Misinformation

One of the first sources of misinformation that new webmasters or consultants encounter with analytics software is one that is found with log files more often than any other component. When analysing data after an initial time period, it becomes apparent that the number of unique visitors does not equal the numbers in the statistics report. The root cause of this inconsistency can be traced to the sum totals that result from simple algorithm definitions. Most current analytics software on the market today has customization features that can correct this problem; the key is awareness of which specific parameters to enter initially.

Cache inconsistencies are also another common problem; this stems from data results in which the number of new visitors versus repeat visitors does not match. Individual numbers are accurate on a small scale sampling, but errors become apparent when a larger sampling is examined. Again, the most common cause of this problem has to do with the initial metrics of the web analytics software. New hits from a new IP address for the first time need to be designated as units of web analytics measurement rather than as individual occurrences; this parameter has been shown to be the most effective solution for this issue.