After thorough research and consideration, you decided to put up an online business. Careful Internet marketing has been executed flawlessly and without much difficulty. You have your URL name. Your web site is very appropriate for your business and very attractive, too. You've done every search engine optimization technique you have read. Now, you wait... anticipating any site hits.

How many hits is your web site getting? How many products or ad spaces have you sold? How many visitors are going to your site? Are your links effective? Your mind is racing and these are the questions that have been bugging you since you started. One thing's for sure, you can glide through the discussion on Web traffic and site hits without knowledge of the following:

Definition

Web site traffic is the amount of visitors to your site and the pages they visit. It is the amount of data sent and received, which makes up the bulk of Internet traffic. It is important for you to monitor what are the pages most visitors like and their trends. It is vital that you understand what people are getting from it.

Web Traffic Measurements

It is important for you to know the metrics of web traffic because it is part of your marketing tactic. It is for you to understand the quality of visitors and to target the needs of your consumers. Profits and future dealings with partners will be based on their referrals.

A web hit is generated when a file is seen. A page view is when a visitor requests a page within the web site. The information collected are the following:

(a) number of visitors

(b) number of page views for each visitor

(c) duration of a user's visit

(d) duration a page is viewed

(e) most popular pages

(f) most requested entry page

(g) most requested exit page and

(h) the source of links that lead to your web site.

There are various methods of measuring web site traffic. These include:

a. Server logs

All files that are requested are logged on a web server. It can be performed by the web server itself or you can use a customized software that records the requests for you. Advantages includes vital information updates, such as the popularity of the site and patterns of activity. The web site controls the logs. However, some information are lost because it cannot monitor activity outside of the server.

b. Panel Survey

A company is hired to pick a random volunteer to be part of a panel. A device is planted in their computer to record Internet activity. This is accurate because it can also determine the duration of page views. However, the disadvantage is that it is done in the home and the usual consumers are in the work place.

c. Browser Analysis

This is done by inserting a web tag in each page of the web site that will run once the user goes to the page. However, the privacy of the user is an issue and each item should be tagged, which could slow down traffic.

Regulate Web Traffic

Like any business, the consumers opinions and view are highly regarded. The amount of hits and web traffic will help you see possible mistakes and what the consumer really wants. This is your chance to improve your marketing tactics. It is in your hands if the web site increases, decreases or maintains the amount of traffic it gets. It is also vital that you protect some parts of your web site by allowing only authorized people to view them.

A good marketing strategy may increase web site traffic. This can be done by advertising or placement of your site on search engines. But placement only is not sufficient. Your web site should appear on the first page of the results page. Most people often do not bother going through the next page. As your web site is ranked lower, it diminishes the chance that someone will go through your site. Try using promotions and pop up ads to increase your web popularity. You can also trade links with other web sites.

Overload of Web Site Traffic

It is definitely devastating to learn that after months of waiting, your site had few hits. It is bad for business. However, it is also difficult if your web site is so popular that it causes overload to the web traffic. Too much traffic can prevent or slow down access to your site.

A sudden popularity of a site, for example, being a target of a news and email campaign, can cause web site traffic. Many sites had been forced to close due to sudden demand. Some were forced to resell private label rights.

It is important for any business to know what your customer needs. Making them happy will earn repeated visit to your web site. Investigating and understanding their concern is an ultimate factor to making a business successful. Making extra effort in getting web traffic can increase profits and will reap you huge benefits in the end.