Help me understand what this tells me.

[Bob Warner]

Can anyone tell me how to read this information? This is the statistics for this month for my web page. I don't know what it all means. How do I know how many people visited my site? How do I know what I need to do to improve my site?

Any insite would be appreciated.

I am rewriting my whole page and would like to know if these statistics can tell me what I need to do to improve anything. Are these numbers good?



Short statistics for December 2002 (updated more frequently)

Month ......................Hits.................Files.. ..........Cached.......Pageviews........Sessions.. ..... KB sent

December..2002.........30373 .............25292 .........3924 ..........6325............... 3383............ 311746

[Martyn]

Dug this off my hard drive....

Hits

Any request made to the server which is logged, is considered a 'hit'. The requests can be for anything... html pages, graphic images, audio files, CGI scripts, etc... Each valid line in the server log is counted as a hit. This number represents the total number of requests that were made to the server during the specified report period.

Files
Some requests made to the server, require that the server then send something back to the requesting client, such as a html page or graphic image. When this happens, it is considered a 'file' and the files total is incremented. The relationship between 'hits' and 'files' can be thought of as 'incoming requests' and 'outgoing responses'.

Pages
Pages are, well, pages! Generally, any HTML document, or anything that generates an HTML document, would be considered a page. This does not include the other stuff that goes into a document, such as graphic images, audio clips, etc... This number represents the number of 'pages' requested only, and does not include the other 'stuff' that is in the page. What actually constitutes a 'page' can vary from server to server. The default action is to treat anything with the extension '.htm', '.html' or '.cgi' as a page. A lot of sites will probably define other extensions, such as '.phtml', '.php3' and '.pl' as pages as well. Some people consider this number as the number of 'pure' hits... I'm not sure if I totally agree with that viewpoint. Some other programs (and people refer to this as 'Pageviews'.

Sites
Each request made to the server comes from a unique 'site', which can be referenced by a name or ultimately, an IP address. The 'sites' number shows how many unique IP addresses made requests to the server during the reporting time period. This DOES NOT mean the number of unique individual users (real people) that visited, which is impossible to determine using just logs and the HTTP protocol (however, this number might be about as close as you will get).

Visits
Whenever a request is made to the server from a given IP address (site), the amount of time since a previous request by the address is calculated (if any). If the time difference is greater than a pre-configured 'visit timeout' value (or has never made a request before), it is considered a 'new visit', and this total is incremented (both for the site, and the IP address). The default timeout value is 30 minutes (can be changed), so if a user visits your site at 1:00 in the afternoon, and then returns at 3:00, two visits would be registered. Note: in the 'Top Sites' table, the visits total should be discounted on 'Grouped' records, and thought of as the "Minimum number of visits" that came from that grouping instead. Note: Visits only occur on PageType requests, that is, for any request whose URL is one of the 'page' types defined with the PageType option. Due to the limitation of the HTTP protocol, log rotations and other factors, this number should not be taken as absolutely accurate, rather, it should be considered a pretty close "guess".

KBytes
The KBytes (kilobytes) value shows the amount of data, in KB, that was sent out by the server during the specified reporting period (also known as "bandwidth"). This value is generated directly from the log file, so it is up to the web server to produce accurate numbers in the logs (some web servers do stupid things when it comes to reporting the number of bytes). In general, this should be a fairly accurate representation of the amount of outgoing traffic the server had, regardless of the web servers reporting quirks.

Note: A kilobyte is 1024 bytes, not 1000

From the numbers you've posted Bob, I would read that as roughly 3383 people visiting, who viewed a total of 6325 webpages between them. Probably averaging at something like 2 pages viewed, per vist. What it doesnt tell you is how many of those visitors are unique and how many are repeat visits. Look elsewhere in your stats service to find that. (Not sure about this, but the cached pages, may mean that this number of pageviews were cached, which means people who have visited before - in your case, just over half of the total pageviews).

This stuff does give you an idea of browsing behaviour and helps you refine your site. But, dont forget publicity is the big key. You need to look over the refering sites to see where your visitors are comming from, that will give you an idea of what gaps there may be in your marketing.


Interestingly, looks like your bandwidth requirement for Decenmber was just over 304 megabytes (311746kb x 1024). This is a useful number to help determine if you are using the right hosting plan. You need to factor in growth etc, but you could save money if you are paying for huge bandwidth that you are not using.

HTH

[Chuck Burrows]

I knw that - well sort of.

Great explanation Martyn. Thanks from all of us less fortunates. Stats are always a bit of a puzzle.

