What is Urchin, how can I upgrade?
What is Urchin, what isn't it?
What does it do?
Where does info come from?
How does Urchin interface work?
How do I use the interface?
What about security?
Definitions and reference
Report types and explanation
Where to go for help
Urchin Lite
How do I access my Urchin Lite traffic reports?
If you have a Dial-Up Free Member Webspace, visit your Personal Start Page (PSP), and click on the "View my Urchin Report" button, log in your username and password or just go to http://hometools.earthlink.net/webstats/index.html .Urchin -- General overview, FAQs, & Help
1. What is Urchin? What is Urchin Pro, and how can I upgrade?
Everyone who operates a Web site needs to know how it is being used, by which groups of people, how it is navigated, how frequently, and with what equipment (hardware and software). Without this information, site owners are effectively flying blind: it is impossible to gauge the efficacy of marketing programs, link exchanges, search engine placement, banner ads, or any other attempt to promote a site. Urchin answers all these questions and many more, providing critical insights into the way people are using the site, including essential decision-support material for design and content. Need to know about traffic for a specific time period? Urchin's Date Range feature allows just that for virtually any data set.1.1 Urchin Lite
Urchin Lite is the standard reporting system for EarthLink's introductory Web hosting service (Provided at no charge to all Dial-Up Free Member Webspaces). Urchin Lite features extensive visitor reporting information on site traffic, including Hits, Visitors, Pages Accessed, and Bytes Transferred.1.2 Urchin Pro
Urchin Pro, the full-featured version of Urchin, is included at no charge on all domain-based sites (www.YourDomain.com), and features greatly expanded reporting capabilities. Beyond the basic Traffic reports and Pages Accessed in Urchin Lite, Urchin Pro is equipped with highly detailed and in-depth reports on Referrals, Domains, Browsers/Platforms, and extensive Visitor Tracking. With Urchin Pro, site operators are privy to a wealth of additional information such as: Which network are my visitors coming from? What types of files are requested the most frequently? How did visitors find my site? What search engines are bringing people in? Which keywords are bringing traffic? Are visitors using current enough browsers to view my content? What paths are people taking through my site?1.3 Upgrades
To upgrade your Urchin reporting functionality (and receive Urchin Pro), you must upgrade to EarthLink's domain-based hosting service. To do this, click on the upgrade link within your Urchin report interface.2. What is Urchin? What isn't it?
Urchin resides on a server and is an HTML-based, Web visitor reporting system designed for large-scale hosting networks such as EarthLink's. The philosophy behind Urchin's reporting is this: Provide the critical information people need and want to know about their Website's visitors in a manner that is easy to digest. Its purpose is to distill raw Web server log files into succinct yet thorough reports for Web site owners. Urchin is not a hardware-dependent packet-sniffing system. It is not an intensely detailed, Oracle-based drill-down system. Urchin does not collect personal data, email addresses, credit card numbers, private information or any details about individual users to a Web site. Urchin was designed to produce highly detailed demographic and statistical data about site visitors, without violating anyone's privacy.3. What does Urchin do?
Urchin processes raw Web server log files generated by server software such as Apache, Netscape Enterprise, and Microsoft IIS. It then creates HTML-based reports that can be viewed with any modern browser.3.1. Who can see the reports Urchin creates for me?
Only you and those you give your login/password can see your reports.4. Where does Urchin's raw information come from?
Urchin gleans all of its knowledge from parsing Web server log files and interpolating various things from that information.4.1. Where is Urchin run?
Urchin is run from the EarthLink servers, and all configuration is handled by EarthLink system administrators.5. How the Urchin interface works
5.1 JavaScript System
Urchin's HTML interface uses the interactive abilities of JavaScript to deliver a dynamic, attractive user experience. JavaScript allows the use of expanding/collapsing menus, automatic page updates, on-the-fly language switching, and much more.5.2 Browser Compatibility
Urchin is compatible with Netscape 3.01+ and Internet Explorer 3.0 J2 (4.0+ recommended for both Netscape and IE). Now that most Web surfers are using Netscape 4.5+ or Explorer 5, there should be few problems with JavaScript compatibility. When a user attempts to view a report with a browser that is not supported by Urchin, a dialog box comes up to let the user know that a browser upgrade is required.5.3 Navigation and Report Sections
In order to present the wide variety of available information in a manner that doesn't confuse or overwhelm the site owner, Urchin uses a system of expandable/collapsible menus and tab-based reports. Urchin's main navigation is contained in six master options (not including the Help and Controls sections), each of which have a number of subcategories. Whenever a user clicks on a master category, the submenu is expanded and the user is taken to the first report in that particular category. The selected report will be highlighted in a shade of the "family" color for that category. This color is mirrored in the title bar of the report in question, providing an intuitive visual cue for users to identify the section they're viewing. Each report in Urchin's main window will have one or more tabs which control which parameter of site visitation is handled in that section. Examples include Hits, Pageviews, Bytes (bandwidth), Visitors, etc.5.4 Frequency of Updates
Urchin is updated on the EarthLink network at or near 12 a.m. PST everyday. Reports are usually updated with the previous day's information by 3 a.m. PST.6. The Urchin Interface
6.1 Site Report: Main Navigation
6.2 Date Range Navigation
6.3 Controls/Preferences Navigation
6.4 Central Reporting Frame
6.4.1 Report Name (with Top Referrals chart selected)
6.4.2 Tabs
6.4.3 Date Range
The date range in the upper right corner of all Urchin reports reflects the currently selected reporting period. This may change according to the report you are viewing (See 6.4.1 or 6.4.2).6.4.4 Previous/Next
The Previous and Next buttons select the corresponding set of data entries on any Urchin chart (See 6.4.1).6.4.5 Bar Graphs
All Urchin bar graphs are ranged according to the top entry to give an easily readable comparison between entries. The actual range is shown at the top right of the reports.
