Victor Chen

When I first started creating and managing websites, I discovered the immediate need to track the number of visitors. But I needed more than just a simple counter. I wanted to know their browser settings to properly design a cross-browser friendly website and where in the world visitors are from. I’ve tried half a dozen sites and found StatCounter.com as the best free service.

StatCounter.com‘s service is entirely hosted on their homepage, so there is no program installation which makes setting up as simple as pasting a script on each page requiring tracking. They offer much the same as similar sites, but take it a step further. My favorite aspect is the option of an invisible tracker. As a trade-off on other stat tracking sites, the tracking script automatically places a small button linking back to their site. I find this often does not flow well with design and/or page load time. Below are some of the many options available as a free account.

1. Summary
2. Popular Pages
3. Entry Pages
4. Exit Pages
5. Came From
6. Keyword Analysis
7. Recent Keyword Activity
8. Recent Came From
9. Search Engine Wars
10. Visitor Paths
11. Visit Length
12. Returning Visits
13. Recent Pageload Activity
14. Recent Visitor Activity
15. Recent Visitor Map
16. Country/State/City/ISP
17. Browser
18. System Stats
19. Lookup IP Address
20. Download Logs

As with all free services, there are limitations which can be eliminated via the paid service. For StatCounter.com, the limitation (at the time of this article) is the log will only hold up to 500 pageloads before knocking off the oldest hits. The Log determines the comprehensiveness of each of the above services. Please visit StatCounter for paid fees.

Because there are limitations, this free service is ideal for webmasters managing small sites with low to medium traffic. Visit Statcounter.com for a free demo before you sign up for a free account!