Website Monitoring

It is important to monitor the success of the web site and the performance of the server itself. There are a number of tools available to help in these monitoring activities.

Site statistics and logs: Ensure that the server (whether in-house or run by an ISP) has the capability of collecting the information on the Internet traffic that is visiting the web site. Typically most web servers will track all manner of information about the amount and type of data going via the server. These will typically be ‘hits’ on the site through to attempted hacking attempts. The information is stored in log files held on the server.

There are various ways in which the data from the log files can be reported, for example:

  • the number of visitors to the site;
  • the number of new visitors;
  • the number of visitors returning to the site;
  • which search engines they are finding the site through;
  • which parts of the site they are making particular use of.

The data can be passed through web log analyser software to produce sophisticated output with graphical analysis showing the type of breakdown listed above. Typical web log analyser software products are: WebTrends and Analog.

Most ISPs will provide some log analysis service, but there are also thirdparty services to which you can link your web site. They will monitor the web page hits remotely, and provide the statistics via your account at their website.

Server performance and monitoring: The operational performance of the web site and other services provided by the server are only as effective as the server itself, so it is essential to keep a watchful eye on it. Servers have control facilities to monitor elements such as:

  • CPU (processor);
  • memory;
  • disk usage;
  • network performance;
  • back-up utilities.

Server upgrades: There may be occasions where the server software neeis updating to resolve known problems or to install newer versions of software. Also hardware components may need replacing or added to in order to increase capacity; more memory or a larger hard disk, for example.

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