Web Hosting Geeks' Blog » Webalizer http://webhostinggeeks.com/blog Web Hosting Industry News, Latest Trends, and Analyses. Thu, 24 May 2012 11:11:11 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 Using the Control Panel to View Traffic Statisticshttp://webhostinggeeks.com/blog/using-the-control-panel-to-view-traffic-statistics/ http://webhostinggeeks.com/blog/using-the-control-panel-to-view-traffic-statistics/#comments Mon, 09 Aug 2010 18:10:48 +0000 Art http://webhostinggeeks.com/blog/?p=1031 Keeping track of the traffic statistics of your website is absolutely imperative, especially when considering all of the variable that exist when trying to optimize your site for future visitors. In order to know what to focus on, you have to know what is working. Without a solid outlook on the progress of your site it will be nearly impossible to advance and give the visitors what they want. With in depth traffic analysis you can tell what is hot, and what is not, thereby gaining complete control over the popularity of your site and it’s pages.

There are many ways to track traffic statistics. Sometimes people simply track the amount of clicks that go through a certain link. Other times webmasters use integrated tracking systems within their content management system. But perhaps the easiest and most reliable way to check traffic statistics is to use a site-wide script that is installed and viewed through your web hosting control panel.

Traffic Tracking Scripts

Most web hosts include installation utilities that can be used to install commonly used scripts that enhance the functionality of a site. For example, the Simple Scripts utility lets you install dozens of tools and scripts on your site with ease, such as WordPress. However, many people become confused when they try to install Awstats or Webalizer using Simple Scripts, because it is usually not found in this interface. This is because most web hosting control panels include an entirely different section of the control panel for traffic tracking. This module is called the log section, where all of the site’s statistics are kept.

Installing a Traffic Tracking Script on Your Domains

In the log section of the control panel is a module called “Choose Log Programs” (or something similar, depending on the particular web host). Click on this module and you’ll be brought to a screen in  which you can install Awstats or Webalizer by checking the corresponding check boxes next to each domain name. It is important to realize that traffic statistics will not be enabled for these domains for up to 36 hours, at which point traffic data is generated every 24 hours for the webmaster.

Awstats or Webalizer?

The most recommended traffic tracking script is Awstats, and in recent years Webalizer has really fallen behind in popularity. Awstats is seen as being a better option simply because it provides a more detailed analysis, and allows you to structure reports in a more personalized manner. For example, the user can export monthly, weekly, or daily traffic statistics. Awstats is the premier traffic tracking script available today, and can be found in the control panel of almost every reputable web hosting company.

Awstats presents four main kinds of stats – Unique visitors, visits, page visits, and hits. The unique visitors statistic is the most important as it signifies the amount of people that have visited your website.

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]]> http://webhostinggeeks.com/blog/using-the-control-panel-to-view-traffic-statistics/feed/ 1 Viewing Your Web Stats Through cPanelhttp://webhostinggeeks.com/blog/viewing-your-web-stats-through-cpanel/ http://webhostinggeeks.com/blog/viewing-your-web-stats-through-cpanel/#comments Mon, 04 May 2009 14:18:06 +0000 Art http://webhostinggeeks.com/blog/?p=315 As you probably know, having a website is the best way to establish your presence online.  However, though you might hit a few bumps along the way, actually building the site is the easiest part.  Generating traffic is an entirely different story.  If you are in the midst of promoting, it is crucial to know how many people are visiting your site and where those visitors are coming from.  Because traffic is so critical to your longevity, analyzing website statistics should be a practice you incorporate into your regular routine.  This will help you better determine the popularity of your site, figure out what search engine visitors they are coming from and much more.

cPanel’s Website Analyzation Tools

There are a number of programs that will allow you to view and analyze your website statistics.  Believe it or not, some of the best tools are included free in many of today’s web hosting packages.  You are sure to find a nice blend of applications in any hosting plan that offers cPanel, the most popular control panel on the market.  cPanel generally offers these three web stat programs: Analog, AwStats and Webalizer.  While they all help you analyze web traffic, each has its own unique features and capabilities.  Best of all, each application is incredibly easy to use and provide in-depth insight on your statistics.

Webalizer

The Webalizer program delivers your site stats in comprehensive graphical form.  It shows you information on the people that visited your site on a month by month format.  Though very useful, these are basic statistics and just a quick way to analyze web traffic.  If you want more detailed information on your visitors, utilizing the other statistical programs is highly recommended.

Analog

Both Analog and Awstats offer different presentations than Webalizer.  Many view Analog as the more complex of all three, mainly because it is a text-based solution that requires you to visually process a considerable amount of data.  Analog provides a lot of information about your site so on first glance, it can be a little intimidating.  On the other hand, this application provides essential details about your visitors.  More than likely, the stats that could help you the most can be found with Analog.

Awstats

Awstats is perhaps the most popular and user-friendly of the web stat applications in cPanel.  This program gives you tons of information about your visitors, such as where they originated from in host terms and country, the amount of time they spend on your site, what browser they used and other important details.  You can also learn how many hits your pages received, how many times your files were accessed and much more.  Although it may take a couple of minutes to get familiar with the interface, finding the information is made easier by the colorful graphics and simplistic layout.

cPanel has many great qualities and this suite of web stat programs is just one of many.  By utilizing the applications mentioned in this article, you can gather valuable insight about your promotion tactics, and find out what is and what is not working.  When it comes to gauging site traffic, cPanel is an extremely valuable tool.

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