Edward asks – ‘How can I know where the readers of my blog mostly come from? Search Engines? MyBlogLog? Other Blog’s Links?’
Finding where the readers to your blog mainly come from is something that is well worth doing as it can help you grow and improve your blog.
There are many statistics (or metrics) programs out there available for you to use to get this information. They range from the free and very easy to us to paid packages.
Let me outline four that I use on most of my blogs (note – there are many others and I’m sure readers will suggest their favorites in comments below):
Sitemeter – this is one that a lot of bloggers use because it’s very simple to install and gives you some good, basic, useful information – it’s also free (as long as you don’t mind everyone else being able to see your stats too). I use Sitemeter on many of my blogs and find it very useful for checking how a blog is doing from day to day (or hour to hour). While it’s not quite as accurate as some of the other stats packages below (I find that it under estimates actual figures) but many bloggers find it a useful tool to get a feel for what’s happening on a blog quickly.
Google Analytics – Google’s stats packages is quite a bit more advanced than a package like Sitemeter. While it does give you all the same information it also allows you to track a whole lot more and even to set goals and track them. I don’t use Analytics on a daily basis – but find it a very useful to check into every week or two to see how the blog’s performing on a higher level.
Server Side Stats (AW Stats) – If you host your blog on your own server (or a shared one) you’ll almost always be offered some sort of statistics package. For example many servers will offer AW Stats. Again, these stats are very comprehensive. While Sitemeter will only really show you statistics for the last 100 visitors on your site – packages like AW Stats will give you stats for all your visitors over different time periods. Again – I don’t use AWS on a daily basis – but if I’m wanting to do more detailed analysis of how my blog is going this is where I’ll head.
103bees – in addition to the above packages I do also use one more that has more of a niche focus – search engine traffic. 103bees looks at those arriving at your blog after doing a search on a search engine and gives you an array of useful information about them including the words that they use, the questions that they ask etc. While you can get a lot of this information from the above packages too, 103bees put it in really useful form.
But the above four stats packages are just the ones I’m using. What do you use and why?
I use a wordpress plugin called Counterize, it’s realy great
I find that Google analytics and 103bees give me everything I need.
I also run feedburner stats on all feed items and on page traffic, these are less useful but give a quick overview of real time traffic in one place.
So feedburner for daily ego massage, analytics and 103bees for the actual analysis.
I use Google Analytics and 103 Bees. They are a good combination to use together. Actually, I am still looking for some meter which will help me know and identify which post or page or link is doing the best. MBL widgets do this to a certain extent, but they are quite week and I need a full fledged software. If anybody can suggest it, I will have 3 packages which complement each other perfectly.
Hi Darren,
I wanted to point out that it is possible to use the free version of SiteMeter and keep your stats private. Log into your SiteMeter account then choose:
MANAGER
PRIVACY
HIGH
By the way, I chose SiteMeter when I began my website because you used it ;) I still read your site daily and pass along your advice & tips via your links whenever possible, I’ve learned a lot here and my online venture has grown very quickly since November 06 !
Take Care Darren,
Best to you !
_ michael _
I usually just want a quick glimpse and overall summary, and for that, I use the wp-shortstat plugin for wordpress. It rocks. You have to clear it in the database once in a while though if you have heavy traffic, it tends to use up a lot of space in the db. For a more comprehensive review, I use statcounter and awstats.
And FeedBurner!
Statcounter fo a quick visitor-by-visitor look at what’s happening, AW Stats and Google Analytics for the big picture, though with my traffic, I could probably just use an abacus and a piece of paper!
I use SiteMeter. I had enabled Google’s stats, but they aren’t as detailed.
When I want even more info, I will just download the stat files and run them through Analog. But SiteMeter is great for day to day.
I use Clicky Web Analytics 2.0, an new service that has more features than I have found in other tracking packages.
I use Mint and Reinvigorate.
Darren and everyone,
Sitemeter recently installed a third party tracking cookie from a marketing firm on all Sitemeter scripts.. Some have considered this a violation of privacy policies and many have claimed that it is spyware.
No official word from Sitemeter on this as yet.
More info here:
http://conservablogs.com/EricOdom/2007/03/26/did-sitemeter-sell-out-to-spyware/
http://www.shaftek.org/blog/archives/000429.html
I use MyBlogLog but I also use my servers internal stats AWStats being one such package. I also use the blog platforms stats (not so good).
I also use google ad imps as a guide too… nothing agrees with anything else.
You forgot Stat Counter!
http://www.statcounter.com
It blows sitemeter out of the water, plus offers many of the details of Google Analytics, except you can actually understand the info better.
Stat Counter with G/A is what I use.
PS
Also, if anyone uses Google Ad Sense, it has a “stat counter” as well. Not as accurate as the other ones (as it only tracks info for the ads) but it does give you an impression of your site.
I use Mint and Google Analytics but prefer Mint. Its extendable like WP and gives you Realtime stats, its pretty amazing. I have open access to my web stats if anyone wants to play with the interface.
Just to add other free program to the collection, I use now Webmeter.ws I had a StatCounter befor but had problems with it. Maybe I’m not very expert in use but there were great differences in stats giving me by the site manager and StatsCounter.
I’m using a combo of Google Analytics, Feedburner and a stats plugin for WordPress. I find GA is great for broad, campaign type of info but sometimes is a little more geared towards analyzing the impact of adsense campaigns (for obvious reasons).
When I want simple, up-to-the minute blog stats I like the WP plugin Slimstat..although it slows down the loading of the site so I only use it during off-peak hours.
Haven’t tried Feedburner for daily page hits/uniques, but RSS info it gives is invaluable.
