Recherche avancée

Sur d’autres sites (8764)

• What is Web Log Analytics and Why You Should Use It

  26 juin 2024, par Erin

  Can’t use JavaScript tracking on your website ? Need a more secure and privacy-friendly way to understand your website visitors ? Web log analytics is your answer. This method pulls data directly from your server logs, offering a secure and privacy-respecting alternative.  

  In this blog, we cover what web log analytics is, how it compares to JavaScript tracking, who it is best suited for, and why it might be the right choice for you. 

  What are server logs ? 

  Before diving in, let’s start with the basics : What are server logs ? Think of your web server as a diary that notes every visit to your website. Each time someone visits, the server records details like : 

  • User agent : Information about the visitor’s browser and operating system. 

  • Timestamp : The exact time the request was made. 

  • Requested URL : The specific page or resource the visitor requested. 

  These “diary entries” are called server logs, and they provide a detailed record of all interactions with your website. 

  Server log example 

  Here’s what a server log looks like : 

  192.XXX.X.X – – [24/Jun/2024:14:32:01 +0000] “GET /index.html HTTP/1.1” 200 1024 “https://www.example.com/referrer.html” “Mozilla/5.0 (Windows NT 10.0 ; Win64 ; x64) AppleWebKit/537.36 (KHTML, like Gecko) Chrome/91.0.4472.124 Safari/537.36” 

  192.XXX.X.X – – [24/Jun/2024:14:32:02 +0000] “GET /style.css HTTP/1.1” 200 3456 “https://www.example.com/index.html” “Mozilla/5.0 (Windows NT 10.0 ; Win64 ; x64) AppleWebKit/537.36 (KHTML, like Gecko) Chrome/91.0.4472.124 Safari/537.36” 

  192.XXX.X.X – – [24/Jun/2024:14:32:03 +0000] “GET /script.js HTTP/1.1” 200 7890 “https://www.example.com/index.html” “Mozilla/5.0 (Windows NT 10.0 ; Win64 ; x64) AppleWebKit/537.36 (KHTML, like Gecko) Chrome/91.0.4472.124 Safari/537.36” 

  192.XXX.X.X – – [24/Jun/2024:14:32:04 +0000] “GET /images/logo.png HTTP/1.1” 200 1234 “https://www.example.com/index.html” “Mozilla/5.0 (Windows NT 10.0 ; Win64 ; x64) AppleWebKit/537.36 (KHTML, like Gecko) Chrome/91.0.4472.124 Safari/537.36” 

  Breakdown of the log entry 

  Each line in the server log represents a single request made by a visitor to your website. Here’s a detailed breakdown of what each part means : 

  • IP Address : 192.XXX.X.X 
    • This is the IP address of the visitor’s device. 
  • User Identifier : – – 
    • These fields are typically used for user identification and authentication, which are not applicable here, hence the hyphens. 
  • Timestamp : [24/Jun/2024:14:32:01 +0000] 
  • • • The date and time of the request, including the timezone. 
  • Request Line : “GET /index.html HTTP/1.1” 
    • The request method (GET), the requested resource (/index.html), and the HTTP version (HTTP/1.1). 
  • Response Code : 200 
    • The HTTP status code indicates the result of the request (200 means OK). 
  • Response Size : 1024 
    • The size of the response in bytes. 
  • Referrer : “https://www.example.com/referrer.html“ 
    • The URL of the referring page that led the visitor to the current page. 
  • User Agent : “Mozilla/5.0 (Windows NT 10.0 ; Win64 ; x64) AppleWebKit/537.36 (KHTML, like Gecko) Chrome/91.0.4472.124 Safari/537.36” 
    • Information about the visitor’s browser and operating system. 

  In the example above, there are multiple log entries for different resources (HTML page, CSS file, JavaScript file, and an image). This shows that when a visitor loads a webpage, multiple requests are made to load all the necessary resources. 

  What is web log analytics ? 

  Web log analytics is one of many methods for tracking visitors to your site.  

  

  Web log analytics is the process of analysing server log files to track and understand website visitors. Unlike traditional methods that use JavaScript tracking codes embedded in web pages, web log analytics pulls data directly from these server logs. 

