Understanding Urchin Statistics

Traffic

• Sessions Graph - A 'Session' is defined as a series of clicks on your site by an individual visitor during a specific period of time. A Session is initiated when the visitor arrives at your site, and it ends when the browser is closed or there is a period of inactivity.
• Pageviews Graph - A request to the web server by a visitor's browser for any web page; this excludes images, javascript, and other generally embedded file types.
• Hits Graph - This displays the total number of files that are requested from the server. This is always going to be significantly higher than the actual number of visits to your sites.
• Bytes Graph - This report shows the trend of recent activity on your website in terms of Bytes over time. The quantity of network bandwidth used by the files requested during the selected Date Range.
• Summary - The Summary shows totals and averages for Sessions, Pageviews, Hits, and Bytes for the currently selected Date Range.
• Load Balancing
  • Log Source by Hits - This report shows the amount of traffic in hits processed from each log source and its percentage of the total.
  • Log Source by Bytes - This report shows the amount of traffic in bytes processed from each log source and its percentage of the total.

Pages and Files

• Requested Pages - This report ranks the popularity of the Pages (HTML files, generally) visited on your site by number of Pageviews and relative percentage.
• Downloads - This report ranks the popularity of all Downloads on your site by number of Hits (requests) and relative percentage. A Download is determined by the file extension and Urchin's configuration settings. In general, Downloads includes archives, executables, PDFs, and other non-image/non-HTML documents.
• Page Query Terms - This report analyzes all of the parameter names and values that were used in requests to dynamic content Pages on your website. This report lists all requested Pages whose URL contained query parameters (generally after the ? query token). By clicking the arrow next to each entry, you can drill down and see the variable name of each name/value pair that came after the query token. By further drilling down, you can see the values of each variable name.
• Posted Forms - This report shows a list of the top Forms used on your site. The list shows each form handler used (such as a CGI script). Only form handlers that use the POST method are listed - those using the GET method are not listed in this report, but are listed in the Page Query Terms report.
• Status and Errors - This report shows the status code of each response from the server to a hit (file request). To drill down to the file level of any error code (300-500 series codes), click the arrow next to any entry. This report is essential for determining where problems exist in your site, particularly 404 (not found) errors.
• All Files
  • All Files by Hits - This report ranks the popularity of all files on your site by number of Hits (requests) and relative percentage. This chart includes web pages, downloads, images and all other requested files.
  • All Files by Bytes - This report ranks the popularity of all files on your site based upon bytes transferred and relative percentage of total bytes transferred. This chart includes web pages, downloads, images and all other requested files.
• Directory Drilldown
  • Directory by Pages Drilldown - This report lists each Directory and Page that was accessed on your site during the currently selected Date Range. By clicking on any folder icon, you can drill-down to subdirectories and eventually the actual Pages themselves. Page names are linked, and can be clicked on to view the Page in question (in a new browser window).
  • Directory by Files Drilldown - This report lists each Directory and File that was accessed on your site during the currently selected Date Range. By clicking on any folder icon, you can drill-down to subdirectories and eventually the actual Files themselves. File names are linked, and can be clicked on to view the item in question.
  • Directory by Bytes Drilldown  - This report lists each directory and file that was accessed on your site and the amount of Bytes transferred (bandwidth) consumed by delivery of that directory or file during the currently selected Date Range. By clicking on any folder icon, you can drill-down to subdirectories and eventually the actual files themselves. File names are linked, and can be clicked on to view the item in question.
• File Types
  • File Types by Hits - This report shows the types of files, based on their extensions, that were accessed on your site, such as GIF images, HTML files, or CGI scripts, ranked by Hits (requests). This report is important for determining which parts of your site are responsible for the bulk of your server resource usage.
  • File Types of Bytes - This report shows the types of files that were accessed on your site, such as GIF images, HTML files, or CGI scripts, ranked by Bytes (bandwidth). This report is important for determining which parts of your site are responsible for the bulk of your network usage.

