Use three sources together. Server logs record every request, including bots and files, and need no scripts. JavaScript analytics shows visits, engagement and sources for browsers that run it. Google Search Console shows how your pages perform in Google Search. Pick metrics tied to editorial goals, and handle personal data carefully.
From the original phpWordPress forum · archived copy
a forum member ·
The stats info in the admin pages is limited, so I intend to use other software to analysis the server web log. In the past I've always used WebTrends but my sites are all been pretty static so analysis is easy. As most of the pages severed up by phpWordPress are created dynamicaly has anyone got any useful ideas how to keep track of what's going on the site and any recommendations regarding analytical software?
phpWordPress staff (Product Line Manager) ·
I'd recommend downloading your access logs from the server, and putting them inside some good analysis tool. The fact phpWordPress creates dynamic pages has no significance, for it uses "friendly" URLs so you can easily see landing pages, exit pages, etc... I personally use Funnel Web Analyzer. Of course, Google Analytics (ex. Urchin) is also pretty good tool, although I hate all the flashy pies and chars... I like seeing fullscreen of plain numbers
a forum member ·
I'd had planned to download the logs and review locally. I'd overlooked the friendly URLs feature so was expectting a problem that shouldn't be there!. I'll give Funnel a try. Cheers.
View the archived thread on the Wayback Machine. Usernames and contact details have been removed.
In 2006 a site owner who had always used a log analyser on static sites asked how to track a dynamic one. The vendor said the dynamic generation did not matter because the site used readable URLs, so landing and exit pages were visible in logs. That still holds. What has changed is the number of ways to measure, and the privacy rules around them.
What are the ways to measure traffic?
| Method | What it sees | What it misses |
|---|---|---|
| Server logs | Every request the server handled: pages, files, feeds, bots, errors | What people did on the page; cached or CDN-served hits unless logs are collected there |
| JavaScript analytics | Visits, sources, engagement, events, for browsers that run the script | Visitors who block scripts or decline consent; crawler activity |
| Google Search Console | Impressions, clicks, CTR, average position and queries in Google Search | Traffic from other sources; what happens after the click |
None of them is the true number. Each answers a different question, and they will not match. Differences between tools are normal, so choose one source per question and watch trends rather than absolute totals.
What do server logs contain?
Apache’s documentation says the access log records all requests the server processed, with content controlled by the CustomLog directive. The Common Log Format records the client IP address, timestamp, request line, HTTP status code and response size. The Combined Log Format adds the referrer and user agent.
That is enough to answer practical publishing questions: which URLs return 404, which old articles still receive requests, how often crawlers visit, and whether a feed is being fetched. If your site sits behind a CDN or cache, make sure you collect logs from the edge as well as the origin, or cached hits will be missing.
Two cautions. Apache says log files can contain client-supplied data without escaping, so malicious clients can insert control characters; treat raw logs as untrusted input in your tools. And user-agent strings can be faked: Google Search Central says to verify Googlebot by reverse DNS or by matching its published IP ranges, rather than trusting the name.
What does JavaScript analytics add?
A script in the page reports what the browser did: pages viewed, time spent, scroll depth, clicks on newsletter signup, referrers and campaign tags. It can attribute traffic to channels and tie events to goals. The trade-offs are script weight, blocked scripts and privacy duties.
If you use Google Analytics, review its retention setting. Google’s help says event-level data can be kept for 2 months or 14 months, with longer options on the 360 tier only. Set the shortest period that suits your reporting.
What does Google Search Console add?
Google describes Search Console as a free service for monitoring and troubleshooting your presence in Google Search. Its Performance report shows clicks, impressions, CTR and average position, and can be grouped by query, page, country, device and date. The default view covers the past three months.
For a news site this is the best view of how editorial work performs in search. Compare queries with headlines, find pages with many impressions and few clicks, and watch whether new articles appear. Google also documents a Discover report, showing impressions, clicks and CTR for content that appeared in Discover, which Google describes as showing people content related to their interests. Search Console says nothing about visitors from social, email or direct sources, so it complements analytics, not replaces it. Our SEO notes cover search more broadly.
Which metrics should an editorial team use?
