Re: ONLINE-ADS>> most valuable info you can get from clickstream data

Mark J. Welch, Esq. (markwelch_at_ca-probate.com)
Sun, 21 Dec 1997 22:44:18 -0800

• Messages sorted by: [ date ][ thread ][ subject ][ author ]
• Next message: Preston Bealle: "Re: ONLINE-ADS>> Haggling Tactics"
• Archive Home Page
• Search
• Previous message: Greg Bulmash: "ONLINE-ADS>> Webrings, Spam, and Surfing with X turned off"
• Maybe in reply to: Blakney, Glenn: "ONLINE-ADS>> most valuable info you can get from clickstream data"
• Next in thread: Douglas B. Spink, Athletica: "Re: ONLINE-ADS>> most valuable info you can get from clickstream data"

At 11:31 AM 12/18/1997 -0500, Blakney, Glenn wrote:
>What is the most valuable information that Web marketers can glean
>from anonymous(unregistered) clickstream data?

Wow. A lot of information.

I use my logs (of unregistered visitors) in order to do the following:

(1) determine which pages are "entry" pages to my site, which pages
are "exit pages," and how people travel through my site. This lets me
evaluate site design and what people are looking for.

(2) determine where my traffic comes from, by checking the referrer
logs (for example, comparing the traffic coming from each search
engine and directory, and identifying other sites that generate a lot of
traffic to my site).

(3) determining the overall "persistence" and "depth" of each visit
(e.g. how long did each visitor stay, and how many pages did each
visitor look at). Comparing these results with the referrer logs can
help identify which sources generated "good visitors" and which
sites (or ads) just generated clicks of no value.

(4) identifying cheating in paid advertising (by identifying source
sites [referrers] that generate visitors whose depth and persistence
are almost invariably zero.

(5) identifying visitor patterns for each page or sub-site that vary
by time of day and day of week. Some pages in my three web sites
draw more traffic on weekends and evenings; others are most
popular during the 9-5 business day. Obviously, it's important to
correlate this with the domain name (e.g. visitors from .ru and .jp
certainly can be expected to visit at different hours than visitors
from .net .com .us .edu etc.).

Mark J. Welch, Esq. <markwelch_at_ca-probate.com>

----------------------------------------------------------------------
This week's Online Advertising Discussion List sponsor:
Hoover's Online

Sign up for a FREE 30-day trial subscription to Hoover's Online.
In-depth company profiles, news and more! Search by company, industry,
location and sales. Go to http://www.hoovers.com/trial/oaft.html

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Online Advertising Discussion List To Unsubscribe send UNSUBSCRIBE
http://www.o-a.com/ to online-ads-request_at_o-a.com

• Next message: Preston Bealle: "Re: ONLINE-ADS>> Haggling Tactics"
• Archive Home Page
• Search
• Previous message: Greg Bulmash: "ONLINE-ADS>> Webrings, Spam, and Surfing with X turned off"
• Maybe in reply to: Blakney, Glenn: "ONLINE-ADS>> most valuable info you can get from clickstream data"
• Next in thread: Douglas B. Spink, Athletica: "Re: ONLINE-ADS>> most valuable info you can get from clickstream data"

With an archive of more than 14,000 postings, since 1996 the Online Advertising Discussion List has been the Internet's leading forum focused on professional discussion of online advertising and online media buying and selling strategies, results, studies, tools, and media coverage. If you wish to join the discussion list, please use this link to sign up on the home page of the Online Advertising Discussion List.