web "tracking" ?

[rudeboy]

not sure if there are a lot of webmaster here, i have a question though (i know i saw it before a while back but forgot the link/web site) what is the best way/good site to -behind the scenes- track where visitors come from before visiting our site.. my boss wants to through some money towards internet advertising (if it's worth it)

i also want to look into getting in to those sponsored links in Google, anyone any experience with that ?

thanks..

[qnoob]

check with your web host, a lot of that web stat tracking is already built into most hosting plans. it'll generate stats over time so you can see who is visiting your site, from where, how long typical user stays, etc.

as far as ad revenue. check out the programs with google, yahoo, etc.

[chris]

Look for a host that offers Awstats. They produce good info. I also use Google Analytics, but I'm not sure if they allow everyone to sign up for it.

Awstats will do the trick...

Google Adsense will get you more traffic, but is also more expensive than competitve ad clicks systems such as Yahoo Search.

Depending on his industry, it might be worth it for him to invest in organic optimization. Basically, doing things that generally help achieve better results in Google. This is not always easy, but obviously can be more cost effective in the long run.

-Chris

[rudeboy]

must look into 3rd parties who offer it, the site (ProStores storefront) does it but only the admin is allowed to see them and i rather not share my login info with people who potentially mess up the web site if they have too many privileges :}

thanks...

[scubasteve]

Do you have the access needed to install new services and such to the server? AWStats is the way to go, as chris said.

[rudeboy]

thanks guys.... for now my boss is happy with the output of the "build-in" stats generator, plus it has a nice option for exporting it to -amongst others- an Excel sheet.