7. Security
Many site owners are concerned about the security of the reports about their site(s), and this is a valid concern. The reports produced by Urchin for members of the EarthLink hosting network are protected the same as each user's other proprietary information, such as email: with a login and password known only to the user. That way only people authorized by the site owner can view the Urchin reports.8. Definitions of Terms - A Reference
8.1 Hits
A "hit" is simply any request to the Web server for any type of file. This can be an HTML page, an image (.jpeg, .gif, .png, etc.), a sound clip, a CGI script, and many other file types. An HTML page can account for several hits: the page itself, each image on the page, and any embedded sound or video clips. Therefore, the number of hits a Web site receives is not a valid popularity gauge, but rather is an indication of server use and loading.8.2 Visitors
A Visitor is defined as a series of hits from any IP address or host separated in time by no more than 30 minutes. This definition assumes a couple of things: · That a hit from the same IP address in under 30 minutes is probably the same person · That a hit from the same IP address separated in time by more than 30 minutes is likely to be a different person, and is counted as such. It's useful to describe what a "Visitor" is not. It is not necessarily a unique person. It is not a unique IP address or host name. It is actually impossible to know these things precisely from a Web server's log files. This is mostly due to the fact that many of the largest Internet access/service providers, such as EarthLink and AOL, recycle IP addresses out of necessity, because they have so many members. Therefore, Visitors are defined according to an industry-standard formula that is reasonably accurate, and will give numbers close to the actual figure for virtually all Web sites.8.3 Pageviews
A "page" is defined as any file dished out by a Web server that would generally be considered a Web document. This includes HTML pages (.html, .htm, .shtml), script-generated pages (.cgi, .asp, .cfm, etc.), and plain-text pages. Image files (.jpeg, .gif, .png, etc.), sound files (.wav, .aiff, etc.), video files (.mov, etc.), and other non-document files do not count as pages. Each time a file defined as a page is served, Urchin registers a Pageview.8.4 What's the difference between a Hit, a Pageview, and a Visitor?
One request for any file on your site is a single "hit". Pageviews narrow down the "hit" list by counting only certain kinds of files- HTML files, Text files, etc. A Visitor is defined as a series of hits from any particular IP address. If any two hits are separated by 30 minutes or more, two visitors are counted. "Visitors" represents an extrapolated number.8.5 Bytes (Transfer / Bandwidth)
A "byte" is a unit of information transferred over a network (or stored on a hard drive or memory). Every Web page, image, or other type of file is composed of some number of bytes. Large files, such as video clips, may be composed of millions of bytes ("megabytes"). Since Web site and server performance is heavily affected by the amount of bytes transferred, and Web hosting providers often charge according to this measure, it is very important for site owners to be aware of and understand. Common terms incorporating the word "byte" are: Kilobytes - one thousand bytes Megabyte - one million bytes Gigabyte - one billion bytes Terabyte - one trillion bytes9. Explanation of Urchin Lite Reports - Traffic Domains & Pages
9.1 Traffic
9.1.1 Snapshot
When site owners arrive at the Urchin report for their site, they are presented with the Traffic Snapshot page. The information shown here is the big, friendly bar graph with the traffic trend for the week in terms of Visitors. This is meant to be an easy-to-swallow visual representation of the basic pattern of visitation at the site. Precise numbers are shown at the top of each bar graph element. Tabs at the top of the report allow viewing the graph by Pages, Hits, and Bytes (bandwidth). Why is this useful? Site owners can see at a glance if traffic is increasing or decreasing without any numbers analysis, and no one will be intimidated by the friendly interface.9.1.2 Summary
This display is a brief comparative chart showing Hits, Pageviews, Bytes, and Visitors for the last 24 hours vs. the daily average for the current month, and the percentage difference between the two. This is a practical and handy way to quickly assess whether traffic is generally increasing or decreasing. Why is this useful? Site owners can quickly assess if all the major parameters of site visitation are increasing or decreasing with the large, color-coded "+" and "-" signs on the chart. Promotional efforts can be instantly evaluated.9.1.3 Hourly Graph
This chart breaks down traffic by hour, showing (by default) the number of Visitors for each hour period, along with the percent of total traffic that hour represents, and a bar graph for quick visual indication. Tabs at the top of the report allow viewing the graph by Visitors, Pages, Hits, and Bytes (bandwidth). Why is this useful? Knowing at what times traffic is highest and lowest is important for scheduling updates to Web sites, especially if the site is going to be down for any length of time. In most cases site owners will want to do maintenance during off-peak hours. The time that traffic is highest also helps indicate which time zone is the biggest traffic source.9.1.4 Daily Graph
