How many hits are we getting? Which are the most popular pages on our site? Where are visitors coming from?
These are the most common questions Web site administrators have on
a daily basis about their site. But when it comes down to improving the
site for visitors, knowing how your site is really used and getting rid
of waste in the site, a lot more information is necessary.
There are many technologies for analyzing and reporting on the
massive amount of information generated by busy Web sites. These range
from traditional log file analyzers to network sniffers to agents
installed on the Web server to services that receive information
whenever a page is accessed.
Most small sites can get by with simple tools that answer only the
most basic questions. However, large content and e-commerce sites, as
well as those in large enterprises, require applications that can
provide detailed, flexible analysis capabilities.
For this review, eWeek Labs looked at two products that provide
high-level analysis and reporting but take very different approaches.
Representing traditional log file analyzers is the venerable and
popular WebTrends Reporting Center 5.0 from NetIQ Corp., a powerful and
flexible system that is a far cry from its early days as a simple
Windows-only application. For service providers, we looked at
SiteCatalyst 8.0 from Omniture Inc. (formerly MyComputer Inc.).
SiteCatalyst, which works by receiving information from scripts
embedded in pages on a Web site, provides a wide and customizable set
of reporting and analysis tools that give sites feedback in real time.
Both products and approaches to Web site analysis have distinct
benefits and disadvantages that companies will have to weigh when
evaluating them. For some, the convenience and real-time reports of the
service offering will outweigh the lack of local control and potential
security problems. Others will prefer the centralized control and
flexibility of the log analyzer despite its less-than-real-time
reporting and the hassle of managing very large log files.
|