Google analytics, Awstats and Webalizer statistics reports analysis

Here I am going to take a deeper look on three of the most popular web stats generators on the web – Webalizer, Awstast and Google Analytics. As you probably know there are some specific differences between the three of them. First of all Google analytics is a third party statistics program which means that you have to install additional code to your web page in order to receive web statistics. As for Webalizer and Awstats you have to install them locally on your hosting machine or ask you hosting providers to install them for you if they have not already done that.

Let’s first take a look at the statistics I have on one site, given me by each webstat engine, considering that all of them are configured to accept each site visitor as a new visitor if he is to return after 1800 seconds prior to his last visit on the site.

Analytics graphics

Webalizer stats

Awstats stats

It is obvious that there are quite big differences in the statistics shown above. There is couple of reasons for such differences to occur. As we can see that Webalizer shows more than twice more visitors than the other two statistics (these are actualy the visits generated by search engine bots). This is due to poor configuration of the Webalizer. To avoid such mistakes you can regard reading this article: Tips on how to configure Webalizer. The statistics shown by Google and Awstats differ with 23% on the 18 and 2 % on the 19. Such differences happen when the page visit is too short. This may stop the Google analytics code to be loaded in time, in order to register the visit. Here you should also consider that Google Analytics being a third party code, installed on you web page, might not be able to give you the information about pictures for instance used on other sites but hosted on yours.

The above examples lean against Awstats being the best way, of these three, to generate statistics. On the other hand Awstats is written in Perl which may cause server problems when working with large log files.

Google gives poor info on the search terms and keywords that led to your site, and does not give you any information on the search engine spider’s craw rate on you site.

Webalizer if not configured gives you almost raw log file analysis. If you take your time and configure Webalizer then you won’t be able to receive any information on search engine crawler’s activity. Webalizer though is working much faster than the Perl script.

So if you are wondering which one of these three will be the best choice, you have to carefully analyze your website configuration, your computer skills and your hosting service.

Written for pc-os-reviews.blogspot.com by Nate Sharon - system administrator.