Navigation

• Entrance Pages - This report shows the first Page viewed for each Session in the currently selected Date Range. This is where Visitors entered your website.
• Exit Pages - This report lists the last Page visited in each Session by your site's visitors over the currently selected Date Range.
• Bounce Rate - This report lists the pages on which visitors entered and then exited without viewing any other pages on the site (Bounce Pages).
  • Bounces is the number of times visitors exited from the page without visiting any other pages on the site.
  • Entrances is the total number of entrances on the page.
  • Bounce Rate is the percentage of entrances on the page that resulted in exits without viewing any other page on the site. It is calculated as Bounces divided by Entrances.
• Click Paths - This report shows the most popular paths traveled by your site's visitors starting with their Entrance Page. Each entry lists one or more Pages in the order they were viewed separated by arrows. This report is compiled for all Sessions during the current Date Range.
• Click To and From - This report shows the click through percentage for each Page in the site. That is, for each Page, the report will show how visitors got to that Page and where they went after viewing that Page.
• Length of Pageview - This report shows the Pages on your site by the average time spent on each Page for all Sessions during the currently selected Date Range. Use the Filter option at the top or the Next button at the bottom to find a particular page. The average time spent on the page is shown in hours:minutes:seconds.
• Depth of Session - This histogram report shows how many Pageviews Visitors are seeing within a Session. For each Session during the current Date Range, the number of Pageviews for the Session is used to increment one of the entries in the report. For example, if a Visitor clicks and sees 5 Pageviews in a particular Session, then the '5 Pages' data point is incremented by one for that Session. All Sessions comprising 20 pages or more are grouped under the '20+ pages' element.
• Length of Session - This histogram report shows how much time Visitors are spending on your site. For each session, the duration is calculated and the appropriate data point is incremented. For example, if a particular Visitor spent 45 seconds on your site during a Session, then the '31-60 sec' data point is incremented by one for that Session.

Referrals

• Referrals - This report ranks referring URLs (external web pages) that brought traffic to your site. For Sessions without an external referral, which occurs when a Visitor goes directly to your site via a bookmark/favorite or by typing in the URL directly, the (no referral) entry is incremented. This allows you to compare the percentage of traffic from external links versus Visitors that already know about your site. Click any referring page to view it in a new browser window.
• Referral Drilldown - The Referral Drilldown report lists the top domains that brought visitors to your site. Click the arrow next to any entry to show the pages that contained the links to your site. For Sessions without an external referral, which occurs when a Visitor goes directly to your site via a bookmark/favorite or by typing the URL, the (no referral) entry is incremented. This allows you to compare the percentage of traffic from external links versus Visitors that already know about your site.
• Search Terms - This report lists the actual keywords/phrases people typed into search engines to find your site. Entries are ranked by the number of Sessions each was responsible for. To list all phrases with a particular word, enter the word in the Filter at the top and press Enter. The Total at the bottom of the report will now represent the total number of search phrases that contain that word.
• Search Engines - This report lists each Search Engine that referred traffic to your site using a keyword search. By clicking on the arrow next to each entry, you can see the actual Search Terms people typed in. Entries are ranked by the number of Sessions each Search Engine was responsible for.
• Referral Errors - This report lists each error code and the item that was requested by Hits over the current Date Range.This report is designed to inform you about 'bad' links from other sites to yours -- these are often caused when a page is re-named or deleted from your site. Click on the arrow next to each entry to see all the referring sites that contain the Referral Error (bad link).

Domains and Users

• Domains - This report shows you what networks your site visitors came from, ranked by Sessions. Urchin can resolve most networks, but some will always be unresolved, meaning the network could not be identified. It is common to get about 50-80% resolution. Domains with country codes will be shown with 3 levels; other domains, such as '.com', will be shown with 2 levels. The (no entry) listing is a catchall category for Sessions with unresolvable Domains.
• Domain Drilldown - This report lists the top-level domains, such as .com and .net, that your site's visitors came from, ranked by Sessions. By clicking the arrow next to each entry, you can see the actual networks (second and third level domains) under each top-level domain. Urchin can resolve most networks, but some will always be unresolved, meaning the network could not be identified. The (no entry) term includes all unresolved IP addresses. This will often be the first or second item in the chart.
• Countries - This Report lists top level domains with an emphasis on political affiliation, ranked by Sessions. Since the bulk of web traffic is from net, com, and org domains (mostly US-based), they are included. The rest will mostly be actual country codes, which in most cases are reliable indicators of the origin of the traffic (though some sell domains to anyone). The (no entry) term includes all unresolved IP addresses.
• IP Addresses - This report lists the individual IP addresses used by visitors to your site. The list is ranked according to the number of Sessions from each IP. IP addresses may represent individual users, but generally are gateways to large corporate or ISP networks.
• IP Drilldown - This report lists the IP addresses associated with visitors to your site broken down into classes (A, B, C, or D). The list is ranked according to the number of Sessions from each class A IP. By clicking the arrow next to any entry, you get all the class B IP information. These are further broken down into C and D classes.
• Usernames
  • Usernames by Hits - This report lists the top Usernames that were used during user authentication as required by your site, ranked by the number of hits. If your site does not require a password, no Usernames will be listed. Only users authenticated by methods that record the Usernames in the log file will be reported on; an example is the '.htaccess' method, which is built-in to Apache.
  • Usernames by Bytes - This report lists the top Usernames that were used during user authentication as required by your site, ranked by the quantity of network traffic in Bytes each was responsible for. If your site does not require a password, no Usernames will be listed. Only users authenticated by methods that record the Usernames in the log file will be reported on; an example is the '.htaccess' method, which is built-in to Apache.
  • Usernames by Sessions - This report lists the top Usernames that were used during user authentication as required by your site, ranked by the number of Sessions each was responsible for. If your site does not require a password, no Usernames will be listed. Only users authenticated by methods that record the Usernames in the log file will be reported on; an example is the '.htaccess' method, which is built-in to Apache.