Chuck

[Martyn]

Originally posted by Wild Rose
I knw that - well sort of.

Great explanation Martyn. Thanks from all of us less fortunates. Stats are always a bit of a puzzle.

Chuck

You're very welcome Chuck. You are as ever, a most gracious individual.

I'm still waiting to hear if the original poster found this useful.

[Bob Warner]

Martyn,

Sorry for the late reply, been busy welding.

The information helps me understand more but I still don't know if my site is getting enough traffic.

From your info I looked back at my site statistics and see that I averaged 4943 sessions per month during the last 12 months. That is about 165 Sessions per day, average for the entire year. Is this a lot? How would that compare to other knifemaker sites?


How do I tell what people are looking at?

My knife orders come to me over e-mail mainly but I don't know how many are due to the web page, the CKD, word of mouth or what?

I don't get many orders that say I saw your page and I want you to make so and so. I mainly get tool making questions ( a LOT of them) so I am guessing that my web page is not selling any knives but instead just helping people build their tools. I like helping but the help is free and I want to make some money from the site so I need to see where I am going wrong.

I am almost done rewriting the site and am curious what the numbers will look like after the change.

[Martyn]

Originally posted by Bob Warner
Martyn,

Sorry for the late reply, been busy welding.

No Worries.

My knife orders come to me over e-mail mainly but I don't know how many are due to the web page, the CKD, word of mouth or what?
...
I don't get many orders that say I saw your page and I want you to make so and so. I mainly get tool making questions ( a LOT of them) so I am guessing that my web page is not selling any knives but instead just helping people build their tools. I like helping but the help is free and I want to make some money from the site so I need to see where I am going wrong

That's the 64,000$ question.

You are not going wrong, you are going absolutely right.

For the last 7 years, I've been working in the medical/health field, but before that and for most of my adult life, I worked as an advertising and marketing exec. I've worked in newspapers, commercial radio, magazines and advertising agencies, I've handled small accounts and worked on large ones (several ?M), from local businesses to soft drinks companies, and in just about every media you can think of (including the internet).

Figuring out how effectively your marketing strategy (and your money) is working for you, is complex and difficult. It often isn't so much about raw data as an understanding of the concepts.

The best advertising/marketing media is by far, word of mouth! From there on, it's all downhill, the laws of diminishing returns kick in. You *will* get less and less return for your efforts thereafter. Often, you see small businesses which are quite successful at a given size/marketplace, fail dismally when they try to expand to the next level. This is because they assume that their level of business will increase with the size of their output - it usually wont, not without a disproportionate and *enormous* increase in marketing effort.

Your website, for example, will yield a tiny percentage of $$$ bringing business hit for hit, compared to chatting to folks at a show. Whether it's knife-making or fizzy drinks, the concepts are always the same. You tweak your campaign to suit your product and your marketplace, but the effectiveness of different media always works the same.

But, don't be disheartened, there is a huge advantage to a website - I would go as far as to say, it's an absolute must have. Why? because of the credibility and exposure it brings to you. Example:

Customer A buys a knife at a show...
Customer A emails Customer B with a recommendation and says look at maker XXX website!
Customer B looks at website and emails maker, saying he's been recommended....

This process could happen *without* the website, so what difference does the website make? Well, it will add to the chances of customer B actually contacting you. It will add to the chances of customer B buying from you, it will increase the chances of him becoming a repeat customer and it will increase the chances of him "referring" you to someone else. All of this is very intangible, but it's very real nonetheless.

The content of the website is important - it's a point of reference, the potential customer can come back, again and again, while thinking over their purchase options. How your site is presented, will have an effect on the perception of your product. A quality, well laid out site, free of spelling errors, will convey a professional approach, accuracy and attention to detail in your website, will convey the same impression to your work. Tutorials will convey the impression of a "master" teaching others - not to be undervalued.

Basically, what I'm saying is it's not really representative of the truth, to look at these things individually, they all work together as a whole, complimenting each other. Your tutorials, your website, your assisting others here, all add significantly to your chances of making new sales, and happy customers. Looking at raw hits doesn't really mean much.

However, obviously, the more hits you have, the more chances of making a sale. But completely new business generated without recommendation, from your website alone, will always be a small percentage of your total turnover. The point is, it contributes to the overall strategy and perpetuates the process.

GROWTH!