  How it works : 

  1. Visitor request : A visitor’s browser requests your website. 
  2. Server logging : The server logs the request details. 
  3. Analysis : These logs are analysed to extract useful information about your visitors and their activities. 

  Web log analytics vs. JavaScript tracking 

  JavaScript tracking 

  JavaScript tracking is the most common method used to track website visitors. It involves embedding a JavaScript code snippet into your web pages. This code collects data on visitor interactions and sends it to a web analytics platform. 

  

  Differences and benefits :
  

  Privacy : 

  • Web log analytics : Since it doesn’t require embedding tracking codes, it is considered less intrusive and helps maintain higher privacy standards. 

  • JavaScript tracking : Embeds tracking codes directly on your website, which can be more invasive and raise privacy concerns. 

  Ease of setup : 

  • Web log analytics : No need to modify your website’s code. All you need is access to your server logs. 

  • JavaScript tracking : Requires adding tracking code on your web pages. This is generally an easier setup process.  

  Data collection : 

  • Web log analytics : Contain requests of users with adblockers (ghostery, adblock, adblock plus, privacy badger, etc.) sometimes making it more accurate. However, it may miss certain interactive elements like screen resolution or user events. It may also over-report data.  

  • JavaScript tracking : Can collect a wide range of data, including Custom dimensions, Ecommerce tracking, Heatmaps, Session recordings, Media and Form analytics, etc. 

  Why choose web log analytics ? 

  Enhanced privacy 

  Avoiding embedded tracking codes means there’s no JavaScript running on your visitors’ browsers. This significantly reduces the risk of data leakage and enhances overall privacy. 

  Comprehensive data collection 

  It isn’t affected by ad blockers or browser tracking protections, ensuring you capture more complete and accurate data about your visitors. 

  Historical data analysis 

  You can import and analyse historical log files, giving you insights into long-term visitor behaviour and trends. 

  Simple setup 

  Since it relies on server logs, there’s no need to alter your website’s code. This makes setup straightforward and minimises potential technical issues. 

  Who should use web log analytics ? 

  Web log analytics is particularly suited for businesses that prioritise data privacy and security.

  Organisations that handle sensitive data, such as banks, healthcare providers, and government agencies, can benefit from the enhanced privacy.  

  By avoiding JavaScript tracking, these entities minimise data exposure and comply with strict privacy regulations like Sarbanes Oxley and PCI. 

  Why use Matomo for web log analytics ? 

  Matomo stands out as a top choice for web log analytics because it prioritises privacy and data ownership

  

  Here’s why : 

  • Complete data control : You own all your data, so you don’t have to worry about third-party access. 
  • IP anonymisation : Matomo anonymises IP addresses to further protect user privacy. 
  • Bot filtering : Automatically excludes bots from your reports, ensuring you get accurate data. 
  • Simple migration : You can easily switch from other tools like AWStats by importing your historical logs into Matomo. 
  • Server log recognition : Recognises most server log formats (Apache, Nginx, IIS, etc.). 

  Start using web log analytics 

  Web log analytics offers a secure, privacy-focused alternative to traditional JavaScript tracking methods. By analysing server logs, you get valuable insights into your website traffic while maintaining high privacy standards.  

  If you’re serious about privacy and want reliable data, give Matomo’s web log analytics a try.  

  Start your 21-day free trial now. No credit card required. 

  Try Matomo for Free

  21 day free trial. No credit card required.

  
  

  Your email address
  

  Your website address
  

  Your Analytics subdomain will be .matomo.cloud (change)

  Choose your analytics subdomain
  

  .matomo.cloud

• Export your data from Universal Analytics or Universal Analytics 360

  26 juin 2024, par Erin
  

  How to export your data

  We would love for you to try Matomo, but first let’s get your data from Google :

  • Export your UA360 data
  • Export or archive your UA data

  Import your data to Matomo

  • Here’s how to Import your data to Matomo Cloud
  • Here’s how to import your data to Matomo On-Premise/self-hosted

  Try Matomo for Free

  21 day free trial. No credit card required.

