E-Business - Data Viewed by Visitors

Data viewed by visitors to a Web site is recorded via web logs. The data includes useful information such as the URL that referred the visitor as well as the operating system and Web browser they use. One line of information is recorded for each piece of data viewed from the Web site. This piece of information can consist of either an image, HTML page, or something else. Highly viewed Web sites may generate thousands of lines in its Web log daily.

These web longs provide clues on how to improve the performance of your e-commerce Web site. The Web logs recorded by most Web servers contain a mother lode of valuable information. Web logs can tell you how visitors found your site, the search terms they use, and the days and times your site is most popular, along with other information. You can use this information to measure the performance of changes you make to your site, and to assess the impact of advertising and links from other sites.

There are many different log analysis applications that analyze measurements that are useful for e-commerce sites. Log analysis applications display a wide array of information. A Web site traffic report summarizes visits by day and month, showing the number of visitors, visits, pages, and hits, and the bandwidth used. Numeric data is graphically displayed using simple bar charts that allow you to spot trends at a glance.

Counts of hits or pages aren't all that relevant for an e-commerce site. One can increase hits by adding more graphic images to a page. Adding pages to a site can also increase page views. For e-commerce sites, the number of visitors is key, because visitors are prospects for the products and services you offer online. If you increase visitors to your site, you display your wares to more potential buyers. Another key analysis shows how visitors connect to your site: direct entry of your URL, a bookmark, referral from an Internet search engine, or a link from another site.

Analyzing your Web log isn't the only way to get information about your site's visitors. Page counters and Web analysis services can also provide guidance. These services usually ask you to add an image or bit of JavaScript code to every page on your site. When a visitor's Web browser views the page, it reads