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Website Traffic Analysis
Analyzing traffic and trends of the visitors to your website
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Website traffic and log filesEvery time someone visits your website information like their IP address, time and date of access and error messages are recorded into log files that are saved on your servers (i.e. your web hosts) computer. These files can be used to analyze your website traffic. If your web host doesn't offer these log files, it is well worth it to switch to one that does.
The statistics generated by these log files are important tools for monitoring what your visitors do when they enter your website. Using the information gleaned from them you can track your website traffic and tailor your pages for maximum effect. Below is a checklist of what to look for when analyzing your website traffic. |
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Website Statistics and what they mean
Page viewsA good measure of website activity, it is the number of HTML pages served. If your visitor goes to ten pages on your site, 10 page views will be generated. The more pages that your visitor views translates into more clicks and opportunities to produce revenue. This is highly dependant on your content. Good content means more page views.Visits (unique visitors)
A trip to your site by one person, no matter how long they stay there or how many pages they view. If they leave and come back, another visit will be generated. This is a good measure of visitor loyalty. If your visitors believe in what you are providing them they will return.
Most popular pages
Tells you which pages your visitors request most. This helps you learn what works or what subject matter is generating the most interest! Build on this feedback. Your visitors see your website in a different light than you do, what seems important to you may not be important to them.
Average number of pages per visit
If this is low, you know your site is not holding on to your visitors. A visitor should want to stay on your site for awhile. This equates to page views and that equals revenue. You need to do some revisions if your page views are low. But don't give up! Just keep working at it until that number goes up!
Referring pages
This is an important one because it tells you where your visitors link FROM, who has links to your site, and what search engines you're listed with properly. Optimize your website based on what is working and what is not. Referral links expand your web presence.
Browsers used
Tells you what browsers people are using and helps you know how to design your web pages so that people can use them! Design your pages to accommodate the most browser types. |
Implementing your website statisticsOnce you understand what your visitors are doing you can make your changes, wait one week, and then analyze your website traffic again! Look for improved stats and make your plans accordingly.Testing various layouts and content should be a constant practice if you want to be up with the big boys. Constantly monitoring the viewing trends of your website visitors will provide you with all the information you need for any future redesigns.
Note: Some webmasters say that you should never use a visible hit counter. They aren't reliable ( for a number of reasons ), they look tacky, and they never give your visitor a good impression.
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