Type:

com_statistics

Access:

User Level:

Manager; Administrator; Super Administrator.

Screenshot:

Snippet of a Search Text Engine Screen

Description:

The Statistics collection function in Joomla! is, by design, of limited scope. The main reason given for this being the extra pressure that extensive statistical farming would apply on the MySQL database.

That said there are options within the Global Configuration settings to allow the collection of general Site Statistics in respect of the web site visitors browser, operating system , and domain, the Search Engine Text records the words that visitors have used when they conduct a search within the web site, and (the least recommended) Logging of Hits on Content Items by Date. This last option highlights the issue with regard to the pressure on the MySQL database as the volume of data recorded - particularly on websites with a highly active membership such as Joomla! itself - would be truly massive!

The Search Engine Text screen reports the words searched for using the Search facility of the web site.

NOTE: There are other statistics that Joomla! collects as a matter of course - hit counters for example.

Search Engine Text:

In order to collect this data it is necessary to enable the Log Search Strings option in the Statistics Tab of Global Configuration for this data to be collected.

#: This is the popularity ranking of a particular word, string, or phrase. The more often a word, string, or phrase has been requested the higher up this list it appears.

Search Text: The Search Text is the actual word, string, or phrase that has been entered into the Search Field on the Front-end of the web site.

Times Requested: This is the number of different occasions the same word, string, or phrase has had a search conducted on it.

Results Returned: The number of occurrences of the word, string, or phrase found in the web site Content.

NOTE: These results  may be an indicator of a shortfall in the information available regarding a particular topic...the more a word, string, or phrase is requested.

Some results to look at are words, strings, or phrases that are commonly searched for, but return no results. Assess whether there is Content that is applicable. If necessary, add keywords using the Meta Info tab for that Content Item.

Other results to look for are misspelled words, or related words. For example, if a common search word is 'dark' but it is commonly misspelled as 'drak' then consider putting 'drak' in the keywords section. Another example...There may also be Content about a 'waste facility' where it might be appropriate to add common alternative terms in the meta keywords such as 'trash', 'refuse', or 'dump'.

Related Information:

Global Configuration - Statistics Tab

Statistics

NOTE: If you have any comments or suggestions regarding this Help screen then please post them in the Suggestions, Modifications, and Corrections forum in the User Documentation Work Group.

Thank you!

The User Documentation Team