Collecting Website Usage Information

Get the habit of analysis – analysis will in time enable synthesis to become your habit of mind.

Frank Lloyd Wright

One of the most powerful items in a digital marketing toolbox is the analysis of website statistics and usage information.

The regular analysis of these usage statistics can allow web designers and marketers to view the ways in which users actually engage with their sites and to adjust any problematic areas if necessary. In effect, the proper use of web analytics can determine the overall success of a specific website or marketing campaign.

Among other things, website statistics can be used to track:

  • the browser and operating system the user is accessing the site with
  • where they are located geographically
  • what website they have come from
  • where they go after your website
  • how long they spend on the site
  • the route that they take through the site
  • the time and dates that the site is being accessed

Accessing Website Statistics

Digital marketers can view this information by examining the raw server logs or by using software which combines and presents the results of several data sources:

Server logs: The most basic tool available to web developers when measuring traffic to a website are the server logs. These are a collection of statistics created by the server which record information about the requests it receives.

Analytics software: Software which uses a variety of data collection methods in order to present a user-friendly analysis of website usage and metrics e.g. Open Web Analytics, Google Analytics

Video: Web analytics A tool and a process

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