Analytics and behavior tracking

[tpb101]

I would need the following two:

1) The best software for analyzing server logs (for analytics purposes, info about people coming in to a site, what they do, as much info as possible)

2) Some kind of solution, which would enable me to count clicks on banner ads installed on my website (and connect it to a domain name where a person came from), and similar things for tracking who sign ups to my site (fills out the form, info clicks sign up). I would like the second part to be connected to the domain where these people came from too...

domain1.com -> 125 clicks on banners total, 4 sign ups
domain2.com -> 89 clicks on banners total, 2 sign ups
domain3.com -> 61 clicks on banners total, 1 sign up

Something like this... Should be possible, I think...

Thank you.

[not2easy]

What are you using now for statistics?

Your requirements for referring domains may be difficult since most visits today do not include any referrer and it is a variable that is easy to manipulate.

Most sign up forms can include capturing the IP address which can be referenced for page visits, exit links and so on. Analyzing the server logs usually can't give you all the information you want about what banners are clicked as the logs only record file requests on your own site.

[tpb101]

I've been working on xxx sites, but I've never been very familiar with anything that relates to analytics, and things like that. I just use Google Analytics on my websites, look at the most common stats, and that's it.

I want to start working on Advertising part of things now. I want to start buying skimmed traffic to an xxx pinboard website. My goal is to get as many sign ups as possible (returning visitors / pinners), and also make most of the money back with ads placed on my site (desktop and mobile, I will be working on advertising only the desktop version of the site).

I was told that is good to look at server logs (I have AwStats through cPanel, but I've never really worked with it), as Google Analytics data may not be accurate (somebody was saying, for example, that he was showing 100 visitors a day to his site, but after checking the logs, it turned out to be 90% bots).

With buying skimmed traffic it would be good to have as much info as possible about people coming in, since it is paid, and then just continue buying on a domain name basis, from the best domains.

I know that clicks on banners can be tracked with google analytics (I can add JavaScript's onclick to all the links), but this wont give me the info that I would be looking for. I am not sure, but it sounds like it should be a doable thing. Google Analytics Recognized reffering websites, so it is probably possible to track what every of these "sessions" do, with some kind of, as far as I imagine, JavaScript.

Again, I would like to get, lets say 10,000 uv traffic a day, and then get a list:

domain1.com - 68 clicks on ads - 7 sign ups
domain2.com - 45 clicks on ads - 4 sign ups
domain3.com - 35 clicks on ads - 2 sign ups

And then just stick to buying traffic from the best performing domains (I mean, it wont have to be as good as this, but if people would not be signing up or clicking on ads, for some reason, I could go with the better performing domains / sites)

I know how to do the traffic buying part, after talking to a lot of people from xxx ad network sites. Now, I am trying to get the analytics part in place, and since the two above factors are what I am trying to get for the site, it would be good to find a way this could be tracked...

Again, sounds possible to me, as most of the things with websites / coding is...

Thank you.

[not2easy]

If you are using GA, you should be able to get all the event tracking there. They get data that is not in your server logs. AWStats can help you sort out the bot traffic so you can deal with that, but that is another topic. I'm sure that others here are doing what you describe with GA - after the weekend you'll get more feedback.

[tpb101]

If somebody has more knowledge about Google Analytics, maybe you could point me in the right direction, as far as what I would be looking for here, as far as tracking. User tracking, even tracking, conversion funnel setting? What would be the exact names of what I am trying to do?

Thank you.

[Alex_TJ]

Check out piwik - it seems to fit the bill with a log analyzer and content tracking.