’s activity trail. These files cannot be easily deciphered and thus the need for good website analytics software rises.

At the very least, however, most hosting providers offer a minimum readable version of a log file so that you can track the total number of visitors to visit your site, the number of pages viewed, other websites and search engines that refer traffic to you along with some other very basic level data.

It is important to keep in mind the way your host defines certain terms. For example, the word “Hits” is a commonly misused word in the online realm. I recommend staying away from the use of this word when discussion website performance as it can lead more confusion rather than do good for you. The true definition of “Hits” means the number of files requested from your web server to display your website to a visitor’s computer.

For example, if your main website page has a flash image banner, 3 other still images and the basic HTML shell of the site, your page has 5 files that are requested each time someone types in www.yoursite.com. This translates to 5 “Hits”. Now compare this to what your understanding of “Hits” was prior to reading this and you will see why I recommend staying away from this word. It does not do anyone but your web server any good.

The benefits of Log files are that it never stops tracking user behavior on a website. This is an easy to implement feature that allows you to maintain a history of all activity on your website.

The disadvantages can include missing a unique visit or page view here and there due to computers’ cached memory and the fact that it takes up storage space and processing power if your website conducts a lot of activity.

Tracking Scripts

Tracking scripts are small strings of HTML code that when added to your web-pages allow the tracking software to receive the data recorded in the Log files. Think about the script as a little messenger that communicates with your Analytics software each time an activity is conducted on a web-page.

HitsLink and Google Analytics are two programs good at analyzing website traffic by gathering and organizing your website’s data through the use of tracking scripts. Depending on each program’s capability and complexity, the software you choose can cost you between $300 to $10,000 per year.

The disadvantages in using tracking scripts are that you do not own the data and may require you to add the script to every page of your website. All the data is stored on the host server and therefore you will loose the information if you decide to stop subscribing to the service. Certain web-pages where you don’t include the script will not be tracked by the Analytics program.

• Establish key benchmarks

• Understand your user behavior

• Make changes (look at competitors) & conduct customer surveys

• Monitor changes and enhance on an ongoing basis

• Monitor correlation in traffic pattern with each change
   

Successful execution of the 5 core steps is guaranteed to get more website traffic for you.

Read on for a full discussion on Analytics – how to use it, which one to use and how much to spend