Checklist: Auditing and statistical analysis
Publishing date: May 2002
The dynamic nature of the Internet environment makes it essential for the web team to carry out frequent monitoring of the performance and use of the website if high standards are to be maintained. It is also important that regular and authoritative reports on performance and usage are available to senior managers.
The Information Manager or editorial board should ensure that arrangements are in place for the following analysis and, where necessary, for maintenance of the appropriate standards of performance.
Description
- Standards of performance over a modem connection 28.8 / 56.6 kbps over an open line and via a typical domestic ISP/hosting service. This is in order to replicate the access experience of a large number of users
- Checking using different browsers and screen resolutions, and with features such as scripts and images disabled
- Link checking. Broken links should be fixed within one working day
- Monitoring error messages: as much notice should be taken of error logs as of any other statistics
- Traffic analysis, focusing on peak times (to assess bandwidth requirements) and dead times (should essential maintenance require the website being down for a short time)
- Server log file analysis
- The minimum information which should be required from hosts is statistics on: number of users (visitors), number of visits (unique visits or sessions) and page impressions
- In additon the following should be recorded: successful requests, unsuccessful requests, most frequently visited pages, least frequently visited pages, top entry pages and top referring websites
- This information should be used to identify the most popular content, to review the navigation system (eg identifying orphaned pages), to review referring websites, to audit responses to web-inspired email and electronic forms and to assess the effectiveness of marketing/PR campaigns. The information is also likely to be useful as a source of information on website performance, the quantity of documents requested, visitors' electronic distribution, the number of visitors and the platforms that visitors use, including browsers and screen resolution
- Web teams should give more importance to unique visitors and page impressions than to hits
- Determine who is using the website the most
- Collect information from usage statistics on the types of browser being used to access the website
- Archive logs for as long as possible
- Ensure at the procurement stage that ISPs/hosting services are offering to provide a full range of server log information
- It is acceptable to use cookies to track visitors' paths through the website (and this will be essential in e-commerce websites). The website should contain a clear statement of policy on the use of cookies
- Consider publishing usage statistics on your website
