Web analytics is a way to collect, measure, analyze data about all site visitors and is designed to optimize their work. Based on the information received, you can draw up a plan to increase and develop the capabilities of the resource. The resulting statistics help to study the number of pages viewed by the visitor, the geography of the audience, key phrases for search engines, the target audience and random visitors, as well as the ease of navigation and use of the site.
To correctly display the data, several tools are used at once, which ensure the accuracy of the information received. There are two main types of tools:
•counters – a code fragment is installed on the site, the data is collected in one database, the advantage is simplicity and ease of use, prompt receipt of visual information;
•log analyzers are installed on the user’s PC, the data is stored in an archive, they can be used to obtain more accurate information, solve complex problems, analyze errors and collect statistics on resource traffic.
You should start using counters by getting to know the Google Tag Manager container. It allows you to install the container in the site code once with the help of a programmer, then install all subsequent counters on your own.
The most popular counters are Google Analytics, Openstat, Yandex.Metrica, and the most common log analyzers are Webalizer, AWStats and others.
Internet statistics tools
Google Analytics remains the classic tool for all web analytics. This is a completely free service that provides users with the ability to create detailed statistics of website visitors. The user sets a JavaScript code on the page of his resource, and all data is collected on the Google server. The program is triggered when a visitor opens a page in a browser on their computer. Using this service, you can get various indicators:
•number of pages viewed;
•detailed path of the visitor on the site;
•total number of visitors;
•resources users came from;
•search queries that customers clicked on;
•Geographic location of users determined by IP address;
•the amount of time spent by the visitor on the site.
Thanks to this, you can get information about the interest of the target audience and improve the quality of the site.
Yandex.Metrica is similar to Google Analytics, operates on the same principle, and is used to analyze visitor actions and evaluate traffic. Information is provided for the current day and is updated every five minutes. The main report is the conversion report, which shows the number of visits of the target audience, orders, the degree of conversion, the total income of the resource, and the goal completion rate. Another important report is the age structure, which allows you to compare user demographics.
Webvisor deserves special attention – Webvisor in Yandex.Metrica records the actions of visitors on your site and shows them in video format.
Webalizer is a log analyzer, an application that provides daily and monthly reports of website visits. The program allows you to record the actions of visitors in special files, statistics are collected by the server of the hosting provider. It generates HTML pages about the operation of the site based on user registration files. The tool allows you to create analytics on the number of visits, source pages, visitor locations, the amount of information downloaded and much more.
Selecting a web analytics tool
One of the components of the success of your own business, especially at the beginning of its development, is the right choice of a web analytics system. Foremost, you should pay attention to the quality of the information received, its information content. This parameter includes, for example, a comparison of the income received from each group of goods.
You should also take into account the possibility of establishing specific data. The program should separate users from Google and users from Yandex, issue a detailed report on the visitor’s path on the site. The service must be able to move information so that it opens in several formats at once – Word, Excel and others. Another important characteristic is the interaction with various client, service and other services. These include SMS alerts, email, Skype and others.
Every site owner should know the basic concepts of web page monitoring in order to promote the company. The purpose of any tool is to determine the sagging parameters of the site, technical and marketing shortcomings. The selected service will help facilitate the work of the resource, increase the efficiency of the project, the number of visitors and achieve high sales. Thanks to such a system, you can create a complete picture of the service, promote your business.