Some people really "get" web log analysis while others have no clue. There's a lot more to your logs than just page views, unique visitors, and download counts or conversions. If you think you're not getting the most out of your logs, read on.

The other day while talking with an executive at a tech company, I heard him say a few things about what he wanted from web log analysis that made my eyes sink back into my head as my face turned dead. I was aghast and left speechless by just how little this person understood about the subject. Hopefully after reading this short article, you'll fare better.

While numbers of page views and unique visitors may be interesting, that's not where the money is. Yes - increasing those numbers may increase revenues, but there's already money in there that you're leaving on the table. Your logs are there to help you understand your visitors, and once you do that, you'll be able to serve them better and then reap the rewards for it.

The real question that you should be asking yourself when you review log reports is, "Why are these numbers they way they are?" Once you come to terms with that question, you're "getting it".

You'll need a couple basic tools:

1) FTP program to download log files
2) Web log analyzer

You'll need the FTP program to download your log files. A good free one that's easy to use is ALFTP and you can download it at www.ALTools.net. There are analyzers that run on your server and delete logs after they are processed. In these cases you don't need to FTP your logs. However, this is a poor practice and borders on irresponsible. I'm a firm believer in keeping your logs stored and backed up locally and in doing your analysis off the server. It also gives you the option to switch later to more powerful log analysis or to manually go through your logs, which at some point you may need to.

There are many web log analysis programs out there. Analog is free and available at www.Analog.cx. You'll need to read a lot of the documentation and modify the CFG file in a text editor to get started though. This makes it a bit less than user friendly and better suited for experienced web masters.

A more user friendly and still affordable solution is Web Log Storming from www.DatalandSoftware.com. If you've got money to spend, ClickTracks (http://www.ClickTracks.com) is well worth it. (ClickTracks is by Stephen Turner, the same fellow who created Analog.) Most people will be best off going with something like Web Log Storming to start. One of the most useful features in it (also in ClickTracks) is that it shows paths. (See below.)

Once you've downloaded your web log files (this is important), settled on a log analyzer and have a basic report, the real work begins with asking yourself the right questions. The answers will ultimately depend on your site and goals, but they should also be obvious once you ask yourself. Some will require that you dig into your logs reports deeper. Some will require that you investigate marketing methods. The important thing is that they can help you increase your awareness of what really happens at your site.

A) Where is my traffic coming from? (By URL or by domain.)
1) How is the quality of the referrer?
2) Are these page views, hot-linked graphics, or direct downloads?
3) If they are page views, do those visitors convert? (i.e. Does the referrer send quality traffic?)
4) Can I get more links from similar sites that send converting visitors?

The only traffic that matters is traffic that converts. Whether that is clicking an ad, buying a product, posting in a forum, or signing up for a newsletter; a conversion is a conversion.

B) What key phrases and words are people finding my site through?
1) Do they match my chosen keywords?
2) Have I chosen the right keywords?
3) Should I go back and rework some SEO or add new pages?

You may not be using the right keywords. While it's great to be #1 in Google, "esoteric articles on web logs and what questions to ask yourself when you read log analysis reports" probably isn't as valuable a keyword as being #1 for "music". Work on getting the right keywords that drive real traffic for you. A quick visit to Nichebot should help (www.NichebotClassic.com).

4) Where are more places and ways to get traffic that I haven't explored yet?

C) Where do people start at my site?
1) Does that lead into the conversion path?
2) What pages should people enter at in order to fall into the conversion path?
3) How can I get more links to those quality entry points?
4) Is other traffic falling into the conversion path? If not, how can I get them into it?

D) Where do people leave my site?
1) What are the top exit pages?
2) Are they at the end of the conversion process?
3) What pages are blocking the conversion process?
4) How can I change those pages to bring people back into the conversion path?

E) What is my conversion path?
1) What SHOULD my conversion path look like?
2) How can I get more traffic into the conversion path?
3) What deviations are there in my conversion path?

It's ok for visitors to wander through your site, as long as they don't lose sight of the goal: conversion.

4) Which pages are blocking the conversion path?
5) Can my conversion path be made shorter?

The 'conversion path' is the sequence of pages that a visitor goes through to convert (buy, click an ad, sign up, download, etc.). These are really the most important questions that you need to ask yourself. You need to know how visitors become buyers. The path that they take through your site will often be the same, or with minor 'deviations'. Use that information to optimize your conversion path, and try to make other pages that aren't in that path fall into it. All roads lead to Rome, and all paths should lead to conversions.

F) How sticky is my site? (Do I get many return visitors?)
1) Does it need to be sticky?
2) What things can I do to make people return?

G) What is my top content?
1) Does it flow into the conversion path?

This may seem like a silly question for your top content, but you do need to check this. I have a popular site with some tech-related articles and tutorials that rank #1 in Google and get a lot of traffic. They aren't in the conversion path for the products I have available at the site. This isn't a worry as they aren't designed for that, but if they were designed for that, I'd have a problem.

2) Are important pages missing from my top content? If so, why don't people visit them?

You'll notice that at no point do I ask you to ask yourself, "How much traffic do I have?" That's not important and you shouldn't dwell on it. You always need more. Whether you have 100 people a day or 100,000 people a day. More is better.


I hope that has helped put web logs in perspective for some people. They're an excellent business tool for you to get a better understanding of your web based business once you "get" them.

Ryan Smyth is the CEO of Renegade Minds where he produces audio software for musicians as well as other software and technical tutorials for programmers and web masters. He is also the ALTools Evangelist at ESTsoft.

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