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Log Analysis Data & Uses for Better Site Development and
Positioning
So they linked into your site from Amazon's top selling electronics
area. Last time we checked, electronics usually tend to be
high-ticket items. That would imply that money is not really
an obstacle for that visitor. It could also mean that they
enjoy the finer things in life, or that they have a high amount
of disposable income. Again, you will have to do some research
to look at Amazon's top selling electronics area pricing strategy,
and see where they fit in with the rest of the electronic
sales companies out there. You may find that their prices
are at the low end in comparison, and that could shoot all
our educated assumptions to bits. They would no longer apply.
Your visitor would be the same kind of thrifty visitor we
found in the last Amazon.com example. Are you starting to
see why we say that log analysis data is so important?
In the log analysis data examples we used above, extra information
was chopped off the end. Those are basic examples of log analysis
data reports. Some servers squish advanced data into the reports.
That log data analysis information can include the browser
type, the screen resolution, the operating system, and a host
of other computer related information on your visitor. All
of that information comes into play when deciding how to develop
your page HTML. You can then write browser specific pages,
custom monitor resolution pages, and a whole host of other
things to target and control the way your pages are displayed
on your visitor's systems. You can even use the error information
to create custom error pages to redirect your visitor back
into your site.
OK, so You've Proven that this Log Analysis Data is Important Stuff, but boy
are Those log files Huge.
Yes the log analysis data can be quite cumbersome files indeed.
If you get just a few thousand visitors a day, the log analysis
data files can be megabytes in size, not kilobytes. Depending
on the amount of graphics you have on each of your pages,
and how similar each of your site pages are, the log analysis
data files can become astronomical in size. Can you imagine
sitting there with one of these files open in word pad going
through them one line at a time? Makes you wonder where you'll
find the time to do it, or how you'll be able to keep an eye
on your log analysis data and build your site at the same
time. There are solutions.
Software programs out there will take these log analysis
data files and crunch them down in seconds to minutes. There
are many good ones out there too. The better ones will crunch
all the log analysis data today's servers can squish into
your log analysis data file. Other programs will give you
simple output, and might only crunch log analysis data file
information daily instead of weekly or monthly. The kind of
server you host on will also affect some of the functionality
these log data analysis programs offer. When looking into
these log analysis data programs; make sure that you install
one that is compliant with the type of server logs your host
generates. You can verify this with a quick call to tech support,
or by searching through their FAQ's. It makes no sense to
invest into a log analysis data program that can not interpret
your log data analysis files.
Log Analysis Data Program Analyzers - Log Analysis Data Programs
to Speed up the Process
We've taken some time to look around the net and see
what kinds of log analysis data programs can be found. Below
is a list of a few of them that provide the kind of data reports
we like to see. We use Alentum Software's WebLog Expert ourselves.
It provides the kind of reports we want to track our visitor
behavoirs, search engine results that found us, and spider
activity when the engines come by to index us. These are the
top ranking log analysis data programs available on the net.
Check out the features, compare prices, and get the one that
suits your needs and pocketbook.
I just Spent all my time Reading this Log Analysis Data Article, and I Don't
have Access to my Log Analysis Data - I Host on a Freehost, Thanks for Wasting
my Time.
Don't despair grasshopper, you are not alone, and this information
can still apply to you. In the last article we mentioned other
options for those who do not have log analysis data file access.
You can read that article here. You can go there and read
the options. You should consider a few things before you go
with those free log analysis data alternatives. If your site
is new or not even established yet, then the free solutions
might be your best option. On the other hand, if your site
is already established, and you have a few hundred pages,
then do you have the time to place code into all those pages?
Even if you don't have a few hundred pages, do you have the
time to place the code into all the pages you do have?
On a second note, it is a known fact that search engines tend to
penalize submitted pages that do not have their own top-tier
domain URL. Free hosts normally give you a URL something like
http://www.geocities.com/whiteknight0571/ or maybe you have
something like http://www.whiteknight0571.geocities.com. In
either case, search engines will not consider either URL a
top tier domain. They are subdomains of geocities. Most of
the search engines tend to negate the usefulness of such pages.
Whether that is right or wrong doesn't matter. It's the way
that they index pages, and that is their rules to date.
Back
to Table of Contents
Summing It All
Up (Article Continues)
About the Author
James R. Sanders is the owner of Sanders
Consultation Group Plus. He has been a webmaster and website
designer since 1997. He has also been involved in self employment
ventures since 1992. He is presently a contributing author
of NewbieHangout. His writing is targeted to webmasters, would
be webmasters, website designers, would be website designers,
self employed, or those researching information looking for
solutions to questions associated with design, business operations,
and promotion today. His goal is to provide practical information
based upon his years of experience to help webmasters, website
designers, and self employed people achieve their goals in
today's competitive global market. You can subscribe to his
free newsletters at SCGP
- Newsletter.
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