Monitoring Your Web Site Activity

Knowing who's visiting and targeting them can help increase your sales
By Chris Maxcer, Freelance Writer Web sites and the computers that visit them generate an electronic "trail" of sorts that can deliver a bevy of useful information to anyone wanting to improve their business' online performance. Here are some ways to monitor traffic and tips on what traffic analysis tools can do for you:

1. Count the number of visitors you have each hour, day, week and month
2. Track the number of unique visitors you receive
3. Report where your visitors came from
4. Track sales campaign effectiveness

By analyzing your Web site traffic patterns, you can see which pages and products people are most interested in. If, for example, you have a high number of people visiting a product page but they do not buy, finding the problem is the first step to solving it. Traffic patterns can also help you understand which promotions are working best. For example, you can easily learn how many customers are referred to your site from one of your online ads.

 

Choose a Traffic Analysis Tool

Your most robust option is to buy a dedicated Web traffic analysis solution that comes with customer support and can expand as your business grows.
Try: Webtrends (Small Business Solutions) from NetIQ, has become one of the most popular Web analysis products for small business. This software can help you improve your online marketing efforts and make more sales. Many product variations and add-ons are offered. Other choices include IWebTrack, ClickTracks, AlertSite, NetTracker or ClickZ Network's Web Site Analytics page, which lists dozens of solutions.

Consider a complete ecommerce solution

NetCommerce, from NetSuite, is a popular Web analysis solution for small business that can turn a static site into a much more sophisticated, dynamic ecommerce portal.
Try: Visit the NetCommerce site for details and to download a data sheet.

Leverage your Web log information

Nihuo Web Log Analyzer uses Web logs to provide you with key site analytics. Costs just $99 for a single-user license.
Try: A free trial version is available at Nihuo Software.

Use a Free Site Analysis Solution

There are some free Web analytics tools you can use, although they tend to have limited if any technical support.
Try: Google Analytics is the most widely distributed option. Also check out StatCounter, a free Web site monitor.

• Many website hosts also provide built-in site analysis tools as part of your service, so evaluate your provider's solutions, too.
• For more in-depth instructions and strategies, check out Eric T. Peterson's Web Analytics Demystified Blog.