Do you use some kind of analytics program like Google Analytics to track how many people are visiting your website or blog and which pages are of most interest to them? If so, you may be artificially inflating your own statistics each time you check your site.
The good news is that there is something you can do about it. Most analytics type services, like Google Analytics and StatsCounter, provide you with a way to filter out (or ignore) your access to your own website. This is typically done by using something called an IP address, which is kind of like the street address of your home except that it's for your computer, cell phone or network and typically changes periodically. Unlike your home street address, an IP address is not tied to a specific physical location in the world but rather simply used to make communications between your computer and other computers on the Internet possible. Otherwise it would be like saying "Hey you over there" in a stadium with thousands of people and hoping the one right person knows you are talking to them and responds back.
As I mentioned, the problem with IP addresses for computers is that they change periodically, sometimes each time you start your computer. The solution is to assign a name that doesn't change to that address. There are several providers who offer this service for free. One of the most popular companies is www.DynDNS.org. What makes this particular company special is that many routers (the device that enables many computers to connect to the Internet over a shared connection) included a place for you to enter your DynDNS account information. Entering the information into your router avoid having to install software on your computer. If you have a smartphone, you will still need to install software on it so that your phone doesn't artificially inflate the statistics on your website.
So why did I make you go through all of this? Unlike most services like StatsCounter, Google Analytics allows you to add filters based on domain names. Entering a DynDNS domain name will help you avoid having to go back and update the filter each time your IP address changes.
So what does the filter do? Simply, it prevents your own computers from increasing the counter on your website when you access your own website.
Note that "hits" on your website (computers accessing the pages on your website) can also be artificially inflated by search engines as they explore your website. That is one of the main reasons for not submitting your website address to virtually every search engine in the world. There are only a handful of significant search engines out there that will bring people to your website. The rest will simply keep exploring your website without providing any significant gain and is therefore not recommended.
If this sound like it might be useful to you but you are not sure how to go about it, give me a call and I will be happy to be of service to you.
With warmest regards,
Michael
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Coach Michael Milette
Providing Sustainable Solutions to Life
www.TNGConsulting.ca
Tel:613-825-0091
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