| Many Webmasters have never bothered to view | | | | website to be 100 percent compatible with |
| their website's server log. Ignoring your | | | | every operating system and web browser in use |
| server log is like flying with a blind pilot. | | | | today. That would require either using only |
| You may still be cruising along, but you have | | | | plain html (version 3) or using browser |
| no idea where you are or where you're headed. | | | | detection code and creating a dozen |
| If your website is on a free host, you | | | | variations of each webpage. Use your server |
| probably don't have access to the server log. | | | | log's platform and user agent data to decide |
| However, if you pay for your web host, or if | | | | which browser your web pages should to be |
| you own the server, you almost always have | | | | designed to be compatible with. Your |
| some access to the server log.In this | | | | statistics will probably show that 90 percent |
| article, you'll learn what kind of | | | | of your website's visitors are using the |
| information a typical server log provides, | | | | latest or the previous version of Internet |
| how to analyze that information, and how to | | | | Explorer.Country InformationGood server log |
| use that information to steer your website in | | | | analysis software will tell you which |
| a direction for growth and success.The actual | | | | countries your website visitors are located |
| data in the server log is just that, data. | | | | in. Analysis of the server logs shows that |
| Data is of little use without an application | | | | visitors are located in every country, |
| to compile, categorize, analyze, and turn it | | | | village, and hamlet on the planet. This leads |
| into useful information. The power of server | | | | to the question, should you create multiple |
| log analysis software varies depending upon | | | | variations of each webpage to accomodate |
| the web host, and it's not related to how | | | | visitors from other nations? It depends upon |
| much you pay for hosting service. I have seen | | | | your business and your resources. The fact is |
| some very low budget web hosts with powerful | | | | that the language of business and commerce |
| server log analysis software, and some | | | | across the planet is English, and I receive |
| expensive web hosts that provide only a | | | | frequent email, in English, from all over the |
| limited utility.The importance of the server | | | | planet.Important Ways to Use Server Log |
| log analysis software is second only to | | | | InformationWebsite DesignRemember when the |
| up-time reliabilty when it comes to web | | | | typical website had a gray background and a |
| hosts. A web server log can tell you who is | | | | single image in the middle of the page? |
| visiting your web site, where they're coming | | | | Today, that would be below the standard for a |
| from, what operating system and web browser | | | | kids website on AOL. Does your server log |
| they're using, what pages of your website | | | | "platform" and "user agent" statistics tell |
| they are viewing, and much more. A smart | | | | you that most of the visitors to your website |
| webmaster performs a regular monthly analysis | | | | are using Windows XP with Internet Explorer |
| of the valuable information contained in the | | | | Version 6, while your website is designed for |
| server log.HitsSome webmasters brag about the | | | | Windows 95 and Internet Explorer Version 4? |
| number of "hits" their website receives, but | | | | Can you afford to be presenting a website |
| hits themselves are not important. For | | | | that looks outdated?I think it's a mistake to |
| example, when a search engine spiders your | | | | design a website that requires your visitors |
| website, it generates a hit for every page it | | | | to have the latest bleeding-edge technology. |
| visits. There are ways to generate millions | | | | On the other hand, if the rest of the web is |
| of hits on a website without anyone ever | | | | using ASP (Active Server Pages) to generate |
| actually viewing a single page.The important | | | | custom webpages on-the-fly that use CSS |
| statistics are "page view hits" and "unique | | | | (Cascading Style Sheets) to create webpages |
| visitors". Server log analysis software | | | | that resemble slick magazine pages and DHTML |
| should tell you how many times each page was | | | | (Dynamic HTML) to provide interactivity, it |
| viewed. Anaylyzing the popularity of | | | | might be time for you to investigate those |
| individual pages tells you where to place | | | | technologies.If your website is a business |
| your most important advertisements, and what | | | | site or E-commerce site, the visual style and |
| kind of new content you should add to your | | | | technical level of your website reflects the |
| website.The king of all statistics is the | | | | quality of your business or service. To |
| number of unique visitors your web site | | | | determine the proper visual style and |
| receives. When it comes to selling | | | | technology level of your website requires you |
| advertising or joining the most exclusive | | | | to monitor three things.1. Your competitors. |
| affiliate programs, a high number of unique | | | | You want to look as in-style as they do, but |
| visitors each month is the statistic that | | | | avoid following them down the road to bloated |
| gets respect.Good analysis software will tell | | | | plugins (Macromedia Flash). 2. The portion of |
| you how many pages each visitor viewed and | | | | your audience using broad band Internet |
| how long they stayed on your website. The | | | | Access. Less than half of U.S. Make sure your |
| goal is to develop content that gets your | | | | webpages load within 20 seconds over a 56kbps |
| visitors to stay longer, a quality sometimes | | | | modem connection. 2. Your server log platform |
| referred to as "stickiness".A statistic | | | | and user agent statistics. Your web pages |
| related to hits is "bandwidth". This is a | | | | need to be designed to be compatible with the |
| complicated statistic because you want more | | | | current most popular operating system and web |