Browsers and Robots

• Browsers
  • Browsers by Sessions Drilldown - This report lists the top Browsers, such as Netscape Navigator and Microsoft Internet Explorer, that people used to view your site, ranked by Sessions conducted with that particular Browser. To see the version numbers of any browser used, click the arrow next to any entry.
  • Browsers by Hits Drilldown - The Browsers by Hits Drilldown report lists the top Browsers, such as Netscape Navigator and Microsoft Internet Explorer, that people used to view your site, ranked by Hits. To see the version numbers of any browser used, click the arrow next to any entry.
  • Browser by Bytes Drilldown - This report lists the top Browsers, such as Netscape Navigator and Microsoft Internet Explorer, that people used to view your site, ranked by the quantity of network traffic (Bytes) that particular Browser was responsible for. To see the version numbers of any browser used, click the arrow next to any entry.
• Platforms
  • Platforms by Sessions Drilldown - This report lists the top computer operating systems, such as Windows, Macintosh, or Linux, that people used when visiting your site, ranked by number of Sessions each was used for. By clicking on the arrow next to each entry, you can see the versions of each platform used, such as Windows 98 or Macintosh PPC.
  • Platforms by Hits Drilldown - This report lists the top computer operating systems, such as Windows, Macintosh, or Linux, that people used when visiting your site, ranked by Hits (requests). By clicking on the arrow next to each entry, you can see the versions of each platform used, such as Windows 98 or Macintosh PPC.
  • Platforms by Bytes Drilldown - This report lists the top computer operating systems, such as Windows, Macintosh, or Linux, that people used when visiting your site, ranked by quantity of network traffic (Bytes) each was responsible for. By clicking on the arrow next to each entry, you can see the versions of each platform used, such as Windows 98 or Macintosh PPC.
• Combos
  • Combos by Sessions - This report combines the Browser and Platform reports and produces a list of the most common computer setups used to view your site, such as 'Internet Explorer 6.0 | Windows XP'. Browsers are grouped by minor release number, that is, 6.0 and 6.1 would be different entries. Due to the way log data is recorded, Macintosh computers are only shown in terms of processor type, either 68k (old) or PPC (new).
  • Combos by Hits - This report combines the Browser and Platform reports and produces a list of the most common computer setups used to view your site, such as 'Internet Explorer 6.0 | Windows XP'. Browsers are grouped by minor release number, that is, 6.0 and 6.1 would be different entries. Due to the way log data is recorded, Macintosh computers are only shown in terms of processor type, either 68k (old) or PPC (new).
  • Combos by Bytes - This report combines the Browser and Platform reports and produces a list of the most common computer setups used to view your site, such as 'Internet Explorer 6.0 | Windows XP'. Browsers are grouped by minor release number, that is, 6.0 and 6.1 would be different entries. Due to the way log data is recorded, Macintosh computers are only shown in terms of processor type, either 68k (old) or PPC (new).
• Robots
  • Robots by Hits Drilldown - This report lists the Robots and Spiders that visited your site, ranked by Hits (requests). This report does not include Browsers, such as Internet Explorer. By clicking the arrow next to any entry, you can see its specific version information.
  • Robots by Bytes Drilldown - This report lists the Robots and Spiders that visited your site, ranked by Bytes (network traffic). This report does not include Browsers, such as Internet Explorer. By clicking the arrow next to any entry, you can see its specific version information.

FAQs

How can I view results for a specific domain?

The statistics for this domain would be integrated with the current statistics program you have on your website. You are provided with one license of the Urchin software per shared server account. Should you need independent licenses for each domain, you will need to setup another (gs) Grid-Service with (mt) Media Temple for each domain. 

Which version of Urchin is installed on the (gs) Grid-Service?

Currently we are using Urchin 5.7.02 on the (gs) Grid-Service.

Can I control when Urchin updates my statistics?

Urchin uses the server log files to display statistics. The (gs) Grid-Service is a shared platform so Urchin must go through different customers log files before yours can be updated. Unfortunately, because of this there is no way to manually update Urchin. Usually Urchin will update within 12 hours, but it may take up to 24 hours.

Can I use Urchin and Google Analytics at the same time?

Yes, because Urchin and Google Analytics track statistics with different techniques they can be used at the same time. Please read: Can I use both Google Analytics and Urchin 5 at the same time?

Why does Google Analytics and my Urchin stats not match?

Analytics packages like Google Analytics, Webtrends, etc., use javascript to track traffic. The Urchin offered on the (gs) or (dv) both use server logs to determine statistics. Due to the different techniques in tracking some statistics will be displaying completely different results.

Resources

• Urchin Homepage - http://www.google.com/urchin/
• Urchin FAQ at Google - http://www.google.com/urchin/faq.html