Traffic statistics require Context

2 October 2012 Author Eric de Lemos comments 1 category research

Last Friday, Chris asked a question to the team regarding the traffic numbers that offer different Web analytics tools: Why do we trust the numbers so much, regardless of their source? This got me thinking … Why we put so much confidence in the numbers that we look? We are the right context apply to these statistics?

I did some further research in two different instruments that we at RD2, Inc. (AWstats and Google Analytics leverage) for a reason why the numbers do not line up.

AWstats (Awwww, stats!)

AWstats is a product of the late 1990s as a solution to the concerns of "how many people visiting my website?"; I can only assume web hosting during that time was not nearly as cheap as it is today and ROI was an even greater focus than it is now. To get people to the website then was a major problem; Today, can be seen getting traffic as a relatively easier task (the social media technologies given at our disposal.) AWstats has been updated several times over the years, but its basic function has remained the same: presenting the data in access log files in a way that makes sense for laymen (read: charts and tables.) This is where the question, "so it's just like Google Analytics?" and my answer is in the vein of, "Ehh ... in a way, but not really." AWstats offers a more easily readable representation of the access to the server logs ... so what does this mean that when we speak of "traffic" and "visits" and "page views"? Well to be honest, it means nothing without a good understanding of how the tool works and proper context is applied to what is displayed (we will this in a bit.)

Google Analytics (or, on-demand crunch the numbers and give you insane amounts of detail on the behavior of your visitors)

Positioned neatly among the many instruments found in the Google Webmaster's tool belt ", is Google Analytics provide a platform many different methods of quantifying, display, processing, collating and filtering data on user behaviour during a visit to a Web property. Google is not charging for their service (which is interesting, since it is one of the more powerful tools that they offer) so pretty much anyone with a Google ID can use. When discussing the "how" traced, Google's method is completely different: Java Script to use.

So why would I use both?

Scenario: Company X offers a variety of services to consumers online and in person. After the launch of a new version of their social home, company X wants to keep an eye on diligently network traffic patterns, visitor as a means of quantification or the new platform is successful or not. Enthusiastic analyst 1 working for company X goes to Google Analytics and prepares a detailed report on the basis of this information; Enthusiastic analyst 2 prepares a similar report eager analyst 1 with 's-Google Analytics report, but chooses to contain data from AWstats. During the presentation, all the numbers line up between the two reports to AWstats is discussed. For the first quarter of the year reports Google Analytics 613,718 total number of pages viewed, whereas AWstats 3, 740, 453 total number of pages viewed. Logic tells us that these 2 numbers really don't match AWstats is about 6.1 times higher than Google Analytics reporting. What number is so right? As it turns out, are both. Stay with me for a minute and I'll explain why that is ... If you recall, I mentioned that a tool is only valuable if the right context is applied; It is in this case, the definitions of the terms used. This is very important when viewing information from any source, for example, foot traffic statistics, the number of customers served and the number of visitors to save. So we know that Google Analytics keeps visitors using JavaScript on page load and reads log files AWstats, great; is it possible Google has a margin of error this large? Highly unlikely ... Digging in the definitions for "page" with both services used, I was surprised to find that the definitions are very different. Google Analytics a page view is defined as a single page (www.rd2inc.com and www.rd2inc.com/team are 2 different pages to Google Analytics, both pages load twice would result in 4 pages viewed); AWstats definition is very different. In the calculation of "page views", AWstats calculates the page itself, no additional PHP functions to perform dynamic content and AJAX queries to the server to display that occur after the page is loaded (so for every 1 page, there may be 6 + page "views" when a content management system is used for Page Rendering.)

Apart from pages viewed, is another variable metric that differences between the two how user sessions are tracked. Default AWstats tracks user sessions in which approximately 60 min segments is and Google Analytics keeps about 30 minutes segments. Since Google Analytics that JavaScript-based, multiple users with the same public IP address tracked separately; AWstats all visitors of the same public IP address as a unique visitor would view, and if multiple people from the same public IP address company x website within about 60 minutes for the first visit of the said IP address visits, number of unique visitors will be strongly skewed (this is a limitation resulting from how the AWstats data captures.)

Taking this shouldn't that AWstats is obsolete and should not be used; One must understand that each tool has its strong points and opportunities (AWstats can track which pages are crawled by search engines, Google Analytics not.)

So go back, watch the traffic statistics and verify that the information is presented is presented with the correct context applied

Reference URL's
AWstats

Tags

AWStats, context, google, google Analytics, research, statistics and Web traffic

One response to ""

On the planet Earth we need to look at multiple sources, to collect the evidence and the hard questions. Sure, some of us can show our age by AWStats tutorial. But there is always that the hair in the back of my neck, rises when we an instrument if the gezaghebbende's covet. Competition is good. Parity makes better products and better people.

By Chris Ronan on October 2, 2012 at 11: 54 am leave a Reply Click here to cancel reply.

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