This graph lists each day of the current month, and the traffic each represents, both via a number and a bar graph element. Tabs at the top of the report allow viewing the graph by Visitors, Pages, Hits, and Bytes (bandwidth). Why is this useful? This report is important for determining the recent visitation trend, what days of the week are important for your site, and whether people are visiting mostly at work (during the week) or at home (on weekends). The effects of holidays, promotions, and other special events on site traffic can also be easily assessed with this report.9.1.5 Monthly Graph
This graph shows activity by month for the current year. This report will always include only those months for which traffic has been recorded. If there is only one month of data so far, there will be only one bar graph element. As months go by, the graph elements will become thinner in order to fit them all in the display. Tabs at the top of the report allow viewing the graph by Pages, Hits, and Bytes (bandwidth). Why is this useful? The Monthly Trend is a great way to instantly know if traffic to your site is building over time. As traffic on the Web is increasing significantly every month, site owners need to know if their traffic is keeping pace with approximately 5 - 10% increases every month.9.1.6 Top Servers
This graph ranks the server used in load balancing and the amount of traffic handled by each server in the cluster. This reporting can detect malfunctioning load-balancing software or tell you when it's time to add another box. Why is this useful? This report can help administrators accurately assess when to add another server, why performance is lagging on a specific machine, or if your network connection is up to the task.9.2 Pages
9.2.1 Directory Tree
This chart breaks down traffic by distinct directory (also called a "folder"). Each entry with a small blue arrow to its left can be clicked on and expanded to delve deeper into subdirectories. Tabs at the top of the report allow viewing the graph by Pages, Hits, or Bytes (bandwidth). Why is this useful? Many sites, especially those selling things, are organized by category, with each category having an appropriately named directory containing all its files. With this report, site owners can quickly see which major areas of their site are getting the most attention, and which are hampered in some way.9.2.2 File Types
This chart shows the top file types requested by visitors to the site. Examples include: .gif .html .jpeg .cgi .txt .mpeg .mp3 Bar graph elements show the percentage total of each in visual form. Tabs at the top of the report allow viewing the graph by Hits or Bytes (bandwidth). Why is this useful? With this report you can see which file types, such as MPEG movies or MP3 music files, are responsible for the traffic to your site. These two parameters tell you which page types get the most requests, and what these requests mean in terms of bandwidth. Often a site will get 90% of its hits to HTML pages, but 90% of bandwidth from image, movie, or music files. Since your EarthLink Free Website has a bandwidth quota for each month, this is valuable information.9.2.3 Errors
The most common errors reported by a Web server are "404 page not found"-type problems, which is why Errors was included in the Pages section. This report enables the site owner to easily track down problems such as broken links and filename typos. Tabs at the top of the report allow viewing the graph by Pages, Hits, and Bytes (bandwidth). Why is this useful? Few things irritate Web surfers more than encountering broken links and nonexistent images. By identifying errors on your site, Urchin points the way toward fixing any problems your site might have and improving the user experience (and possibly sales) of your site.9.2.4 Posted Forms
This report shows a list of the top forms used on your site. The list actually indicates the form handler such as a CGI script. Only form handlers that use the POST method are listed.9.3 Q & A About Urchin Reports
9.3.1. Who can see the reports Urchin creates for me?
Only you and those you give your login/password can see your reports.9.3.2 Why are there blank entries and cut-off entries on my report?
The Web server does its best to log all activity to your site accurately. However, at times the header information sent to the server by the Web surfer is corrupted or incomplete, and the server is unable to properly log the entry. This can result in missing items and cut-off entries in the logs and thereby in Urchin's reports.9.3.3 How do I get e-commerce reports?
Coming soon! You must upgrade your EarthLink hosting plan to a domain-based site to receive e-commerce reporting (Urchin with e-commerce reporting comes standard with this level of hosting).9.3.4 How do I do comparative analysis of different date ranges?
Open a new browser window (File New), pull up your Urchin report, and select the date range you wish to compare to.10. Additional EarthLink Technical Support
If you have a correction for this Web site, please email websupport@earthlink.net.
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