Search Engine Optimisation
Ask 10 SEO Experts A Question And You'll Get 11 Different Answers
Why is access to website statistics a prerequisite for Search Engine Optimisation?
Analysis of website statistics informs the keyword selection process, and benchmarks pre-optimisation levels of website traffic, search engine referrals and spider activity. It is also useful for monitoring the progress of the campaign and in highlighting areas of relative underperformance. Frequent performance monitoring allows Search Engine Optimisation techniques to be fine tuned during the course of an SEO campaign. This form of ongoing evaluation and reactive optimisation is critical to achieving optimal rankings. It is also important following completion of a successful campaign, because it allows performance problems to be identified and solved quickly. An ongoing SEO maintenance regime should therefore include regular monitoring of rankings, referrals and spider activity.
Understanding website statistics and data tracking
‘Website statistics’ refers to the information gathered about website visitors stored in the server log files. Server log files consist of rows of space delimited data, organised so that each row contains information relating to a single server request. Commercial statistical analysis packages (‘stats packages’) can be used to organise and display the data in a way which is easy for the user to manipulate and interpret.
While all stats packages use the same data, their usefulness for SEO purposes depends on the completeness of the information available and the freedom it allows for manipulation, analysis and reporting of the data. No free stats packages provide sufficient information to inform an SEO campaign. Of the popular commercial stats packages, SmarterStats and AWstats are economical packages which provide suitable, well-presented data for the SEO practitioner. Other packages lack one or more of the following features necessary for effective analysis and monitoring:
- The facility to analyse search engine referrals by keyword and by keyphrase as distinct data sets
- A system for identifying and recording search engine spider activity by user agent
- The ability to create reports utilising user defined parameters and non-standard reporting periods
Optillion will inform clients if the website’s existing stats package is inadequate and will offer advice on selecting a suitable replacement.
