USEAGE TRACKING AND ANALYSIS Web Measure Java software available from : http://www.sofresimr.com/product/webmeasure/ The main functionality of web measure is a Site Measurement module which provides accurate information regarding how many people are visiting a web site, which pages they are visiting and how long they are spending at the site and on each page. This module collects its data via a browser based measurement technique, which counts pages even if they are cached by proxy servers or browser cache. Browser based measurement is achieved through the use of Java. The data generated by WebMeasure is 50-70% higher than that obtained through server log file analysis. BENEFITS - Data is collected in real-time and reports available immediately and updated hourly. - Reports can be viewed through a password protected web site. - The first is a Site Measurement module which provides accurate information regarding how many people are visiting a web site, which pages they are visiting and how long they are spending at the site and on each page. This module collects its data via a browser based measurement technique, which counts pages even if they are cached by proxy servers or browser cache. Browser based measurement is achieved through the use of Java. The data generated by WebMeasure is 50-70% higher than that obtained through server log file analysis. WHAT IS SERVER LOG FILE ANALYSIS? Web server log files record files requested, IP addresses and successful downloads of files delivered from the server. The purpose of this is to monitor server performance, record unauthorised requests and provide an audit trail of server activity. All current measurement services in the market use this file as the basis of their analysis. WHY ARE SERVER LOG FILES INACCURATE? Server log files are inaccurate because they do not record pages or ads delivered from: o Proxy server cache, o Browser cache, o PC RAM, and do not accurately measure pages and ads delivered through firewalls. WHAT IS 'PROXY SERVER' CACHE? Proxy servers are used within networks to reduce traffic load. They hold copies of popular files so that users receive files from the fastest, most efficient source. Popular web pages may be cached on literally thousands of proxy servers around the world. Web publishers try to minimise the system administrator's ability to cache their pages, but no effective method has so far been developed. Any web page that is requested from a proxy server is not recorded on the publisher's server log file. Some ISPs cache up to 80% of their most popular file requests! WHAT IS BROWSER CACHE? Popular web browsers such as Netscape and Microsoft store pages on a PC's hard disk. If a user requests a particular web page, the browser first checks the 'PC cache' to see if a copy is on hand. If so, the browser delivers the page from the hard drive, rather than via the Internet. This speeds up the loading of the page, and reduces network congestion. Obviously this request is not recorded on the publisher's server log file, as the request never made it onto the Internet. Depending on the amount of time a user spends on the Internet, pages may stay in the PC cache for many weeks. WHAT EFFECT DOES RAM HAVE ON NUMBERS? Files are also held in the PC RAM. When a user hits the 'back' button on a browser, they will access these pages held in RAM. Again this ad or page request is not recorded on the publisher's server log file, so it is not counted. WHAT IS A FIREWALL? System administrators use firewalls to increase the security of a network. Users that access the Internet through a firewall do not allow the publisher's server log file to record a unique IP address. Instead, a general IP address for the network is recorded. The server log file is unable to differentiate between different users requesting pages through the same firewall. IS THERE ANY ALTERNATIVE TO SERVER LOG FILE ANALYSIS? Publishers are still unable to accurately measure their page or advertisement impressions. Measurement organisations have concentrated on developing the 'reporting capabilities' of their systems, but they have not addressed the fundamental issue of the accuracy of their data. Server log files are not an accurate measure of web page audience or advertisement impressions. Only one organisation has developed new proprietary service that can accurately measure web page performance. This service is WebMeasure and is available from SOFRES:IMR. WHAT IS BROWSER BASED MEASUREMENT (BBM)? BBM allows web activity to be measured at the user's PC. It measures the number of times a browser receives your page or advertisement, and continues to measure this data. Even if the page was received from a proxy server, PC cache or RAM cache, the BBM methodology enables WebMeasure and AdMeasure to record these impressions, every time. HOW DOES BBM WORK? Web sites that run WebMeasure build a small piece of code into every web page. When a web page is loaded into a browser, it sends information back to a SOFRES Nexus, where the information is collated and made available to the client. In this way, when web pages or ads are cached, the code remains in the page. Each time a file is requested from the cache, the SOFRES Nexus is made aware of the impression. WHAT RESULTS HAVE PUBLISHERS FOUND USING WEBMEASURE? Sites using WebMeasure have found on average between 50% - 70% increase in measured impressions immediately. These higher numbers are measured because WebMeasure overcomes the undercounting associated with caching and firewalls. It is expected that by the end of September, more comprehensive analysis will have been added to this product, allowing the tracking of individual users as they move through the site. main menu introduction steps for a banner ad project intro / overview banner/button specs research / planning producing banner ads placing the ad success & measuring glossary links / java banners articles / links advertising advice online ad expenditure html banner ads realtime tickers newsletters internet reports search engine optimisation search engine optimisation search engine registration search engine ranking search engine client form