You can invest huge amounts of money and time in promoting your
web site, but you need to know where your traffic and sales are coming
from to make it effective. Many webmasters just place a counter onto
their web site. All this does is tell you how many people have seen your
site. It doesn't tell you where they came from, what browsers they were
using, what keywords they searched for at a search engine, etc. To be
able to effectively market your web site and to receive the greatest amount
of results, you must track your visitors.
There are many ways this can be done. There are programs available
like WebTrends, Web Site Reporter, etc. Many hosting providers have a
program like this or something similar, but you are probable going to have
to buy their higher service plans to receive it. If your hosting provider doesn't
offer a statistics program that you like, or you just want to use something
else, then there are many other ways to track your web site.
There are many free services available online that will tell you a great
detail of information. The catch is you have to place their banner on your
web site so their software is able to track your visitors. This is one reason
why I do not suggest this way of tracking your web site. It not only looks
unprofessional, it also gives your visitors another chance to leave your web
site. Why give someone else your business? If you would rather use an
online service, then the one I suggest is: http://www.extreme-dm.com/tracking/
That one is probable the best one available and you only have to put a small
button on your web site.
The best and most cost effective way to track your web site is you can
install a CGI script onto your web site's server. This is how I track my web
site and the only way I recommend doing. You will need to have a CGI-BIN
and to be able to add scripts to it. If you are not sure if you have full access
to your CGI-BIN, then you need to ask your web hosting provider. There are
many free CGI scripts available online that can do as many features as the
top software programs that sell for 600 dollars. You can get access to over
50 CGI scripts here:
http://cgi.resourceindex.com/Programs_and_Scripts/Perl/Logging_Accesses_and_Statistics/
The best script I have seen is the AXS. It is the very first script at the
above web site. It will probable take you about 30 minutes to read all
the information and to install the script, but it is well worth the time. Here
are some of the features that this script tells you:
- Abbreviated Browser (Netscape 3.X)
- Operating System (Windows95)
- First Level Domains (imsnewsletter.com)
- Hits from Other Sites (Full URL)
- Hyperlinks Followed From Your Site
- Hits to Your Web Pages
- Average Number of Hits Per Visitor
- Hits By Day of Year
- Hits By Day of the Week
- Much Much More!
Now you can start tracking your web site and found out where your visitors
are coming from and what is most effective.
One thing you might want to do is ask your customers a few questions when
they place an order. For example, you can ask them how they found your web
site and what was their main decision for choosing you. This will also help
you know what is most effective for your business and what exactly your
customers want and expect.
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Curtis Stevens is the owner of the Internet Marketing Success. A free
weekly newsletter that is shipped directly to your e-mail box full of Internet
marketing and promotion secrets. A little good advice never hurt anyone
and everyone can use this valuable resource on a consistent basis!
Visit here: http://www.imsnewsletter.com for more information or send a blank
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