An Introduction to Web Traffic Analysis Reports

An Introduction to Web Traffic Analysis Reports

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Software programs analyze logs and turn raw data into easy-to-read reports. But not all traffic analysis software programs are the same, and thus create very different reports. The following descriptions present seven very basic analysis reports that should be available in even the most simple program.

The Bandwidth Report

Traffic analysis software can calculate the amount of data transmitted back and forth from a server to a visitor. This information is compiled into a “bandwidth report,” and may include the:

a) average data transferred per day
b) average data transferred per hit
c) average data transferred per user

Having this information is crucial when you have to monitor monthly bandwidth limits imposed by web hosts. Some web hosts offer unlimited bandwidth – but others limit the amount of data that can be transferred to-and-from their computers. Most reports of this type are categorized by day (traffic data transferred in twenty four hours), week (traffic data transferred during a period of seven days), and month (traffic data transferred within four to five weeks).

Unique Visitors Report

A “unique visitors report” explains how many different people have visited a website. Calculated by visitor IP address or through cookies, unique visitors identified in server logs are differentiated from the lot of “latest visitors,” “total visitors,” or “returning visitors.” “Latest visitor” reports list a website’s most recent visitors for specific period of time, while “returning visitor” reports reveal how many people have visited a website more than once. The “unique visitors report” offers the kind of numbers that potential advertisers trust and prefer to use in making sponsorship decisions.

Total Visitors Report

The “total visitors report” groups together statistics that count the entire list of visitors from the very start: “latest visitors,” “unique visitors,” “returning visitors,” and so on.

In addition to unique, total, and returning visitors, this report may also compile:

• Domain Data – a list of Internet Service Providers (displayed through reverse DNS lookups) and their respective percentage hits
• Language Data – based on visitors’ Windows language settings
• Time Zone Data – useful for comparing site activity from different parts of the country
• Countries Data – a list of countries by ISP

The “total visitors report” is generally used to measure the traffic success of a website.

Path Flow Analysis or Page Usage Pattern Report

Of high interest is the “path flow” report generated by traffic analyzing software. This report shows the series of clicks (or navigation trail) that visitors make through a website. This information can be used to identify and exploit visitor behavior, or to identify and ultimately correct navigation problems. A path flow analysis report can be further dissected to show a website’s:

a) Top Pages – site pages that receive the most page views in a given time period
b) Top Entry Pages – a list of pages that visitors view when entering a site
c) Top Exit Pages – pages that visitors choose to leave a website (usually indicates uninteresting material, site errors, or navigation confusion)

Referrers and Search Engine Report

A “referrer” report complies the list of referrer data from server logs and may break this list further down to identify things such as:

a) Referring Domains – the web hosts of referring URLs
b) Referring Pages – html files
c) Individual Page Referrers
d) Search Engine Phrases
e) Search Engine Keywords
f) Search Engine Performance

Referrer data can come from search engines, bookmarks, links appearing in e-mail messages, bulletin boards, online forums, UseNet, chat rooms, software help files, and more.

If you’re concerned with search engine optimization (SEO), the “referrer report” not only identifies the keywords and/or keyword combinations used to reach a website, it also points to those (keywords) that are serving their purpose, and of course, those that do not.

Browsers Report

Browser data is recorded to server logs under the “visiting browser type” field and it informs which browsers visitors use to view a website. From this data, you can determine which browsers are most popular, and make appropriate adjustments (html, cgi, java, etc.) in an effort to exploit the technology of those browsers. Most browser reports list browsers by their version number, and because they’re usually part of a larger visitor information report, they may be accompanied by the following:

a) Operating Systems Report – identifies visitors’ operating systems
b) Screen Resolutions Report – tells which screen (monitor) sizes site visitors use (width and height in pixels)
c) Color Palettes Report – tells which color depths visitors have on their monitors
d) Script Versions Report – lists the JavaScript versions that visitors have installed on their browsers
e) Java Support Report – lists the number of browsers that support Java technology
f) Cookie Support Report – shows the percentage of browsers that support cookie technology and have cookies enabled

Visit or Session Duration Report

Current events can be found in our Web Traffic Analysis News section.

“Duration reports” indicate how long visitors stay on a particular page or section of a website. Based on this information, you can determine your visitor interest. Short visits (listed as low duration numbers on server logs) mean that your website fails to retain visitors.

External Resources:

1. Watching Your Visitors, Performance, Communities, and Competitors
2. Web Site Measurement Hacks
3. Web Analytics: An Hour a Day