System and methods for facilitating the viewing and analysis of web site usage data

• US 6,341,310 B1
• Filed: 10/26/1998
• Issued: 01/22/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 10/15/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Micro Focus LLC (Open Text Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Mercury Interactive Corp. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Leshem, Eran, Weinberg, Amir
• Primary Examiner(s): Maung, Zarni
• Assistant Examiner(s): LEE, TAK KAM
• Application Number:
  US09/178,707
• Time in Patent Office: 1,184 Days
• Field of Search: 709/223, 709/224, 714/33, 714/47, 395/200.54, 395/200.53, 395/326, 340/827, 345/357
• US Class Current: 709/223
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/32 with visual or acoustical indication of the functioning of the machine
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/323 Visualisation of programs or trace data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3476 Data logging G06F11/14, G06F11/2205 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/958 Organisation or management of web site content, e.g. publishing, maintaining pages or automatic linking
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/875 Monitoring of systems including the internet
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

A visual Web site analysis program, implemented as a collection of software components, provides a variety of features for facilitating the analysis and management of Web sites and Web site content. A mapping component scans a Web site over a network connection and builds a site map which graphically depicts the URLs and links of the site. Site maps are generated using a unique layout and display methodology which allows the user to visualize the overall architecture of the Web site. Various map navigation and URL filtering features are provided to facilitate the task of identifying and repairing common Web site problems, such as links to missing URLs. A dynamic page scan feature enables the user to include dynamically-generated Web pages within the site map by capturing the output of a standard Web browser when a form is submitted by the user, and then automatically resubmitting this output during subsequent mappings of the site. The Web site analysis program is implemented using an extensible architecture which includes an API that allows plug-in applications to manipulate the display of the site map. Various plug-ins are provided which utilize the API to extend the functionality of the analysis program, including an action tracking plug-in which detects user activity and behavioral data (link activity levels, common site entry and exit points, etc.) from server log files and then superimposes such data onto the site map.

Claims

1. A graphical method for facilitating the viewing and analysis of web site usage data, the web site usage data based at least in-part on historical records of accesses by visitors to the web site, the method comprising the computer-implemented steps of:

generating a graphical map of a web site on a display monitor, the map including graphical representations of user-accessible content objects of the web site, and including graphical representations of user-selectable links between content objects of the web site, the graphical representations of content objects and links arranged within the map to show the architecture of the web site; and

displaying the web site usage data on the map, the step of displaying comprising color-coding at least some of the graphical representations of the content objects and/or of the links within the map such that different colors represent different levels of usage by visitors to the web site.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of displaying a color-coding key on the display screen in association with the map, the color coding key indicating assignments of the colors to the visitor usage levels.

3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

presenting a user with a variable control which allows the user to interactively adjust respective thresholds of at least some of the visitor usage levels; and

modifying display colors of the graphical representations of the links and/or the content objects within the map in response to adjustments by the user of the variable control.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the web site usage data comprises link activity data, and the step of displaying comprises color coding at least some of the graphical representations of links such that different link colors represent different respective link usage levels by visitors to the web site.

5. The method according to claim 4, further comprising the step of displaying numerical values within the site map in conjunction with the graphical representations of the links, the numerical values indicating respective usage levels of individual links.

6. The method according to claim 4, further comprising the step of hiding graphical representations of links that fall below a prespecified minimum link usage level.

7. The method according to claim 6, further comprising the step of presenting a user with a variable control to allow the user to interactively adjust the minimum link usage level.

8. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of color-coding at least some of the graphical representations of the content objects within the map such that different content object colors represent different respective ranges of content object access levels.

9. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of color-coding at least some of the graphical representations of the content objects within the map such that different content object colors represent different levels of web site exit events by visitors to the web site.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of color-coding comprises making application program interface calls to modify display attributes of map objects.

11. The method according to claim 1, wherein the graphical representations of content objects comprise respective icons, and the graphical representations of links comprise lines which interconnect pairs of content object icons.

12. The method according to claim 1, wherein the graphical representations of content objects comprise respective content object icons, and the step of generating the graphical map comprises positioning the content object icons within the map such that icons of child content objects are spaced at angular intervals around the icons of their repective immediate parent content objects.

13. A computer program which facilitates the analysis of web site usage, comprising, on a computer-readable medium:

a first component which scans the web site and parses documents of the web site to identify at least an organizational structure of content objects and links of the web site, and which generates on a display screen a site map which includes graphical representations of the content objects and links; and

a second component which superimposes web site usage data onto the site map by at least color-coding the graphical representations of the content objects and/or the links to indicate visitor usage levels.

14. The computer program according to claim 13, wherein the second component displays a color-coding key on the display screen in association with the map, the color coding key indicating assignments of the colors to visitor usage levels.

15. The computer program according to claim 13, wherein the second component presents a user of the computer program with a variable control which allows the user to interactively adjust respective thresholds of at least some of the visitor usage levels, and modifies display colors of the graphical representations of the links and/or the content objects within the map in response to adjustments by the user of the variable control.

16. The computer program according to claim 13, wherein the web site usage data comprises link activity data, and the second component color codes at least some of the graphical representations of links such that different link colors represent different respective link usage levels by visitors of the web site.

17. The computer program according to claim 16, wherein the second component displays numerical values within the site map in conjunction with the graphical representations of the links, the numerical values indicating respective usage levels of individual links.

18. The computer program according to claim 16, wherein the second component hides graphical representations of links that fall below a pre-specified minimum link usage level.

19. The computer program according to claim 18, wherein the second component presents a user of the computer program with a variable control to allow the user to interactively adjust the minimum link usage level.

20. The computer program according to claim 13, wherein the second component color-codes at least some of the graphical representations of the content objects within the map such that different content object colors represent different respective ranges of content object access levels.

21. The computer program according to claim 13, wherein the second component color-codes at least some of the graphical representations of the content objects within the map such that different content object colors represent different levels of web site exit events by visitors to the web site.

22. The computer program according to claim 13, wherein the second component superimposes the web site usage data onto the site map by making application program interface calls to the first component.

23. The computer program according to claim 13, wherein the graphical representations of content objects comprise respective icons, and the graphical representations of links comprise lines which interconnect pairs of content object icons.

24. The computer program according to claim 13, wherein the graphical representations of content objects comprise respective content object icons, and the first component positions the content object icons within the map such that icons of child content objects are spaced at angular intervals around the icons of their respective immediate parent content objects.