Web servers

Once the site is up and running, you need to get the word out about it. A hit is whenever a copy of a Web page is downloaded. Having 100 hits on a Web page does not mean the page has had 100 different visitors. One visitor may download several copies of the same page in one visit due to navigating through the site. The popularity of a site is measured in number of hits though. Most servers provide some kind of log files that provide data on viewers. Useful information would include items such as page views/hits (by hour, day, week, month), visitor profile (type of browser used, operating system, screen resolution/image capabilites of viewer system, script viewing capabilities) and referrer information (search engine used to reach the site, keywords used in search, URL of last page viewed to allow tracking of where viewers are jumping from to reach your site).

Many servers provide access counters which show how many visitors the page and/or site has had. Counters are not usually considered proper on business sites. Most appear like odometers or little meters on the page. There are also sites that provide counters that do not require server setup.
Being listed in a directory, site index, or search engine is very useful for letting visitors know where to find you.


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