Basically, everything I've heard you say on the subject sounds good, your ideas are sound. The problem is, when evealuating them, dont view them in isolation - it doesnt work like that, they are part of the overall package. If viewed in isolation, you will almost certainly be dissapointed with what you see, but as part of a package, the whole thing comes to life. It's a cliche, but - the whole really is greater than the sum of it's parts. I hope this makes sense.

[Chuck Burrows]

Martyn that's great!

Bob he is spot on. I don't do shows much anymore for various reasons so my website, print ads, and my catalog are the main ways my business gets known to the public at large. I too have worked in marketing, albeit on a MUCH smaller scale than Martyn and word of mouth is always number one, but I find that my website is an absolute necessity in today's marketplace. Dollar for dollar it is the most cost effective method of exposure and validating the fact that you are a bonafide business.
With that said I can still only guess at what percentage of sales come from our site, but just based on memory over the last few months it is at least 50% and in December alone it was closer to 90%. Unlike some of the TV ads it takes a while.
But the personal touch is still absolutely necessary.
The number one thing that most customers and potential customers have told me is that they truly appreciate the fact that I contact them ASAP when they have questions - in other words customer service. Keeping the lines of communication open with your customers is an absolute must in my book.
Another thing that seems to help word of mouth spread is posting a picture of my customers finished product and mentioning their name (only with permission of course). People really do like to see their name in print. I usually get several inquiries after an order has been delivered and the customer calls their friends up and says hey look at what is on the Wild Rose Website!
Frankly one of the most fun parts of my business now is working on my website! It gives me a break from sniffing glue fumes anyway!

Your site looks good and is easy to navigate, two of the most important things - so keep up the good work.
Chuck

[Bob Warner]

Thanks guys.

I just want to be sure that my site is not just a boat anchor. I guess sharing the information I do brings in a lot of visits because I get questions from a lot of different people.

I got a call from a guy in New Zealand with questions about making stencils for electro-etching. He made the stuff on my site and had a couple of questions. I answered his questions and found out he does not even make knives, he makes boat propellers. No interest in knives at all just adding electro-etching to his business since he found my site and made the equipment.

I don't mind helpiing people like him, I just would rather that I made money from my site and not him.

What is considered a good average number of visits? Is 165 avarage per day good? I don't know if I should do something to increase traffic or consentrate on selling to the ones already visiting the site.

Thanks for your help guys, I'm lost when it cimes to this web stuff.

[Martyn]

Yup, that's exactly it Chuck. You could generate a vast amount of raw and unique hits by running a banner through porn sites for example, and you would certainly see an increase in new inquiries, but you would probably see a greater decrese in repeat business.

The overall package is *way* more important than raw traffic.

Basically the number of (or lack of) people saying "I saw your site and want a knife like that" in no way reflect the true value of the website.

[Chuck Burrows]

Bob I would concentrate on sales.
An example: In October 2002 I had twice as many uniques as in December. October sales - zilch, December sales - 6.

And those "freebies" can often lead to sales. Yes you have to say enough is enough when those few take advantage of your good nature, but a good third of my sales have come from just such contacts. The guy who you supplied info to tells his friend about you. That guy just happens to be looking for a good knife maker and Voila!

Keep on truckin'
Chuck

[Martyn]

Originally posted by Bob Warner


I don't mind helpiing people like him, I just would rather that I made money from my site and not him.

The thing is Bob, you never know when he will want that nice custom blade for "out on the yacht" or when he will say - hey I know this great guy who makes knives - check out his website.

This is their true value.

Obviously though, it doesnt hurt to have as many new people as possible visiting. Make sure you're registered with all the major search engines. Dont rely on spiders and webcrawlers finding your site through metatags. You should be registered with at least 20. Then run a search on each one, for key words - "custom knife" "damascus" or whatever. Try to get your site on the first 2 or 3 pages of each search engine.

Recipricol links are a superb method of generating "quality" hits, because the visitors are likely customers of your particular marketplace. Make sure your web addy is tagged to all your outgoing emails (signature) and carry it in your sig on every forum, have it on your business cards and every paper add you run.

[Martyn]

Originally posted by Wild Rose
The guy who you supplied info to tells his friend about you. That guy just happens to be looking for a good knife maker and Voila!

Chuck

LOL, just replied with the exact same thing

[Bob Warner]

My rewrite of the site will consentrate more on sales. It will have the other stuff but it will not be FRONT PAGE.

We will see how it goes.

Thanks for your time guys, I sure do appreciate it.

[Martyn]

Originally posted by Bob Warner


Thanks for your time guys, I sure do appreciate it.

You're welcome, it's nice to be able to give something back.

