In this topic we will cover the subject of server log file analysis, I know its not the most exciting subject plus I suspect its the last thing on your mind but if you spend one hour each month understanding the log files your Joomla! site produces it can help you understand the following.

1) Manage your site content more efficiently.
2) Drive qualified traffic to your Joomla site.
3) Plan your marketing, Ad word campaign
4) Improve your sites usability
5) Understand your customer / visitors behaviour

What can server log files do for you ?

Basically every time someone visits your Joomla web site information is written to the server log file. Server log files contain a vast amount of useful information ranging from who is visiting you, where they come from, amount of time visitors spend at your site, navigation patterns, most-viewed pages, exit pages, what browser they use, keywords they searched for plus when the search engine bot last paid you a visit.

For a more detailed explanation visit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Web_analytics

How to view the server log files

You can view and analyse your server log files using a number of different approaches.

Option 1 : Web hosting control panel statistics

All the big web hosting companies now offer some level of reporting functionality which is accessible via the control panel. All you need to do is access your hosting control panel and select reports ( this can differ depending on the host )  From here you can access some useful information about who is visiting you, where they come from, amount of time visitors spend at your site, navigation patterns, most-viewed pages, exit pages, what browser they use, keywords they searched for plus much more.  This option is great if you want to get a good feel about your visitors web surfing behaviour and adapt your web site. If you want to really dig deeper then its worth considering option 2 noted below.

Option 2 : Raw log files.

Ok as mentioned above a log file is basically a txt file which contains hundreds of HTPP GET requests. In order to view the log file you will need to download some software which will enable you to import the txt file to analyse, filter plus produce graphical reports about your visitors behaviour on your Joomla! web site.

The first step is to search Google for server log file analysis or log file analysis software. This will produce a list of sites offering free or commercial software products so you can import and analyse the raw log files. If you have the budget I would highly recommend using webtreds which is one of the best and easy to use packages around.

Once you have downloaded the software you can now import the log file. After importing the log file you can then apply the relevant filters and analyse plus produce some very impressive reports.

Benefits of understanding server log files

Ok now its time to cover the benefits of analysing the log files for your Joomla web site. Having a successful Joomla web site requires a fine balancing act and a lot of hard work from both a SEO, web design and content perspective. The aim is not to cover this subject in detail but to give you an insight into the benefits of using log files to your advantage.

Joomla template design

Log files can help you to determine what browser your visitor is using. Microsoft Explorer is no longer the dominate browser on the net as Firefox and many more are catching up and becoming more popular. By looking at your log files you can understand who is using what browser and therefore you need to ensure your design is compatible with a wide range of browsers. Think about it if a visitor comes to your site and is using Microsoft explorer then your site layout might look great.

But what happens if a visitor comes using Firefox and the layout is all over the place, yes you will loose visitors and potential business. Your Joomla template design is very important so before designing or purchasing a Joomla template think about the above.

Manage your content

You have heard this before “content is king” but managing your content and providing the content to suit the needs of your customers is also important. By analysing the log files you can understand what articles are driving content to your site plus  which articles are not so popular. From the log files look at the number pages viewed and which are your exit pages. From here you can then write articles which appeal to the target audience plus arrange your site navigation based on your report findings.

404 page not found

Log files can help you understand if your Joomla site contains any missing pages or bad links. Each time a page is not found then an entry 404 page not found will be written to the log file. From analysing the log file you check or remove the links which are driving your web visitors away.

Where is your traffic coming from ?

Do you know where all your traffic is coming from ? If not then a quick look at your log files to understand which site or search engine is sending traffic to you. From here you can plan your advertising campaign if Google is sending you lots of traffic then maybe purchase advertising links at Yahoo or MSN. Contact the site owners who have high rankings across the SERPs and exchange links or articles to attract more traffic.  Also one point to consider is “ bad neighbourhood traffic “ not all traffic coming to your site is good. If you run a product download site and you suddenly notice an influx of visitors it could be that your site or members account details have being posted on a warez form or maybe an adult site. Your log file can help you to understand this.

Search engine bots

When is the last time a Search engine bot paid you a visit. In theory the bots should be visiting your site on a regular basis. If  your site is not appearing in the Google, Yahoo, or MSN index then have a look at your log files. Find out when the bot last visited your site. You may need to re think your SEO strategy, start exchanging links with sites who have a High Google PR, submit your articles to sites via RSS feeds, do your  research to find out what sites your competitors appear on. All this can help to ensure that the bots can find your site. You can always manually submit your site and check the log files after the submission.

Are you using the right keywords

Log files can help understand what visitors search on to find your site. For example you run a Joomla template site. From your log file you see that people are searching on Joomla templates or maybe Joomla themes but you dont see any searches for Joomla web designs or Joomla template. You may need to review your web site meta tags, site title and include the keywords. Also review your site content ad ensure the articles which appear on your site include the keywords.