Products
Webtrends Analytics 8.x
Webtrends Analytics 9.x
Cause
There are three parts to a URL. The first part of the URL is the domain name. The following are examples of a few domain names:
www.exexexese.com
www.zxexexexx.org
The second part of the URL is the directory path and file name for the page being viewed. When this data is logged, a page name will not always be present. This is usually the case when a visitor comes to the home page of a web site, or goes to a virtual directory, and the default page is what is served to the visitor. The following are examples of some of the paths that might show up in a web log:
/computers/monitors/settings.htm
/
/home.asp
/software/games/
The third part of the URL is the query string. The query string is used to define parameters that can be used for tracking and understanding visitor behavior. This can be in the form of revenue tracking or in just figuring out what type of content the visitor viewed. The query string is not required for a URL, and it is most useful for dynamic web content. The following are examples of query strings:
pid=553&active=1&type=color
id=32&group=valued%20customer&rev=29.99&content=toaster
Notice the “&” character in the above strings. These define the points at which one parameter/value pair ends and the next begins. In this manner, several different parameter/value pairs can be used to further define the characteristics of a given visitor.