Yesterday's posting looked at the importance of web log analysis. Today's posting covers the basics of what you need to carry it out for yourself. The good news is that you only need three things. And some of them, or perhaps even all of them, are free. More or less.The three things are log files, analysis software and time.
(1) Log files.
If you don't know where your raw log files are, or how to download them, then contact your server.
If their answer is that your account doesn't include access to the raw log files, then move server.
I say that knowing all too well that this is one hell of a headache, but I can't stress just how critically important and useful this information is. You don't want to be running your business without it.
And don't be put off by having access to the logs for today only. It isn't enough. You need your server to archive and compress these files, and you need to be able to download them at your leisure.
We pay $1 a month for hosting some of our smaller auxiliary web sites, and each of these include access to compressed log file archives. So don't let your server tell you that this is a high-end spec. It isn't.
(2) Software.
Once you get your raw log files on your own system, you'll soon realise that you're never getting to get anywhere by reading through thousands of lines of log entries manually.
The good news is that you don't have to use Notepad or Excel. The really good news is that there are some excellent software solutions out there to do the job for you, some of which are free.
We'll look at some of the better software solutions tomorrow.
(3) Time.
This is the only requirement for server log analysis that you need to actually make some of commitment. Like any other worthwhile activity, it's going to take up some of your working day. But it doesn't have to be too long, and I guarantee that it's time well spent.
Tomorrow we'll take a look at some of the software that's out there, and look at some of the advantages they offer. With prices from free to over $1,000, the competition is intense!
