he task for any marketer or advertiser on the Internet should be more than merely having a presence on the web. If nobody visits your site, it is like having a billboard in the middle of the rainforest, or building a store on a deserted island. Once a marketer or advertiser is on the Internet, the next step should be to measure traffic. Several tools are available for measuring web site activity and these fall into the following two categories:
For the web site host who wishes to outsource the collection, processing, and analysis of data from server logs, outside firms who specialize in these tasks have formed. A leader in this emerging industry is I/PRO.
The benefits to using a third-party include the capability of handling the high volume, the appearance of being tamper-free, and the similarity to the outside services used for other forms of media (e.g. Nielsen for television).
However, the disadvantages include the loss of control over your own data and the charges for each analysis (rather than a one-time fee).
To see examples of the types of reports provided by I/PRO, select one of the following links:
For the web site host who wishes to maintain control over his or her own data, tracking products are available to analyze log files. One of the leaders is BackOffice, which formerly called Interse and was purchased by Microsoft in 1996. Other providers include Net.Genesis Corporation and WebTrends Corporation (formerly e.g. Software).
The benefits to using a product in-house is that the data remain private, the user can customize the process, and costs are controlled.
The disadvantages are that the web site host needs enough disk space to maintain the logs, a computer that is fast enough to run analyses, and an employee to compile reports and pull log files.
For more information about web measurement software providers, take a look at:
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