Web Analytics Service

What are Web Analytics

Web analytics is the measurement of the behaviour of visitors to a web site. In a commercial context, it especially refers to the measurement of which aspects of the web site work towards the business objectives; for example, which landing pages encourage people to make a purchase.

Data collected almost always includes web traffic reports. It may also include e-mail response rates, direct mail campaign data, sales and lead information, user performance data, or other custom metrics as needed. This data is typically compared against key performance indicators and is used to improve a web site or marketing campaign's audience response.

Client-side Analytics
Client-side scripting means all calculations are done by the computer of the visitor. Most of the time the script is interpreted by their internet browser (using JavaScript) or a specific browser plug-in (like Flash ActionScript).

Languages like JavaScript can detect what browser you are using, your screen size, plug-in support and much more. But that may be restricted by the security level visitors set for their browser. It can also detect and change any property of the page (like the width and background colour of a table) you are watching and change it on the fly, based on any type of detected interaction. This interaction can even be a slight mouse movement or the press of a key.

The JavaScript source code can be read with any text editor, but information a user enters remains client-side (minimising server load) and normally isn't sent to any server.

Depending on the security settings in your browser, JavaScript can request and read external files like XML feeds. To circumvent stricter security settings, JavaScript may also request images; and that is what is exploited by many client-side web analytics programs like Google Analytics. The requested file / image URL can be stuffed with information, so the server can retrieve these variables from there.

JavaScript can also vacate forms and send them, it can also read / write cookies to communicate with other files.

Server-side Analytics
Server-side scripting means all calculations are done by the server your web site is hosted on. The script is interpreted by the supported language parser, like PHP or ASP.

Languages like PHP or ASP can request (and change) any property of the web page it is on and any variable used to compiling the resulting HTML code. It can also see properties of the connection between visitor and server and unlike JavaScript it can detect the IP address. Any change requires a reload or new page request, which requires more loading and a client-side action (this can be from either a user or client-side script).

Server-side scripting code can't be read by visitors, so no one can steal your script and no client support is needed. The calculations are done by the server, so more visitors means more server-load. Different server-side languages, plug-ins and external data can supplement each other and the only thing that counts is the end result.

Languages like PHP or ASP offer numerous ways to communicate with other servers and files across the web and no one will ever know what was required to compile the data. When a web site is hosted on a shared server, the possibilities of server-side can be somewhat limited, but on a dedicated server the only programming limitations are posed by server-load, software licenses and your own technical capabilities.

Standard server-side web analytics is based on server logs. This is a very limiting way of measuring visits and you need many filters to drop search engine robot requests and other non-human visits. On the other hand, client-side JavaScript analytics can not detect non-human visitors at all.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Web Analytics

The main advantages of server-side over client-side analytics is in order to collect data via client-side scripts, analytics changes to the web site are required, unlike server-side scripting analytics where the web server reliably records every transaction it makes, client-side analytics relies on the visitors' browsers co-operating, which a certain proportion may not do (for example, when JavaScript is disabled). Server-side analytic data is on the companies or hosting companies own servers, and is in a standard, rather than a proprietary, format. This makes it easy for a company to switch programs later, use several different programs, and analyse historical data with a new program.

Many factors like security issues have led to restrictions in both server-side and client-side analytic possibilities. JavaScript isn't even made to be able to communicate back to a web server. Certain tricks have led to client-side web analytics using the programming language Ajax. Therefore some types or information are only available in client-side JavaScript analytics and the same can be said for server-side analytics retrieved by PHP or ASP.

What we do for you

In the case of client-side analytic software, we will install any software required on your personal computer or web server and add relevant code to your web pages.

In the case of server-side analytic software, we will first make sure that the software chosen is compatible with your web server and advise you accordingly (please note, all standard server-side analytic software recommended is compatible with web sites hosted by Design Web Studio), we will then install any software required on your web server and add any relevant code to your web pages.