I took a quick look at your meta-tags, they look fine. I also ran a google search using "custom knives" and compared your header info with that from the sites listed on the first page (I'm guessing you've done this already ).

No problems there. If you havent already actually submitted your site, directly to the engines, this would be worth doing as it can get better results than leaving it to the bots.

[Chuck Burrows]

LOL, just replied with the exact same thing

Martyn - Does that mean great minds do really think alike?
Of course you know that the measure of person's intelligence is how much closely they agree with you.

Bob here is a little tutorial by Dave Turner (with a couple of extra tips from me) on:
Internet 101: How to Submit to Search Engines
I'm sure you've all seen ads, or received email from companies that claim they can submit your website to thousands of search engines for "X" amount of dollars. My advice to you is, don't believe the hype and don't waste your money. Why? Because everyday, there are countless numbers of search engines popping up all over the place. However, only about 6 search engines and directories actually deliver a substantial amount of traffic to your website. Here's the list of major search engines and directories, in order of importance, according to the experts:

1. Yahoo
2. Inktomi (database feeds over 300 engines including AOL, MSN, NBCi, iWon, LookSmart, About, HotBot, Overture non-paid listings, CNET, and ICQ).
3. Google
4. AltaVista
5. ODP (Open Directory Project aka dmoz.org)
6. Fast (database feeds results to Lycos)
These 6 major search engines are used by approximately 95 percent of all people searching on the web. So, even if you submit to no other engines and just concentrate on these major search engines and directories, your website will be successful--assuming of course, you have a topic, product or service that people are interested in, and are searching for on a regular basis.

Anyway, following is the submission order that is recommended by several top experts:

1. Inktomi - use the paid entry program.
Inktomi is the first engine you should submit to because it feeds some major portals such as AOL, MSN, NBCi, iWon,LookSmart, About, HotBot, Overture, CNET, and ICQ.
It also supplies results to over 300 other smaller portals run by ISP's. Inktomi's paid inclusion service - accessed through http://www.positiontech.com is the quickest way to get the most visibility possible, supposedly within 48 Hours.
They do have a freebie to and it is worth doing if you can't afford the tariff right now.

2. AltaVista
Submit to AltaVista. But don't use the Express Inclusion. Instead, use the free add URL service instead at: http://addurl.altavista.com/sites/addurl/newurl.
You can submit up to 5 pages.
NOTE: AltaVista takes about 4 to 6 weeks, to include your site in their index.

3. Yahoo!
Warning: Yahoo can be a difficult and frustrating directory to get listed in. But it's worth the frustration. A good listing in Yahoo can provide your site with a significant amount of traffic. However, before submitting to Yahoo, read Robert Woodhead's excellent Yahoo tutorial here:
http://www.selfpromotion.com/yahootips.t

4. ODP - The Open Directory Project
ODP is a directory of volunteer editors. Supposedly, it's easier to get into ODP after you've been accepted by Yahoo. I guess their reasoning is, if your site's good enough for Yahoo, it's good enough for ODP. I submitted mine to several differnt subcategories no tjust one. You can submit your site for free at:
http://dmoz.org/add.html.

5. Fast - All the Web (powers Lycos)
You can submit your page at:
http://www.alltheweb.com/add_url.php

6. Google
Since Google assigns more relevancy to pages with link and click popularity, it's important to already have your other submissions in place, before submitting to Google. Therefore, concentrate on the other engines and directories in the order listed above before submitting to Google. You can find Google's free submission page at: http://www.google.com/addurl.html
Anyway, that's the correct way to submit to the search engines. And while there are no guarantees in life, your chances of getting listed in the major search engines will be greatly increased, if you just follow the advice in this article.

Til next time...
Dave Turner (2002)

----------------------------------------------------------------------
Dave Turner is a writer and entrepreneur with over twenty years of business and marketing experience. Questions? Comments? Dave can be reached at mailto:dave@homebasedbusiness123.com
His website: http://www.homebasedbusiness123.com

I've used these tips and on most of them my site comes up in the top ten when searching for things such as cowboy holsters and old west leather. But even the little things count. I was surprised and pleased to say the least that the site comes up #1 on Google (the world's most used search engine) when looking for sterling conchos, an item I offer only as part of my leather work. It's these "backdoor" links that gain you that extra traffic. BTW the Wild Rose sight is only 2 1/2 years old.

Another valuable tip is in how you name your pages. Go to my site and click view, source, (in IE anyway) and then scroll down until you see the name on various pages. That will clue you in.

Chuck