Monitoring Website Statistics - Part 2

In Part 1 I talked about the basics of website reporting tools, today I want to get into some of the tools available to you.

Website statistic reporting tools come in all shapes and sizes as well as price ranges.  Some of these tools are industry leaders and some I have used in the past.  Please be advised that I am not making recommendations here, my purpose is to open up the world of website statistic reporting to you.

Web Host Supplied Statistics

Any decent web host will provide you with some sort of free website statistics program.  Since I work on Linux servers, the most popular programs installed are Analog and Webalizer.  Both of these programs are free to the web host and function by reading and reporting your your site's log files.  Of these two programs, I prefer Webalizer because of its better reporting system.

If you are fortunate, your web host may have AWStats installed.  I have used this and am very impressed with its detailed reporting.

Going Beyond Basic Website Statistics

If your budget allows, here are a couple of high-end statistic reporting tools to investigate.  WebTrends and ClickTracks.  In addition to reporting the basic website traffic reports, these programs can also report on visitor paths through your website, Return on Investment (ROI) calculations from your ad campaigns, and e-mail campaign analysis.  The detailed reporting facility and ability to track just about anything on your website is what separates these tools from the freebies.

Both of these products offer either software for you to install on your server or a hosted solution for a monthly fee.

A Good Compromise

I have been using a reporting tool called ADVLogger for over a year now and am pleased with its capabilities.  At $29.95 per license, it is very affordable and provides some excellent reporting capabilities.  It is a Perl program that requires installation into your web server and web pages.

It does not provide you with the detailed ROI analysis for your ad campaigns, but the detail and accuracy is far greater than the free reporting tools available from your web host.

To conclude, everyone's needs are different when it comes to website statistic reporting.  There are literally hundreds of statistic reporting tools available and it's a good practice to see what other people use and recommend.  I hope I have offered you a good understanding of what is involved and some of the products that are available.