Specifics of using Matomo LogFile Analytics

When switching from web tracking with JavaScript code to log file-based analysis, the number of hits changes. Here is some information to help you better understand the changes:

Web statistics are only an approximation

With this form of web analysis in particular, it is even more important than before to remember that web statistics do not reflect the reality of usage. They are not an exact representation of user behavior, but rather provide indications of developments and patterns on a website.

Why are there suddenly more hits?

What to look out for when interpreting the data – and why some anomalies are not attributable to user behavior:

1. Monitoring tools

Monitoring tools regularly retrieve certain pages to check their availability. Particularly frequently affected: home pages and central overview pages.

2. Bots and crawlers

Regular bots and crawlers are filtered and are not counted by Matomo. Some bots disguise themselves and then appear as regular users.

3. Browser plugins or add-ons

Some browser extensions or virus scanners perform automatic reloads or content checks. This can occur frequently, especially with internal target groups or certain departments.

4. News feeds

If access to news feeds is not filtered out before importing into Matomo (as is the case in Fiona), you will see a large number of accesses to feeds. News clients and AI bots regularly query news feeds. These queries are not made via the browser, so they do not appear in JS code tracking.

5. Technical errors or loops in the code

JavaScript errors or incorrectly configured redirects can lead to automatic reloads or endless loops. Such an error can generate thousands of hits in a single day.

All these factors can lead to hits that do not represent genuine interaction and must be mentally subtracted when interpreting the hit figures.