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?