Pick a few that map to decisions.
| Question | Useful measure | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Is the story found in search? | Impressions, clicks, CTR, position by query | Search Console |
| Do people read it? | Engaged sessions, scroll depth, return visits | JavaScript analytics |
| Where does readership come from? | Sessions by channel, newsletter and social referrals | Analytics, with campaign tags |
| Is the site healthy? | 404s, 5xx errors, slow responses, crawler load | Server logs |
| Do readers come back? | Newsletter signups, repeat visitors | Analytics, email platform |
Avoid ranking journalists by raw page views alone; they reward headlines, not quality. Agree the metrics with the newsroom and review them on a fixed cadence.
What about privacy?
Logs hold IP addresses, and analytics scripts often set cookies or identifiers. Whether and how consent applies depends on your law and tools. The UK ICO publishes guidance on storage and access technologies such as cookies, including a section on the exceptions to the consent requirement. Check the regulator for the countries where your readers live.
Practical steps that help regardless: keep logs only as long as you need them, restrict who can read them, shorten the analytics retention period, avoid collecting personal data you do not use, and describe what you measure in your privacy policy. This is general information, not legal advice.
What should I do first?
- Turn on Search Console for your domain and check ownership.
- Make sure server or CDN logs are stored and who can access them.
- Pick one analytics tool, configure retention and consent, and define the five metrics your editors will use.
- Review the three sources monthly, and note when a number changes because of a tool change, not readers.
If you move CMS, keep URLs and tracking consistent so the history stays comparable. See our upgrade guide for what to test afterwards. Word & Press has not tested these tools; see how we test.
Questions people ask
Are server logs still worth analysing?
Yes, for different questions from browser analytics. Logs record every request the server handled, including crawlers, feeds, images and failed requests, so they show crawl activity and errors that JavaScript tools miss. They do not show on-page behaviour.
Do dynamic pages make log analysis harder?
Not if your URLs are readable and stable. The 2006 vendor reply said clean URLs made landing and exit pages easy to see. Problems arise with long query strings, which can make one page appear as many URLs, so normalise or exclude parameters in your analysis.
What can Google Search Console tell me that analytics cannot?
It shows how your pages perform in Google Search before anyone visits: impressions, clicks, click-through rate, average position and queries. Google's documentation also describes a Discover report. It covers Google surfaces only, not other traffic.
Do I need consent to measure site traffic?
It depends on the tool and your jurisdiction. Cookie-based analytics may need consent under laws such as the UK's rules, which the ICO guidance covers, while server logs and cookieless tools raise different questions. Check your regulator's guidance or ask a privacy adviser.
Sources
- Apache's documentation says the server access log records all requests processed by the server, and that its location and content are controlled by the CustomLog directive. — source, checked 10 October 2026.
- Apache's Common Log Format records the client IP address, timestamp, request line, HTTP status code and response size, and the Combined Log Format adds the Referer and User-Agent headers. — source, checked 10 October 2026.
- Apache's documentation warns that log files may contain information supplied directly by the client without escaping, so it is possible for malicious clients to insert control characters in log files and care must be taken in dealing with raw logs. — source, checked 10 October 2026.
- Google Search Central says user-agent strings can be spoofed and that you can verify Googlebot by a reverse DNS lookup on the IP address from your logs (the domain should be googlebot.com, google.com or googleusercontent.com) or by matching the IP to Google's published IP ranges. — source, checked 10 October 2026.
- Google's help page describes Search Console as a free service that helps you monitor, maintain and troubleshoot your site's presence in Google Search results. — source, checked 10 October 2026.
- Google's Search Console Performance report shows clicks, impressions, click-through rate (CTR) and average position, and can be grouped by queries, pages, countries, devices, search appearance or dates; the default view shows the past three months. — source, checked 10 October 2026.
- Google Search Central says Discover is a part of Google Search that shows people content related to their interests, and that the Performance report for Discover shows impressions, clicks and CTR for your content that appeared there. — source, checked 10 October 2026.
- Google Analytics help says event-level data retention can be set to 2 months or 14 months, with longer options (26, 38 and 50 months) for Analytics 360 only. — source, checked 10 October 2026.
- The UK ICO publishes guidance on the use of storage and access technologies such as cookies, which covers consent and includes a section on the exceptions to the consent requirement. — source, checked 10 October 2026.