  
  

  Your email address
  

  Your website address
  

  Your Analytics subdomain will be .matomo.cloud (change)

  Choose your analytics subdomain
  

  .matomo.cloud

  I accept the terms and conditions and data processing agreement (DPA)

  
  Your information will be used to create an account on our cloud service. For more information please consult our privacy policy.
  
  
  

  Start improving your websites now

  

• Secure and track every change to your Piwik installation with the Activity Log plugin

  14 novembre 2017, par InnoCraft — Plugins

  Are you wondering how your colleagues are using Piwik ? Would you like to know if an unauthorized user got an access to your installation ? Would you like to remember the last actions you performed in Piwik some weeks ago ? At InnoCraft, we developed a plugin called “Activity Log”. With this feature you can easily track and check all major changes to your Piwik websites, for example : user permissions, goals, and funnels. In this article we will show you the different ways you can use it and explain why it is an invaluable plugin.

  Activity log for better security

  The activity log feature has been designed for security. Also referred to as “audit logging” or “audit trail”, with this plugin you will be able to :

  1. detect any suspicious actions
  2. detect hacker attacks
  3. help identify performance problems
  4. see clearly who did what, and when
  5. find out how people are using Piwik within your company

  1 – detect any suspicious actions

  With audit trail you can easily identify if a former employee still has access to your Piwik installation. You will then be able to know when he accessed it for the last time, and what changes she or he performed. If you got hacked, you will be able to find out if the user created, changed, or deleted any website, goals, or did anything else suspicious.

  2 – detect hacker attacks

  When an unregistered user is trying to access your Piwik, each failed login attempt is registered within the Activity Log report.

  3 – help identify performance problems

  Activity Log can help you identify performance problems by registering the sequence of each major action a user performed. For example, if a user updated or installed a third party plugin, and suddenly Piwik is getting performance problems, then it is likely that the plugin update caused it.

  4 – see clearly who did what, and when

  It is always challenging in an organization to know who did what and when. With Activity Log, you will know who were the employee(s) that accessed Piwik, created, updated, or deleted a goal, a funnel, a scheduled report, and much more.

  5- find out how people are using Piwik within your company

  By having a look at how people are using Piwik you will have an overview of how your colleagues use Piwik. For example, you can see who is creating Custom segments to analyse the audience in more details, who is creating funnels to learn where your users drop off. You will then be able to identify who has the knowledge and who needs training.

  Did you know ?

  You can help the Piwik core team make Piwik even better by sharing anonymously how you use Piwik on a day to day basis. You just need to install the following plugin : http://plugins.piwik.org/AnonymousPiwikUsageMeasurement

  What’s in it ?

  Once downloaded and installed from the marketplace, you will be able to access the activity log from the admin panel within the diagnostic section :

  

  If you are logged as a super user administrator, you will get an overview and a detailed report about who accessed Piwik and which actions they performed.

  Those reports are critical as they allow the super user to :

  • ensure users are following all documented procedures within your organization such as naming conventions for reports, using the right settings when adding measurables…
  • identify suspicious behavior. As those reports are gathering all major Piwik users activities it is easy to identify non conventional behavior.
  • replay the sequence some users went through in order to fix any potential issues.

  Activity log view report you can access through the admin panel

  So you will see in a second if an unusual user got access to Piwik and the different actions the user performed.
  It is also a good way to see the features that your users are using and identify potential misuse.

  As a regular user or admin, activity log is providing only the historical actions that this user performed :

  

  Actions listed in the log include any changes (add, edit, delete) to the following features (this is a non exhaustive list) :

  • Annotation
  • Custom Alert
  • Custom Dimension
  • Goal
  • Privacy settings
  • Scheduled report
  • Segment
  • User
  • Website
  • …

  This is a ideal to remember the actions they previously performed some weeks/months ago.

  Where can I start from here ?

  Activity log is a premium feature you can acquire through the Piwik marketplace. If you want to experience it before purchasing it, you can try it for free on our cloud infrastructure.

  I want to try the Activity Log plugin

  Activity log is just one out of the many great premium features developed by InnoCraft, the company founded by the creators of Piwik. Discover all their special plugins through the premium marketplace.