Tracking includes all processing steps that serve the simultaneous tracking of (moving) objects. The aim of this tracking is usually to map the observed actual movement for technical use. Web analytics (also clickstream analysis, traffic analysis, traffic analysis, web analysis, web controlling, web tracking) is the collection of data and its evaluation regarding the behavior of visitors to websites. An analytic tool typically examines where visitors come from, which areas on a website are visited, and how often and for how long which subpages and categories are viewed. In Germany, the use of such tools is controversial for data protection reasons. It is mainly used to optimize the website and to better achieve website goals (e.g. frequency of visits, increase in page views, orders, newsletter subscriptions). Basically, web analytics can be distinguished between evaluation methods for permanent measurement of site effectiveness and methods for finding weak points in the site and opportunities for improvement (see Methods).
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