I’ve just started the whole blogging thing, so I haven’t had much exposure to metric software. But I have been using Google Analytics. I have found it to be very easy to use and packed with a lot of great features.
What about feedburner stats? They have feed stats but they also have webiste analytics.
I use 103bees, Analytics and Mint to see the visitor information. Analytics really goes into lot of detail but I prefer to watch the visitor stats in Mint because it shows you all the stats in real time. Moreover, Mint is installed on your server, so you have access to the database to be able to run custom reports against the database of Mint. This way, I can pull up a variety of reports which otherwise gets tough with other softwares. And since it has a RSS feed, I don’t need to login into it to see the visitor info all the time.
In addition to Google Analytic, 103bees and Feedburner, I use the free part of MyBlogLog to get a quick feel for where my users came from the day before (have too pay to see live stats). This is the simplest view I’ve found for seeing what the top incoming links to my site are.
I use a combo of firestats / google analytics / mybloglog stats (the free part) / feedburner stats (also free) . I find that each of them have their virtues. I think my favorite out of them is firestats for the ability to see whats going on real time, but second is google analytics for its graphs.
I use Sitemeter because its so simple and easy to use.
Good information in both the post -and- the comments. :-)
I still have Google Analytics running, but lately I’ve been using Feedburner’s relatively new Site Stats. It’s very easy to use — and many features.
Can’t go wrong with GoStats http://gostats.com
-easy to install and more advanced than many free providers. (not to mention a pro version is available)
Worrying news about SiteMeter, I’ve used them for several years, and recommended them to many people who only need the basic information.
For my blog I use the WordPress plugin FireStats, plus MyBlogLog and Feedburner.
I use Mint and Reinvigorate. although Mint is paid, I find its one-time site license of $30 to be well worth the stats it gives me and that too, in real time. Reinvigorate is currently under beta but looks (and is) powerful for stat whores.
I use Google Analytics and Feedburner Stats, but am now experimenting with Reinvigorate, GetClicky, PMetrics, 103Bees and HitTail.
I use Google Analytics as my main stats package. I also use IceRocket’s Blog Tracker for the hour-to-hour stuff since Analytics only updates once or twice a day. I was also using GetClicky for the spy feature they have where you can see the realtime traffic coming into your site — kind of fun when you get a spike. But I stopped using that when my “free trial” expired.
I’ve sworn off any stats packages that you install into WordPress. I had a run-in with my host admin when I got a traffic surge from Stumble — actually it wasn’t a run-in, they just turned my database off and killed my site for about 12 hours. The stats package (FireStats) was overworking the database and it set off a flag at the webhost. Never again.
I am a stats freak, I use Firestats / GoogleAnalytics / Sitemeter / and sometimes AWStats
How do you get Google Analytics to keep track of your adsense stuff?
Thanks
i use Google Analytics since it provides good info and resources and the features that i need.I also use MyblogLog stats but not depend on it too much.
I use WordPress and use a nifty little plug-in called SlimStat. Nice layout and information, and it sits right inside of the WP admin.
I also use 103bees, and Google Analytics.
I use the same packages in addition to StatsCounter dot com. This I use on a daily basis, just to get a quick view of the latest traffic trends.
I stopped using any metrics plugins since last year, to save up on dbase space and lighten the server load.
I use a Stat Counter as my main tool for analyzing how many visitors I get, where they come from, etc. If I want more detailed information I use Google Analytics. However, because my blog is still fairly new, Google’s tool is a little too detailed for me (if that makes any sense).
I thought about using SiteMeter but I don’t like the idea of the whole world knowing how little visitors I get. I want my blog to be judged on its content and quality, not how popular it is or how many unique visitors I get every day.
Good Post! Thanks!
Another vote for Mint. And Sitemeter. And 103bees. I really find Mint to be the most useful and generally informative, though.
I use reinvigorate – the stats offered are comprehensive and well organized, easy to understand what I’m looking at.
Didn’t know about 103bees.com, thanks for that. My main, and for now the only, stats package is Google Analytics.
I recommend using third party services opposed to installing one on your own server, specially if it uses databases such as the WordPress plugins. First it saves you all the hassle of installing and managing, and it will save you a lot of bandwith and takes off some load off your own server.
I use mint, and I’ve never had any complaints. Especially with the new release, it’s quick, easy to use, and shows a lot of useful information (as well as being customizable).
I used to use okcounter.com , cqcounter.com
I do use AW Stats and GA.
Google Analytics (for our entire site) and MyBloglog (for the blog)
Has anyone else detected a severe undercount from MyBlogLog? I’m not sure what the deal is, but it’s counts for my site are 10x lower than those that I get from other meters. I don’t get it.
I use an old version of CNStats I find with a few mods it tells me everything I need and also with the mods I made I can find out all the useful info in one click rather than have to look at 10 different pages to get the same info.
i always use the AW Stats & the Blogcounter in with accounts ;-)
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Hittail is great if you’re getting a lot of search engine traffic!
I use google analytics but it seems to miss out on the keywords people use to find my site, for those I use awstats from bluehost.
I find AW Stats sufficient in most cases and I usually only check it weekly. I find the referring sites and search engine queries very useful.
I use a combination of FireStats, Clicky and StatCounter.
Unfortunately, none of the packages out there seem to work well with Ajax applications – since with Ajax, lots of things are happening on a single page. Google Analytics, for example, relies exclusively on on-load stats gathering.
I’m working on a new analytics platform for Ajax applications – http://www.ajaxmetrics.com – and I’d love to hear what you have to say about it.
Thanks!
-Alex
Google Analytics – cheap AND easy