Site Stats tools/services

Megan's picture

She has: 11,421 posts

Joined: Jun 1999

Right now I'm using Hitbox on one site and WebTrends on another. They both have their pro's and cons. Webrends allows a choice of small ad buttons so you can pick one that matches (as opposed to the annoying lime green for Hitbox), and a much easier to remember log-in code, but I find Hitbox's stats easier to access and easier to understand once I've loged in. Neither is really ideal though.

WHat are my other options? What do you use to track your stats?

Mark Hensler's picture

He has: 4,048 posts

Joined: Aug 2000

I make my own. Using PHP to store data in a mySQL database. I can then create tables or use PHP's GD library to create graphs.

Busy's picture

He has: 6,151 posts

Joined: May 2001

Still using all the freebie stuff

Extreme tracking is good,

Pro's:
no logging in, there when you want/need it
is there for all to see ...
heaps of user details
Free

Con's:
40x40 (i think) image displayed on your web page
only tracks one page
anyone can see your results

They have: 383 posts

Joined: Sep 2000

I work with a couple dozen web-hosting firms so I've used multiple server-based statistic packages as well as web-based services such as HitBox and extreme Tracking. MediaHouse LiveStats is one of my favorites. It's only offered for Windows NT. But it’s a great program (I believe Chad uses it for DID’s NT servers).

I also own WebTrends Log Analyzer. If you're a web developer WebTrands is a great software package. It is designed to analyze standard log files from remote servers while running on your desktop. I'm able to run reports on 20-30 sites, format them, and deliver them to clients in Microsoft Word, HTML, and other formats.

Megan's picture

She has: 11,421 posts

Joined: Jun 1999

Yeah, sounds great and all but that $699 price tag is just a tad bit too much for me, to say the least ($700 USD = roughly $1050 Canadian!).

They have: 383 posts

Joined: Sep 2000

No one specified a price cap Smiling

You can actually get the limited version from a lot of hosting companies. I think Verio is one of the companies that gives it away with their packages. They may have gotten smarter and locked it so it could only be used with their hosting though. I have the full version which just adds some extras.

Peter J. Boettcher's picture

They have: 812 posts

Joined: Feb 2000

I also use LiveStats and have been for almost 4 years on various sites. It really is an excellent product for IIS websites.

Plus it's made by a Canadian company, wow!

PJ | Are we there yet?
pjboettcher.com

They have: 133 posts

Joined: Sep 2000

well... personally I like sitestatz.com they give a lot of good things for free...

Megan's picture

She has: 11,421 posts

Joined: Jun 1999

Hey, just what I needed - here's an article from Webmonkey about server logs and analysis tools:

http://hotwired.lycos.com/webmonkey/01/24/index4a_page2.html?tw=e-business

mjames's picture

They have: 2,064 posts

Joined: Dec 1999

I'm pleased to be using SiteMeter. I've used a variety of counters/trackers, and I can confidently say Hitbox stinks. I dislike its horrendously long code and it makes you display ads on your site. SiteMeter is invisible.

They have: 107 posts

Joined: Mar 1999

Webtrends and hitbox are the best I have seen. Hibox has a great interface, but adding the code to every page is cumbersome and I don'e like the ads. The ad free version is too expensive.

Webtrends provides excellent stats and I have reports generated every month.

P.S. Thanks for adding this SITE TOOLS forum.

~Chris

Jack Michaelson's picture

He has: 1,733 posts

Joined: Dec 1999

I use TheCounter.com, cause I like it!

mjames's picture

They have: 2,064 posts

Joined: Dec 1999

Quote: Originally posted by Jack Michaelson
I use TheCounter.com, cause I like it!

I used TheCounter.com for a long time before SiteMeter and found it horribly inaccurate and inconsistent. Maybe they have changed?

Jack Michaelson's picture

He has: 1,733 posts

Joined: Dec 1999

I don't know cause I only use it since 2 months or so, but I didn't find any inaccurate and inconsistent things (yet?)

merlin's picture

They have: 410 posts

Joined: Oct 1999

i was looking for a tool for a long time but didn't find any with the tools and features i needed.
now we do it on our own, using an ms-access-db (filtering all the trash out) and publish and make graphs with a managment-information-system.
quite a good way and it gives us all the information we need.

i think there aren't a lot of tools to make good statistics of big dynamic sites?

taff's picture

They have: 956 posts

Joined: Jun 2001

Quote: Originally posted by Adam Oberdorfer
I also own WebTrends Log Analyzer. If you're a web developer WebTrands is a great software package. It is designed to analyze standard log files from remote servers while running on your desktop. I'm able to run reports on 20-30 sites, format them, and deliver them to clients in Microsoft Word, HTML, and other formats.

Quote: Originally posted by Megan Jack
Yeah, sounds great and all but that $699 price tag is just a tad bit too much for me, to say the least ($700 USD = roughly $1050 Canadian!).

Megan,

Worth every penny! The reports that Adam refers to are an awesome selling point for clients who might otherwise not opt for a maintenance contract. My program paid for itself within a month.. 2 months tops.

The sweet part is that the process described by Adam can be customized and automated, taking mere minutes per client per month.

.....

They have: 383 posts

Joined: Sep 2000

Yup, the statistics are a big selling point for my "webmaster service packages" which include a verity of services and consulting/update hours. Clients love them and they take very little time to generate. Combine them with an uptime monitor and you've got a enterprise level site monitoring service.

Want to join the discussion? Create an account or log in if you already have one. Joining is fast, free and painless! We’ll even whisk you back here when you’ve finished.