I have just started my web business. I run my pages on a server that
doesnt allow javascripts to be added on the page. So I am not able to
add any counters on my page. How can I count the hits and track my
visitors without using a script on my page.

Hi there!

I've run into problems occasionally with JavaScript counters on pages
I've done, and have resorted to a service which offers regular HTML
counters.

SiteMeter
http://www.sitemeter.com

Sign up is quick and free.  Once you've registered, log in to your
account, select "HTML Code", then "Notepad" (under editors) -
SiteMeter will generate both a JavaScript and Regular HTML snippet for
you.  Just copy and paste the Regular HTML snippet into your page, and
you're all set.

SiteMeter HTML counters work in the same manner that their JavaScript
counters do, except that you can't see the last URL your visitor
browsed (referrer URL).  I've used SiteMeter for nearly 5 years, with
no problems at all.

I hope this is what you're looking for!

--Missy

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Request for Answer Clarification by netcash-ga on 31 Jul 2002 11:13 PDT

Hi Missy, 
Thank You for your answer. It is very helpful to me at this point in time. 
But...Just out of curiosity....I would like to know how these html counters work?

---

Clarification of Answer by missy-ga on 31 Jul 2002 11:39 PDT

Hi again!

How do they work?  Quite well!

Oh, wait...you didn't mean that, did you?

To be honest, I don't know how they work, exactly.  I believe the code
that actually does the tracking lives on the SiteMeter servers.  Here
is what my code looks like (altered slightly, of course):

<!--WEBBOT bot="HTMLMarkup" startspan ALT="Site Meter" -->
<a href="http://sm8.sitemeter.com/stats.asp?site=sm8missyfoofoo"
target="_top">
<img src="http://sm8.sitemeter.com/meter.asp?site=sm8missyfoofoo"
alt="Site Meter" border=0></a>
<!--WEBBOT bot="HTMLMarkup" Endspan -->

A little counter appears at the bottom of my page, and if I click it,
it will take me to my statistics page.  Clicking the number next to
each entry takes me to a vistor's report (altered, again):

Visit Detail
[ elided ] @ 7/31/2002 2:21:15 PM
Domain Name buckeye-express.com ? (Commercial)IP Address [ elided ]
Language Setting English
Operating System Microsoft WinME
Browser Netscape 5.0
Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Win 9x 4.90; en-US; rv:1.1a) Gecko/20020611
Time of Visit Jul 31 2002  2:18:33 pm
Last Page View Jul 31 2002  2:21:15 pm
Visit Length 2 minutes and 42 seconds
Page Views 6
Referring URL
Visit Entry Page http://www.foofoo.net/
Visit Exit Page http://www.foofoo.net/
Time Zone UTC-5:00
EST - Eastern Standard
EDT - Eastern Daylight Saving TimeVisitor's Time Jul 31 2002  2:18:33
pm

It's all pretty straightforward.

You can get more information about SiteMeter by visiting their FAQ:

SiteMeter FAQ
http://sm6.sitemeter.com/default.asp?action=help

Good luck!

--Missy

I never thought that I would get answers here out so quick. And, not
to forget.... Missy is wonderful....I mean Missy's answers :))

I've never seen a server that does not allow Javascript, since
Javascript is client-side.  Can you tell me which server does this?

Hello,

You should be able to get access to web server logs. Usually, the
primary file which records connections on your site is called
access_log .
You can then use a log file analysis software to extract information
from this file, once downloaded from the web server.

Here is a link which explains the basis of web log files :
http://www.nlc-bnc.ca/publications/1/p1-256-e.html

Kind regards

The way things like sitemeter works is this:

Notice how you've got a refrence to a file /on sitemeter's server/.
the fact that it's on their server is very important, because they
track hits to that file using their access log. So, when someone loads
http://sm8.sitemeter.com/stats.asp?site=sm8missyfoofoo
it logs it in their system, as every URL does. then, when you go to
view your stats, it will go through, and using the information listed
in their access log, provide you with your information.

I have used a variety of on-server and off-server stat programs. They
all have their strong points and weak points. Off-server often have
detailed stats and exhausting details. For my simpler sites I often
now just use the stat programs that come from the host company either
free or cheap. You might want to check with your web host and see what
they offer. Another benefit of server stats done this way are that
there is no redirect or off server time for page to download. Less
chance of something being down or slow. Also some search engines might
get confused at why they are being redirected off site and may index
the redirected page or some other anomaly. I have seen that happen
myself. And no redirects means cleaner html, and quicker load time if
you are worried about that.