Thanks for the article on Stat Counter

[Green_Day]

I couldn't find the post that had the Statcounter.com website. I just put it on my site and it looks pretty good. It is small and wanted to personally thank whoever posted it. Nice and useful.

Lawn care business tips

statcounter.com is a fairly good service. There are some accuracy issues at times but all in all pretty good. I enrolled for the premium service for over 2 years but have now found better free alternatives.

[Green_Day]

Originally Posted by ritchiem

statcounter.com is a fairly good service. There are some accuracy issues at times but all in all pretty good. I enrolled for the premium service for over 2 years but have now found better free alternatives.

You say that you have found better alternatives regarding a stat counter that is free? Please do tell.

probably the best stat program I have ever used (if it worked all the time) is www.woopra.com. I had to be put on a 2 month waiting list to become a member...don't know if that still applies. They have been switching servers, upgrading the programs...the best I have seen...but still bugs to be worked out.

I tend to use WordPress plugins the most. 'WassUp' is probably the best tracking software for WP that I trust to be accurate.

[Steve]

Richard,

I think a lot of this is over many of the forum members heads. Can you tell us why these things are used? What's the benefit of them?

Where to start...

Tracking software for your website allows you to;

1. find out what pages are being viewed
2. how long visitors stay on your pages
3. what pages are your entry and exit pages
4. geographic locations of your visitors
5. search engine searches
6. where your visitors came from (Google, Yahoo, other referring websites such as gopher)
7. what your most popular pages are
8. how many visitors per day, week, month, year
9. tell you your new visitors and recurring visitors

I could keep going but I am sure you have the idea now. Here are some free stat trackers that you can check out.

www.woopra.com - Fantastic program, but has some stability issues
www.sitemeter.com/ - Just like StatCounter.com. It has a free and paid version.
www.statcounter.com - Good program, has a free platform but I recommend the paid version
www.w3counter.com - Great free program. Has the ability to track one website for free and multiples for a fee.
http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/wassup/ - A WordPress plugin that I cannot live without. Its free and shows live visits...visitors that are on your website in real time.

So there are a few options. If you have any more questions just ask.

[Steve]

Rich,

How do these services compare with the google tracking service which is free for those that don't know.

Google Analytics is a great free service as well. It does so much more than other programs...and perhaps a little too much more. The program can be extremely confusing for the novice. It also only updates every 24hrs. So anyone wanting to see real time stats will just have to wait until the server refresh.

I use Google Analytics however for someone that just wants simple to use program I would suggest other alternatives.

[Steve]

All of this information makes me want to pull my hair out at times

It's like I am deluged with information about everything. Then you sit there thinking, do I try and cater to what the information wants or do I just go and do what I want and be creative.

It makes me think of the campaign saying 'polls are polls' meaning thats all they are. They don't mean anything more than that. If you try and cater to them, you lose your individuality. And I think it's your individuality that makes you you and your site what it is.

What's your take on this?

All of this information makes me want to pull my hair out at times

I concur

Then you sit there thinking, do I try and cater to what the information wants or do I just go and do what I want and be creative.

Well fortunately the internet still allows you to be creative. There are not too many ways that you need to conform to...besides SEO...but even then there are ways to be creative.

And I think it's your individuality that makes you you and your site what it is.

Well I totally agree. As long as you are providing what your visitors need they'll keep coming back. Just like what you have done with www.gopherforum.com