Tools like AWStats are useful to help you analyze your website traffic and performance. AWStats is a web analytics tool included in cPanel that gives you detailed insights into how visitors interact with your website. From page views and bandwidth to traffic sources and search engine keywords, AWStats helps you understand what's working well and what needs attention.
How to Access AWStats in cPanel
Step 1: Log in to your cPanel account.
- Open your browser and go to your cPanel login URL (e.g., https://yourdomain.com/cpanel), then enter your credentials.
Step 2: Navigate to the Metrics section.
- Click on the AWStats icon.
Step 3: Select your domain.
- You’ll see a list of domains hosted under your account. Click View next to the domain you want to analyze.
Understanding the AWStats Report
AWStats presents data in a clear, organized format. Here are the key sections you’ll find:
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Summary
Overview of total visits, unique visitors, number of pages viewed, hits, and bandwidth used. -
Monthly and Daily Stats
Graphs and tables showing traffic by day and by month to help you spot trends over time. -
Visitor Details
Includes IP addresses, country of origin, visit duration, and the number of pages viewed per session. -
Traffic Sources
Shows whether visitors came directly, through a search engine, or from another referring website. -
Search Engines and Keywords
Lists search queries that brought users to your site, helpful for SEO planning. -
HTTP Status Codes
Displays errors and issues such as 404 (Not Found) and 500 (Server Error), so you can troubleshoot broken pages or server problems.
Benefits of Using AWStats
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Real-Time Monitoring
AWStats is updated frequently, allowing you to see how traffic changes over time. -
SEO Insights
Discover which search engines and keywords are driving traffic. -
Bot and Spider Tracking
Identify which search engine bots (e.g., Googlebot, Bingbot) are crawling your site. -
Bandwidth Management
See which pages or files consume the most bandwidth and take action to optimize performance.
How to Use AWStats Data to Improve Your Website
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Enhance SEO
Focus on keywords and search engines that are already driving traffic. -
Improve Page Speed
If certain pages use too much bandwidth, optimize images or enable caching. -
Increase Security
Identify suspicious IP addresses with high activity and consider blocking them via .htaccess or security tools. -
Refine Content Strategy
Use page view data to identify popular content and improve or expand it. -
Fix Broken Links
Regularly check the HTTP Status Codes section to find and fix 404 errors.