ConverTastic^tm

Where are Your Conversions REALLY Coming From?

Help Page

User Manual

1. The Search Window
2. The Manage-Files Window
3. The Import Window
4. The Results Window
5. The Filters Window
6. The Lookup-IP's Window

Server Log Info

1. The IP Address
2. The Request
3. The Referrer
4. The User Agent

Video Demo

1. Part 1 - Downloading and Installing
2. Part 2 - Downloading and Importing a Server Log File
3. Part 3 - Converting a Server-Log File
4. Part 4 - Importing a Server-Log File
5. Part 5 - The Filters Window
6. Part 6 - The Search Window
7. Part 7 - Searching

Notes

Your Server-Log Files

The quality of your conversion-tracking research depends largely upon the quality of your server logs. Here is the list you will want to ask your hosting company about, assuming they offer server logs at all, as many do not with cheap-o hosting plans:

1. You want logs with the crucial Referrer and User-Agent data.
2. You want logs with "resolved" IP numbers, not just the bare numbers.
3. You want logs updated in real-time, not just once a day.
4. You want logs stored on the server for at least a few days so you have plenty of time to download them before they are erased.
5. You want logs that are easy to download, and do not require labor at the command-line.

We have not made a survey of hosting companies, but here are a couple of options: OLM meets all the criteria above, however they simply do not feel the need to compete on features. They always offer much less data transfer, disk space, and software than their competitors. BlueHost's hosting plans are far superior to OLM's, however they will not resolve IP numbers. BlueHost does meet all the other criteria, and you can use ConverTastic to resolve the IP's yourself.

Keep in mind that hosting companies are constantly changing things, and configure different plans in different ways, so the notes above can become obsolete at any moment. Also, it is a good idea to ask a hosting company for a sample of a log file so that you can see exactly what they will be like.

Using Cookies to Assist Conversion Research

If your website does not have a cookie-system in place, we have a free cookie script that you can use.

The ConverTastic Database

ConverTastic uses the SQLite database engine, so you can freely move your database files between Windows and Mac computers. You can also use any SQLite browser program to open ConverTastic database files, which are in SQLite version 3 format. Once you build-up a large set of files, you could also develop your own software to access the databases. If you look into the database, you will see two additional fields beyond the standard server-log data fields. ConverTastic calculates its own date value for easier searching, and it also calculates an IP-number value that turns plain IP numbers into regular numbers, also for easier searching. Beyond those two items, the database structure is very simple.