Free Website Content - Understanding Web Logs
Understanding Web Logs; And Why it Matters
by Sharon Housley
General web statistics give pertinent information
about website visitors. Webmasters analyzing these statistics
have a better understanding of who their website visitors
are and how they perceive the website. A lot can be learned
by evaluating navigation patterns, most-viewed pages and
exit pages. Deciphering web logs could easily become a full-time
job. The information that can be gleaned from close log
scrutiny is extremely valuable.
When a visitor comes to a website, the site
has just a few seconds to grab the visitor's interest. Slow-loading
pages or broken graphics will send visitors and potential
customers looking elsewhere. In order to make sense of web
statistics, consider using a log analysis program. These
programs tend to format the information in an easy-to-understand
way, often providing graphs or visual representations that
make understanding and seeing patterns that much easier.
The downside to using software for web log analysis is that
webmasters can easily be confused about what the actual
results mean and which results matter the most. The information
contained in the log file should be analyzed in conjunction
with other information.
Let's take a look at some of the critical
areas. How many unique visitors visit the site each day?
This statistic, by itself, is not terribly important, but
when compared to a previous week's or month's logs, patterns
will generally emerge. Sudden declines in site visitors
might be indicative of downtime or dropped links, while
sudden increases might be indicative of a successful ad
campaign or improved search engine ranking. This assumption
can only be made if sales for the corresponding time period
have increased as well. Traffic alone is not the goal; qualified
website traffic that converts a visitor into a buyer is
generally the goal of most webmasters. Web statistics on
their own do not always paint a true picture. Webmasters
need to use logs to validate advertising campaigns and track
where traffic is coming from. While details in a log file
alone are not conclusive proof of an ad campaign's success
or failure, general assumptions can be made based on the
patterns. General statistics will help determine who your
visitors are and what habits they have.
Specific areas to take a close look at:
How long are users staying on the website or a specific
page?
This question addresses a website's "stickiness". Stickiness
gives webmasters an indication of how important their content
is. If users return on a regular basis or remain on a specific
page for an extended period of time, generally the content
is considered valuable.
Site entry pages?
What pages in a website are visitors coming into? Is a specific
page on the site drawing an unusually high amount of traffic?
Do users come back to the website? Is there a reason for
a visitor to come back to the website? Generally, content
that is refreshed often will attract return visitors. What
specific areas on the site are of interest to web visitors,
and can those content sections be expanded to increase the
overall value of the website?
Site exit pages?
What pages in a website are visitors leaving from? If a
specific page has a large number of visitors leaving the
site, perhaps the content needs updating. It is critical
that you consider the source of the traffic. Are visitors
coming to the website through a pay-per-click campaign with
a landing page that does not relate to the initial search
terms? Directing visitors to content-specific landing pages
will help reduce quick site exits.
Who is making the referral?
What kind of website is sending traffic to your website?
Assumptions can be made based on the quality of the referral
source. Let's face it, if a crack site is the leading referral
generator to a software site, it is unlikely that the bulk
of visitors will be interested in purchasing.
Bad requests?
Are visitors attempting to access pages on your
website that are no longer active? Be sure to check logs
for any pages or graphics that are generating errors for
visitors.
Number of unique visitors?
Don't get too hung up on the number of "hits" a website
has, as this can be interpreted differently. Sometimes logs
interpret graphic access as a hit. A more accurate reflection
of traffic can be seen by tracking unique visitors.
There are a number of inexpensive yet quality
log analysis applications available for download from:
http://www.monitoring-software.net/
and http://www.monitoring-tools.net
By evaluating web logs webmasters can continuously improve
their site and measure their success. Online or off, tracking
results is critical to achieving success. If you don't track,
you don't know what works. How can you improve what you
don't measure?
About the Author:
Sharon Housley manages marketing for FeedForAll http://www.feedforall.com
software for creating, editing, publishing RSS feeds and
podcasts. In addition Sharon manages marketing for NotePage
http://www.notepage.net
a wireless text messaging software company.
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This article may be used freely in opt-in
publications and websites, provided that the resource box
is included and the links are active. A courtesy copy of
the issue or a link to any online posting would be greatly
appreciated send an email to sharon@notepage.net
.
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