ONLINE-ADS>> Logging/Tracking Referring URLs

Steve Roth (sroth_at_thunderlizard.com)
Fri, 1 Aug 97 17:10:52 -0700

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Hi All:

If you're like us, one of the most important things you track from your
log files is where visitors come from, via referring URLs.

If you're like us, you're also frustrated that a large percentage of page
requests have no referring URLs. There are solutions for tracking paid
banner insertions (CGI-based, etc.), but for all those other visits, it's
a problem.

Based on our log analysis, our best guess is that the high percentage is
a result of proxies and gateways, which don't "populate" the referring
URL field in the HTTP request.

But the percentages are awfully high. Can't reveal ours, but four other
sites are reporting *very* high percentages: 50-70% unknown.

Do others have this problem? Does anyone have an explanation? We've gone
all the way into the guts of our (CERN) server software, watching what
comes in from the browser, what gets written to the logs, and how, and we
haven't found a consistent pattern.

This is just one example of how this "most measurable advertising medium
ever" is not really so easy to measure....

Any insights welcome.

Steve

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Steve Roth sroth_at_thunderlizard.com
Thunder Lizard Productions Voice: 206/285-0305
Technology Events Done Right Fax: 206/285-0308
1619 8th Avenue North, Seattle WA 98109 http://www.thunderlizard.com
WEB ADVERTISING '98 February 2-4, NYC
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