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An Introduction to Web Statistics

Even the most basic of Web statistics programs can provide businesses with a very useful indication of how their Web sites are performing. Generally speaking, statistics programs display both a summary and monthly analysis of site performance. It is highly recommended statistics are viewed on a regular basis, so you are informed about your Web activity, performance and presence.

Why Look at Web Statistics

Web site statistics can provide you with a great deal of information about the effectiveness of your Web marketing strategies. By Web marketing, we are referring not only to your Web site content and its presentation, but to any third party advertising (on directories, sites and search engines), search engine optimisation, rankings, email marketing and so on.

From your Web statistics, you should be able to find out:

How many people are visiting your Web site
How many times people are visiting your Web site
How people find your Web site
How long people spend viewing your Web site
Which pages they spend most time looking at
What actions people take on your Web site when they get there
Which sites have directed them to your Web site (e.g. referring sites or URLs)
Where people come from (country of origin)

Using this data you can build a profile about your Web site. You can start to work out:

When your peak, shoulder and off ‘online’ seasons are
Which content is most appealing to viewers
Whether your online business presentation is effective
If your online advertising and marketing spends are paying off.

Useful Things to Remember

Statistics can only provide you with an indication of Web site performance and customer behaviour. They cannot tell you exactly what needs a customer is seeking to satisfy (although you can begin to make informed and educated guesses as to what they are).
Different statistics programs may serve up different results, depending on what methodologies they use to record data i.e Google Analytics often record a much lower number (often up to two-thirds less than your own awstats package).
Even if data differs slightly, you can still begin to work out which content on your Web site is working (i.e. is the most effective, appealing and enticing to people). You can also work out which other Web sites are effective in sending you potential customers.