How To Measure The Performance Of Your Web Site
Website Statistics are crucial to your site's success on the Internet, here we explain
why this is the case and what some of the key statistics mean. A series of high
profile cases have highlighted the need for clarification, accuracy and validated
ways in which to measure visitor traffic on the Internet. One public trading
company was claiming traffic rates more than ten times their actual value before
the auditors arrived and saw the real picture. So what do all the various statistics
mean, how are they measured and what does this mean for you?
Can You Do Impressions?
"Page Impressions" - the statistic used most often - particularly
by those in sales and advertising. A single webpage impression equates to an
individual "refresh" on one page of a website. Every time a different page is
loaded on your screen this is one page impression. On commercial sites advertising
banners are often situated on each page so the site's weekly page impression
rate, for example, is equal to the amount of advertising banners that the site
can sell over that period. You need to keep an eye on page impressions but it
will really only give you a rough guide as to your web site's traffic levels.
The Big One - Unique User
This is another common statistic for measuring the popularity of your website.
It functions using the "browser cache" memory or another unique item such as
a person's IP address (the unique number each PC is given when connecting to
the Internet). Every web site that a person visits leaves a unique identifier
on the person's PC so it can recognise them if they return. The unique user
statistic is a reliable way of ascertaining how many people are visiting your
web site over a given period of time. If you can get hold of any statistic you
would be best to try and nail this one as it gives you a relatively accurate
representation of the real popularity of your website.
What The Hell Is A Session?!
A 'visitor session' is when a person visits your web site for a pre-defined length
of time as set by the webmaster or site statistics measuring application. For
example, if the threshold period for a visitor session is two minutes any users
visiting you site for longer than this period would be registered as having
initiated a "visitor session" with your site. This is a useful statistic when
combined with the unique user count as it enables you to ascertain an average
figure for how many times each unique user visits the website over a certain
time frame.
You Need To Pull It All Together
The three statistics mentioned are a mere taster of what is available - other
useful measurements can enable you to track which websites visitors were referred
from, top exit pages/routes through your website, busiest periods of the day
/ week / month, which search words were used to find your web site and if a
visitor arrived via a search engine etc.
Michael Cheney
www.magnet4web.com
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