| visitors and that causes bandwidth to go up. | | | | browser version.Webhost PerformanceWeb hosts |
| On the other hand, high bandwidth consumption | | | | provide two basic kinds of service, shared |
| makes your website repond slower (and most | | | | hosting and dedicated hosting. If your |
| web hosts charge extra for bandwidth beyond a | | | | website is on a shared host, there may be |
| certain limit). What you want is to design | | | | hundreds of other websites sharing the same |
| your web pages so they use bandwidth | | | | computer as your website. This limits the |
| efficiently, and you want to be on the | | | | performance of your website. Many web host |
| lookout for people who are stealing your | | | | providers use "bandwidth throttling" to |
| bandwidth (usually by linking to images on | | | | prevent one website from hogging all the |
| your web site).ReferrersGood server log | | | | available bandwidth.As your website grows and |
| analysis software will provide you with the | | | | attracts increasing traffic, it will need |
| URLs of the webpages that people clicked on | | | | more of the host computers processor time and |
| to get to your website. This is extremely | | | | more bandwidth. Monitor your server log hits, |
| valuable information. If you are receiving a | | | | and bandwidth statistics. At some point, your |
| high volume of traffic from another website, | | | | website may hit a performance wall and you |
| you can almost consider that website to be | | | | may need to move to a higher grade of |
| your business partner. It would be to your | | | | hosting, or a different web host company to |
| advantage to find ways to make your website | | | | continue growth.When moving to a different |
| more useful to the referring website. For | | | | web host company, don't trust the |
| example, learn what the topic of the | | | | specifications they provide. Check several |
| referring website is and place more related | | | | different web host directories that let |
| content on your website.One common method of | | | | visitors rate web hosts. If several different |
| aiding referrers is to place a reciprocal | | | | web host directories have many users that |
| link on your website. However, don't bother | | | | give a web host company a high rating, that's |
| placing the reciprocal link on a "links" page | | | | the company you want to trust with your |
| with hundreds of other links (a link farm). | | | | website.Website TopicAs you analyze certain |
| If you can't provide an honest reciprocal | | | | website server statistics (for example, "page |
| link, it's better to do nothing. An honest | | | | view hits", and "top search engine keywords") |
| reciprocal link might be a page containing a | | | | and make adjustments, you may find the |
| review of the referrer's website, and that | | | | content of your website drifting away from |
| page should contain only a few other | | | | your original intent. At some point, you may |
| links.Search StringsGood server log analysis | | | | have to decide, Am I going to chase traffic |
| software will provide you with the keywords | | | | and change the topic of my website, or am I |
| and search strings people entered at a search | | | | more interested in focusing on the topic of |
| site to find your website. One way to get | | | | my choice?If the original objective of your |
| more traffic to your website is to provide | | | | website was to make money above all else, |
| more content related to the top keywords. If | | | | then let your visitors steer your website's |
| getting more traffic is your single goal, | | | | content. There's nothing wrong with that. |
| there are websites that will provide you with | | | | Everybody's got to make a living. But, if the |
| a list of the current most popular keywords | | | | original objective of your website was to be |
| entered into search engines. Then you can | | | | a resource on a subject that you are |
| provide more content related to those | | | | passionate about, then you may need to |
| keywords. This gets involved with the subject | | | | reassess the content of your website.I would |
| of "Search Engine Optimization" (SEO).SEO is | | | | reccommend having the best of both worlds. |
| a science in itself, covered in other | | | | Stick to content related to the subject of |
| articles, but I will reveal a secret trick as | | | | your website, but delineate a wide enough |
| an example of SEO tactics. Starting with a | | | | scope of the topic so that when your server |
| top keyword, generate every possible | | | | statistics point out an opportunity to |
| misspelling of that keyword and place those | | | | increase traffic, you have rules to guide |
| at the top of your webpage with the text | | | | you.In this article you learned some of the |
| color the same as the webpage background. | | | | types of information you can mine from your |
| (Note: I don't use that trick or any other | | | | web server log and some powerful ways to use |
| SEO tricks myself because if you get caught | | | | that information to steer your website in a |
| the search engines will penalize your | | | | direction for growth and success. If you are |
| website.)Platform and User Agent Good | | | | one of those webmasters who has never |
| server log analysis software will tell you | | | | bothered to view their website's server log, |
| which operating systems and which browser | | | | you now know that you have been overlooking |
| brands and versions people are using to | | | | some gold nuggets.--Permission is granted for |
| access your website. At the time of this | | | | the below article to forward, reprint, |
| writing, the most common operating system is | | | | distribute, use for ezine, newsletter, |
| Windows XP and the most common browser is | | | | website, offer as free bonus or part of a |
| Internet Explorer version 6. However, you | | | | product for sale as long as no changes are |
| will find a wide range of operating systems | | | | made and the byline, copyright, and the |
| and browsers accessing you website. | | | | resource box below is included.Copyright(C) |
| Unfortunately, they are not all | | | | Bucaro TecHelp. |
| compatible.The fact is, you can't design your | | | | |