Read Your Server Log

Your Internet Service Provider (ISP) should provide you with a 'server log' that reflects all your site activity over a certain period - usually daily. Some ISPs offer a simplified view of the server log but usually specialized server log analysis is required. A sensible period over which the log should be analyzed is every quarter.

The log is an efficient and impersonal indicator of how well your site is doing. The analysis will reveal a little very important information and a lot of less important information.

Important Information (daily average):

• The number of pages viewed.
• The number of visitor sessions.
• The number of visitors who visited once.
• Visitors visiting more than once.
• The average time visitors stayed in your site.
• The approximate geographic location of your visitors.
• Most/Least requested pages.
• Top entry pages - where your visitors came into your site.
• The top search keywords and phrases used to find information on your site organized by search engine.
• The main search engines used.
• The most popular paths taken through your site.
• Pages that were viewed without viewing any other page.

The number of visitors to your site is critical - the more the better - particularly those who visit more than once. This should be an upward trend.

The 'search words and phrases' is important because it lets you know what your visitors expected to find on your site. Some words will surprise you. Did you provide the information they expected?

Less important Information (daily average):

• Activity level each day.
• Activity level by day of the week.
• Top exit pages - at which pages were visitors most likely to leave your site.
• Errors on the site
• Most/Least requested entry/exit pages.
• Most accessed directories.
• Most downloaded file types.
• Visitors by number of visits - how many visited once, twice etc.
• The top visitors to your site - often search engine spiders.
• Visitors by organization - military, education, company, government etc.
• Top referrers - domains with links to your site, usually search engines.
• Which browsers were used to view your site.

We can provide either a full analysis (R300) or summary analysis (R150) on a quarterly basis.