Visitors tracking

Discussion in 'Traffic Analysis' started by Toe, Sep 29, 2006.

  1. #1
    I am not sure that it's an appropriate thread for the topic, but I didn't find better ))

    So the question. Tracking visitors you are interested only in their amount and the referrer that brought them to your site or there are another things that interest you and can help in SEO?
     
    Toe, Sep 29, 2006 IP
  2. frankcow

    frankcow Well-Known Member

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    #2
    You would also be interested in:
    - Navigation path
    - exit pages
    - entry pages
    - search terms
    - conversions
    - domains
    - geography

    and other items, depending on your business needs
     
    frankcow, Sep 29, 2006 IP
  3. hans

    hans Well-Known Member

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    #3
    i use additionally a whoisonlien script
    a small perl-script access.pl

    taht allows me in real time to see
    referrer ( SE + kewywords )
    landing page
    follow up pages visited
    for EACH visitor

    hence from the keywords he used in SE i see if he landed on a correct and matching landing page and if he continued to follow links to more chapters on my site

    it also allows me to see if a visitor has a question but i have no fullly matching solution - hence i write a new chapter or blog post to match a future query of same type if i see a particualr question more often
     
    hans, Sep 29, 2006 IP
  4. Dassie

    Dassie Peon

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    #4
    Try Google Analytics.
     
    Dassie, Sep 29, 2006 IP
  5. Toe

    Toe Peon

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    #5
    Thanks for the replies
    And what about more technical details, like color palettes or screen resolution, should I pay my attention to them also?
    I have a tool that provides me with a great amount of reports of really different types: navigation, referrers, viewed pages and time spent on them and so on. But also there reports about the operating system of the visitors, their browsers and other. Are they of any interest?
     
    Toe, Sep 29, 2006 IP
  6. frankcow

    frankcow Well-Known Member

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    #6
    absolutely, as they will have a critical bearing on how you design your site template, and what technologies you employ
     
    frankcow, Sep 29, 2006 IP
  7. seojig

    seojig Well-Known Member Affiliate Manager

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    #7
    i would like to add some topic hehe
    recent keyword activity
    recent page load activity
    most popular keywords etc..
     
    seojig, Sep 29, 2006 IP
  8. Toe

    Toe Peon

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    #8
    Thanx for the adding, seojig )
     
    Toe, Sep 29, 2006 IP
  9. GULLIVER

    GULLIVER Well-Known Member

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    #9
    if it was possible then I'd like to know everything, cause knowing everything will let me know, what should I do better to keep visitors comeing.
     
    GULLIVER, Sep 29, 2006 IP
  10. Toe

    Toe Peon

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    #10
    oh, to know everything would be great not only in SEO ;)
     
    Toe, Sep 29, 2006 IP
  11. ketan9

    ketan9 Active Member

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    #11
    I would be interested in this script, what is the output that this script gives and how user-friendly it is. Please share the information.
     
    ketan9, Sep 29, 2006 IP
  12. hans

    hans Well-Known Member

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    #12
    whoisonline - an original non-maintained ( needs actually no further maintenance it works simple and straight forward ) perl-script is called
    access.pl and can be found for download in all 3 current versions
    - original access_log format
    - 1and1 modified log format
    - updated version that allows configuration of log format filename "whoisonline"

    in my webmaster resources page you find a link to useful tools
    there you can see the "Webmaster's site Security tools" I use or used - also a sample current output of access.pl toi see ifr that is what you want.

    all my tools are simple, efficient and easy to use - since my focus is other than computer/IT/www and I only use www as a tool for my work.

    re screen resolution of site visitors - that is an infor you find in Google analytics

    the desire to know everything ...
    does it really help
    can you use such complete info to improve your site
    are you willing to invest additional time, work - even hundreds of hours - and if necessary $ to do what can be done to improve your site if you know more ?
    most people nowadays want easy money and a few-clicks-easy-to-setup 1$ site ...

    whoisonline for example gives excellent real time feedback - but that only makes sense if I go ( an dI do ) and make instant changes, instant improvements, instant intervention where needed.
    I often saw hacker's attempts here in real time - or misconfigured bots looping and hence used the data to block an IP for example or to block an agend or add a new chapter or improve links-sturcture if insufficient follow up surfing takes place on certain pages visited

    screen resolution I used one single time - now it is enough. I needed it to see if my overall resolution/page layout of all site is meeting the majority of of all site visitors - then I saw that some 85% of all visitors have a modern resolution of 768x1024 OR greater - now there is no more need of such info for years.

    many of the Google analytics data are too irrelevant and offoline access_log stats often far more accurate and more detailed - entry exit pages only give a sense if you know WHAT visitor searching WHAT keyword to enter and exit a particular page and if that page of yours covered the topic searched in full or had all links to cover full topic searched by that ONE visitor - one by one.
    to know X-number entered page A, B or C and Y exited page 2, 3 or x is of no real use about site/SEO accuracy. the FULL path of a few hundred individual surfers - the complete journey on your site of a few ones now an dthen may give far more valuable data but also needs many more hours to observe in real time
     
    hans, Sep 29, 2006 IP
  13. Toe

    Toe Peon

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    #13
    Most people, but not all ;) Probably I am too new in SEO but every (even very-very little success) makes me proud and willing to do more and more, to invest time, work, if necessary $.

    One more question - I've asked about reports and haven't asked about how are you tracking the visitors, what tool do you use?
     
    Toe, Oct 1, 2006 IP
  14. hans

    hans Well-Known Member

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    #14
    access_log stats are done with angolizer
    and trackiing visitors with the script i mentioned/linked below

    on the page i gave below you find the link for
    a sample output of access.pl from my own daily use
    a green line is the start for ONE visitor and all his data like referrer and follow up pages
    just exactly what i need for SEO only and for observation of hackers as well
     
    hans, Oct 1, 2006 IP