The Products

Unica NetTracker (Client-side Analytics)
Unica NetTracker is a complete web analytics solution designed specifically for small to medium size businesses. With Unica NetTracker, you can optimise web programs, such as pay-per-click advertising, email campaigns, search engine optimisation, and affiliate marketing for greater customer relevance and higher returns. And Intranet owners and managers can quickly assess the effectiveness and impact of their online knowledge base and community.

Designed with the same, industry-leading, drag and drop user interface as Affinium NetInsight, Unica NetTracker enables you to create reports and perform detailed analysis with just a few mouse clicks. From standard reports to reports created just for your site, Unica NetTracker provides the necessary tools to comprehend and communicate web metrics throughout your organisation. Marketers regardless of their level of technical expertise can make confident, metrics driven decisions.

WebTrends (Client-side Analytics)
WebTrends Analytics enables you to provide your visitors with the most engaging experience possible. Measure and test all aspects of the online experience from marketing to site content and usability, all of which increase visitor engagement and conversion rates. With functional reporting for each department, from marketing and merchandising to business analysis, you can answer the questions that are most important to the overall business as well as each department.

WebTrends Analytics offers four flexible packages that can be customised to fit the needs of your business. They make it easy to start with the level of functionality that makes the most sense for you, and increase the capabilities of your solution as your organisation's web analytics needs grow over time.

WebTrends Standard is designed for organisations that need basic reporting of standard traffic trends, WebTrends Marketing is for organisations needing visitor and traffic results for online campaigns, WebTrends Advanced Marketing is for enterprise organisations that need the flexibility of custom reporting and conversion results for campaigns, finally WebTrends Commerce is designed for eCommerce companies that need to track campaign and product mix performance tied to revenue results.

Google Analytics (Client-side Analytics)
Use Google Analytics to learn which online marketing initiatives are cost effective and see how visitors actually interact with your site. Make informed site design improvements, drive targeted traffic, and increase your conversions and profits.

Google Analytics offers a host of compelling features and benefits for everyone from senior executives, advertising and marketing professionals to site owners and content developers.

Webalizer (Standard Server-side Analytics)
The Webalizer is a fast web server log file analysis program. It produces highly detailed, easily configurable usage reports in HTML format, for viewing with a standard web browser.

Starting as a simple Perl script with limited capabilities, it has grown into a full featured, robust and fast analysis tool, being used by thousands of systems around the globe.

BBclone (Standard Server-side Analytics)
BBclone is a web counter written in PHP and gives a detailed view of the visitors of your web site by displaying the last users (and the data they provided, like their IP, browser and so on) that visited the web site, not just showing a number of visitors. This is very handy for businesses that want to see who is visiting their sites, what browser people use, where they came from, IP Address, operating system, date visited, number of time the visitor has loaded the page, the visited pages in the order someone viewed them, last visited page, the search engine query that lead to your site and more.

AWStats (Advanced Server-side Analytics)
AWStats is a powerful and feature full tool that generates advanced web, streaming, FTP or mail server statistics, graphically. This log analyser shows you all possible information your log contains, in few graphical web pages. It uses a partial information file to be able to process large log files, often and quickly. It can analyse log files from all major server tools like Apache log files WebStar, IIS and a lot of other web, proxy, WAP, streaming servers, mail servers and some FTP servers.

D4WStats (Advanced Server-side Analytics)
D4WStats is a complete web stats system installable with minimum server requirements and a lot of reports. The traffic of real user visits offers the most exact information about your web site for marketing purposes and let's you know the real number of people visiting your site.

UNICA NETTRACKER COSTS (This cost is based upon your web tracking needs, once we have these needs a quote will be submitted to you for your approval).

WEBTRENDS (This cost is based upon your web tracking needs, once we have these needs a quote will be submitted to you for your approval).

GOOGLE ANALYTICS COSTS £75.

WEBALIZER COSTS £100.

BBCLONE COSTS £100.

AWSTATS COSTS £150.

D4WSTATS COSTS £166.