I want to track my site visitors on all pages, and I'd like to use a service that tells me which pages visitors are looking at and what links they click etc. Is this possible with iWeb and how?

I'm using Statcounter. It's very easy to use and it just works great...

Chapter 1: What does Statcounter provide?

Chapter 2: How can I add Statcounter to my website?

Intro

2.1 Manually editing HTML post-publishing (not recommended)

2.2 HTML Snippets (not recommended, unless you’re using MobileMe’s comment feature)

2.3 Having the code added automatically (recommended)

2.3.1 Using iTweak (Freeware) (Recommended, also works for Google Analytics)

2.3.2 Using MassReplaceIt (Freeware)

2.3.2.a Selectively, only to pages you choose

2.3.2.b To all your pages

Chapter 1: What does Statcounter provide?

The stat counter can be visible or invisible, you can make sure it doesn’t count you in when you visit your own pages, and it also provides fantastic information like:

-which page did your visitors come from

-where they live

-how long they spent on each page

-how they navigated in your site

-which browser they used

-which system they are working on

-you get a graph showing your page loads over a week, month, year,

-and a lot more

I think one of the most useful things is that your can create a blocking cookie so it will not log your visits

Statcounter is a must have and it's FREE

Chapter 2: How can I add Statcounter to my website?

Intro

Go to Statcounter.com they will give you a code which you will have to add to your pages in one of the ways provided here. All methods work for both MobileMe Publishing and Publishing to a folder.

Please note that if you want to enable MobileMe’s comment feature post-publishing HTML editing may cause the MobileMe comment feature to not-work. All the following methods involve post-publishing-editing except the HTML Snippet method.

2.1 Manually editing HTML post-publishing (not recommended)

By "adding to a page post publishing" I mean the following: you don't add the code in iWeb itself. First you publish and then search for the html file of the page you want to put the code on and then edit the html code with an html editing application like Dreamweaver or a plain text editor adding the Statcounter code manually.

The problem is that every time you republish that page from iWeb to the server the html file you putted the code on gets overwritten with the new html file and so the Statcounter code should be added again. That's wasting time...

2.2 HTML Snippets (not recommended, unless you’re using MobileMe’s comment feature)

A better and easier way to add the code if you have iLife '08: Just put it in an Html Snippet.

There are just three inconveniences:

- First: when you click on your page in iWeb when editing it it will count it as a visit. Create a blocking cookie and tell Statcounter to block your IP address, then it shouldn't count it anymore.

- Second: HTML Snippets create a new page to which the code you enter to the Snippet gets added and that new page is embedded into the page you added the Snippet to using an iFrame. Nevertheless, even if the code is added to another page Statcounter will work. It’s just that that doubles the amount of pages your website has (however that doesn’t affect loading speeds).

- Third: Because of the inconvenience mentioned in Second the way Statcounter will display your Stats differently

alyeska.altervista.org/frames/Frames//iWebFAQmenu_files/widget0_markup.html

instead of:

alyeska.altervista.org/frames/Frames.html

thus //iWebFAQmenu_files/widget0_markup.html is added to the page url. In case you don’t care about that that’s not an issue.

2.3 Having the code added automatically (Recommended)

Yet the best way is having the code added automatically to every single page of your website so that you can follow a visitor browsing through your whole website (if you want) and you don’t have to add the code manually. It works for both: publishing to MobileMe and to folder in either ways.

2.3.1 Using iTweak (Freeware) (Recommended)

1. Publish your website

- To folder if you’re a folder publisher,

- To server/iDisk if you’re using MobileMe

2. Open iTweak

3. Go to Hitcounter

4. Get the Statcounter or Google Analytics code (or both) and paste it into the “Hitcounter Code” filed

5. Check the “Integrate invisible Hitcounters” box

6. Click on “Choose Published Site”

- If you publish to a folder choose the folder you publish to from iWeb

1. -If you publish to MobileMe select your iDisk/Web/Sites/ folder where iWeb publishes to.
   

If you can’t choose the iDisk because you don’t see it go to Finder/Preferences/Sidebar and check the box near the iDisk

7. Hit Process Site. You’re done.

Note: You have to run iTweak every time you re-publish from iWeb.

What is iTweak? And what is it good for? Have a look at this page

For further information and download on guimkie.com

2.3.2 Using MassReplaceIt (Freeware) (Recommended)

2.3.2.a Selectively, only to pages you choose

(recommended if publishing to MobileMe)

1. In the pages you want to add the Statcounter to add a textfield with StatcounterGoesHere

2. You publish your website

1. - To folder if you’re a folder publisher,
   

2. - To server/iDisk if you’re using MobileMe
   

3. Download MassReplaceIt and open the application

4. In the Search field type StatcounterGoesHere

5. In the Replace field paste your Statcounter code

6. In Files add your website

(first be sure that in the Preferences=>General=>When adding a folder to a search list”=>”Add the folder” is selected)

- If you publish to a folder choose the folder you publish to from iWeb

- If you publish to MobileMe select your iDisk/Web/Sites/ folder where iWeb publishes to.

If you can’t choose the iDisk because you don’t see it go to Finder/Preferences/Sidebar and check the box near the iDisk

7. Hit Replace all and MassReplaceIt will search for files it has to make changes to

8. Again hit Replace All

9. Save the query for the next time you publish so you will only have to hit the Replace button

Note: You have to repeat the procedure from step 8 to 9 every time you re-publish.

If MassReplaceIt didn’t work. If MassReplaceIt didn’t find any of the TextBoxes to replace with HTML codes. Read this MassReplaceIt & HTML troubleshoot page.

2.3.2.b To all your pages

(not recommended when publishing to MobileMe, recommended when publishing to a folder)

1. You publish your website

1. - To folder if you’re a folder publisher,
   

2. - To server/iDisk if you’re using MobileMe
   

2. Download MassReplaceIt and open the application

3. In the Search field type </body>

4. In the Replace field paste your Statcounter code and add </body> to it

5. In Files add your website

(first be sure that in the Preferences=>General=>When adding a folder to a search list”=>”Add the folder” is selected)

- If you publish to a folder choose the folder you publish to from iWeb

- If you publish to MobileMe select your iDisk/Web/Sites/ folder where iWeb publishes to.

If you can’t choose the iDisk because you don’t see it go to Finder/Preferences/Sidebar and check the box near the iDisk

6. Hit Replace all and MassReplaceIt will search for files it has to make changes to

7. Again hit Replace All

8. Save the query for the next time you publish so you will only have to hit the Replace button

Note: You have to repeat the procedure from step 8 to 9 every time you re-publish.

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