Cookies
This article
explains how cookies work, and provides some simple java script
cookie examples, and provides links to a few top computer cookie
resources, that let you learn more. It also reveals why you should
use them.
How To Improve Your
Website And Learn From Your Visitors Using Cookies...
Question: How
can you improve your visitors' experiences of your website, AND
at the same time learn how to improve your website (or learn how
to increase sales)??
Answer: use
cookies
Really? Yes.
Let me explain...
Cookies explained
A "cookie"
is simply a small piece of text information which a web server stores
temporarily with your web visitor's browser. (Note: cookies are
*not* programs.) This means your visitor's browser remembers some
specific information which the web server can later retrieve.
So they simply
allow your site to store information on your visitor's computer
for later use.
A basic example
can be found here -
example from JSWorkshop.com
Another example
is the "online shopping mall" that uses cookies to add
items to a user's "shopping cart" as they browse.
Why your website should
use internet cookies
Basically,
internet cookies allow you to improve a site visitor's experience
of your website. I've listed a few examples to show how this
can be achieved. Cookies can:
- Store visitor
preferences. This means you can present customised information
to your visitor, as per their own requirements. (This is how portal
sites like MSN work.)
- Pre-fill
form fields for your visitor.
- Automatically
login visitors to your site
- Provide
visitor statistics
and therefore help you understand your
visitor's needs.
- Provide
site metrics like unique visitors, average number of page-views,
percentage of repeat visitors etc. And cookie-generated statistics
are much more accurate than using log files.
(Do remember
though, that people sometimes share computers; some browsers are
set to reject cookies; and they can be erased.)
So not only
are they an efficient way of keeping track of information, they
also help personalise your visitors' experiences of your site.
And that's
the point with cookies - how can you help your site visitor?
No, it doesn't
mean how can you invade your visitor's privacy! The use of these
small text files is often abused by site owners, but this ultimately
leads to cookie-blocking software being installed and used; so do
set them cautiously, and include a privacy statement on your site
explaining your use of cookies! (See below.)
Use one of these computer cookie
resources
"The impartial guide on how consumers can stop cookies tracking them if they wish"
– https://privacy.net/stop-cookies-tracking/
"The ultimate guide to cookies" from WhoIsHostingThis.com
– https://www.whoishostingthis.com/resources/cookies-guide/
Or, just do it yourself!
As ever, the
web is filled with free programs and scripts that allow you to use
cookies. Whether you want to use JavaScript, CGI/Perl, PHP or ASP
- there are free resources that help you implement them on your
site:
Privacy warning!
More and more
web users are becoming sensitive to their online privacy. Rightly
so. And these privacy concerns include cookies, and how your site
uses them. So do make sure that you understand the issues involved,
and set your privacy statement accordingly.
This article
from SitePoint.com
explains more...
--
Cookies
can improve your visitors' experience of your web site, through
personalisation. Using cookies, your site may well run more efficiently
too, and could provide you with accurate site statistics helping
you deliver just what your visitors are looking for.
Just use them
carefully, so that your visitors benefit!
(And continue
to learn from the invaluable resources above, and below ;-) !)
Reminder:
This
page is about using cookies to promote your website and learn from
your visitors -- please share this page
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