This article was originally published on my other blog: Site Scrutiny. I have since closed down that blog and merged the archives with Simply-Basic.com

Have you ever thought that you were surfing in anonymity? Think again! Most websites track their visitors pretty heavily. No, it’s not usually a malicious act. It is actually good web design to do so. I’m sure we have all placed the little hit counter on our first web site that kept track of how many times our web page was loaded. Remember how excited you got when you saw the number go up? If you are anything like I was, be ready to be wowed by StatCounter. According to their website StatCounter is a:

free yet reliable invisible web tracker, highly configurable hit counter and real-time detailed web stats. Insert a simple piece of our code on your web page or blog and you will be able to analyse and monitor all the visitors to your website in real-time.

So how does it rate? Pretty well actually. So good that I use it for my sites. StatCounter offers the ability to track multiple sites with one username, track where your visitors come from and exit to, what keywords they used to find you in a search engine, how long they stayed on your website, their browser, screen resolution, javascript status, IP address, and the list goes on. Oh, and did I mention it is free? StatCounter is jammed packed full of great features for your website. That’s why I give this one 4 out of 5 stars. I only have a few criticisms.

So what are the downsides? Well, the main down size is that free users get a small log size. After you use your log size, I believe you just write over old log data. I don’t personally keep detailed logs of visitors for any length of time. I usually just keep general figures such as screen resolution and browser so that I can keep my website working best for the majority of users. You can upgrade to larger log sizes and other features for a monthly fee. The only other gripe that I have is concerning the layout. It definitely could use a makeover with some better organized navigation menus. But that is all purely cosmetic.

If you are looking for a great way of keeping stats on your site’s visitors, StatCounter is the way to go. You definitely need a service like this if you are going to maintain a professional site.

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