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Home » Traffic counter shenanigans

Traffic counter shenanigans

The New Neo Posted on by

Tech stuff is not my strong suit. But as the owner of a blog, I’m forced to tackle it.

Years ago I had a kindly web developer helping me now and then, a relative of a relative. Most web developers of any skill will only take on large projects, and mine never was large. Now he’s unavailable, and so when something goes wrong I break out into a cold sweat and start pacing around and yelling at no one. And then I have to fix it myself.

The latest involved my site meter. My traffic used to be higher years ago. But natural attrition among older readers, fewer links to me, and perhaps better bot detection have reduced the traffic count.

But it’s still decent, although far from huge, and it’s been stable for several years. It goes up when there’s a big link and down a bit on weekends, but otherwise it’s quite predictable unless the blog goes down for a while. I don’t check it every day, but it shows traffic for a month.

Yesterday I checked it and was shocked to see that my traffic for the day was about 30% of the usual. That’s quite a dropoff. I couldn’t figure it out, and right up until yesterday the traffic was at the normal level.

Then I noticed that the people who administer the tracking site said that they had just installed a newer and even better bot blocker. So apparently, fewer bots were being counted, although they had supposedly been effectively blocked before.

Was it possible that over two-thirds of my traffic has been bots all this time? This was profoundly disturbing. Had I been living in a dream world till now?

I contacted the site and they suggested re-installing the code. It took me hours to figure out how to do that, but I did it. Unfortunately, there was no change. I also noticed that all the traffic that was being reported was said to be coming from “Icloud Private Relay,” which turns out to be a sort of VPN connected with Safari on Apple. So it seems the counter was filtering out all visitors but those.

I finally figured out something I think fixed it; I’ll skip the boring details. Now other visitors are being recorded as coming in from other sources. But I’ve lost faith in the counter.

I could install a different counter, and have many times. But every single one gets a wildly different count, and I’ve come to distrust all of them. Or, I could ignore traffic entirely and be grateful that you’re all here, however many of you there are.

Comments

Traffic counter shenanigans — 81 Comments

  8. Yesterday I was thinking about what I would say to you about your blog. I had noticed the absence of many commenters who I admired. Where were they? Were you feeling neglected by them?

    Your blog is the highlight of my news gathering. It keeps me focused on what is important in all the blather that comes across my eyes. I think we all who read you every day hold you in high regard.

  14. May I ask what counters/anti-spam/statistics packages you use? Perhaps we could compare notes. PM me if you prefer – or not if you prefer that.

  20. Some time ago when I felt a need to scale back on how much time I spent reading blogs and comments, yours was one of the three that I retained. Your columns are well-written and thoughtful, your videos eclectic and delightful, and the commenters are a higher order of thinkers than in many other sites. And thank you for no bad words.

  22. I’m against giving the government any more info than they’ve already got. I may be a bot or not.

  23. Not a bot. Since I comment on Safari, I may be one of the chosen few who was being reported.

  24. neo:

    I salute you for your willingness to wade into the tech. I’m a tech person but for this kind of thing I usually turn to AI for a rough grounding. Here’s what ChatGPT 5.2 says, highly condensed:
    __________________________________

    This kind of thing really does happen now.

    1. Yes, a shocking amount of “traffic” is bots now

    When the meter vendor says “we installed a better bot blocker,” what they really mean is:

    “We changed what we consider a ‘real visitor.’”

    That can instantly cut reported traffic in half without a single human disappearing.

    2. iCloud Private Relay absolutely screws with counters. This is increasingly common since Apple rolled this out aggressively.

    3. Traffic counters are now opinionated instruments. So the fact that “every counter gives wildly different numbers” is no longer a red flag. It’s the norm.

    4. What is still reliable (relatively)

    A. Server logs (old-school, boring, solid) filtered by:

    * user agent
    * request frequency
    * pages served

    This won’t give a “nice number,” but it gives trend truth. It’s ugly but honest.

    B. One lightweight analytics tool, watched only for direction

    Absolute numbers are fiction now.

  26. Michelle Rogers (5:54 pm) said: “Your blog is the highlight of my news gathering. It keeps me focused on what is important in all the blather that comes across my eyes. I think we all who read you every day hold you in high regard.”

    From one “M R” to another (except I embellish my tag with a middle initial), I am happy to second your motion. The neo blog, along with the comments herein, is also “the highlight of my news gathering,” an excellent starting point. And AMEN to “we all who read you every day hold you in high regard.”

    NOTABOT (by the way).

  27. I visit your site everyday as well, although I only post rarely. I helped you once with your style sheet rules when you were doing your redesign.

    Traffic meters are pretty inconsistent. At my little blog I use both blogger’s traffic stats and Google Analytics, both by Google and both returning wildly different results. Without the raw traffic logs there isn’t much you can do.

  29. Michelle Rogers:

    Thanks; good to hear from you.

    But I’m curious which commenters you think are absent. Certainly over the years some have left and some have died, but off the top of my head I can’t think of anyone recently.

  30. Real live human here who has enjoyed your blog for a few years but has only recently started to comment.

  32. huxley:

    Thing is, as soon as I saw that 100% of the visits were coming through Icloud Private Relay, I knew the counter was filtering out a lot of real people. Once I corrected the code properly, all of a sudden there was something like 3 times as many visitors, and they came a lot of different ways. I fully expect that, with a new and more stringent way of detecting and not counting bots, traffic would go down somewhat. But not as much as that, and it wouldn’t narrow down traffic to just one source.

    I’m fortunate I was able to fix it (at least, I think I fixed it). But boy, it took me a long time.

  33. Hath not a bot eyes? Hath not a bot hands, organs, dimensions, senses, affections, passions? Fed with the same food, hurt with the same weapons, subject to the same diseases, healed by the same means, warmed and cooled by the same winter and summer as a non-bot is? If you prick us bots, does our RAM not leak? If you tickle us bots, do we not LOL? If you poison us bots, do we not generate a 404 error? And if you wrong us, shall we not reboot?

  34. You have a robust comments section; surely that’s a more reliable indicator than a traffic count.

  35. I’m also lacking robotic parts and this is actually the first time I’ve ever commented but I only visit three blogs each day and yours is one of them. Courage!

  38. A couple of months ago you had a post that expressed concern about lowered readership, and I suggested that the permanent story that led your blog at the time might discourage readers to look below for new content.

    I’m here again to say the same thing once again. The poetry book means a lot to you obviously (and justifiably), but perhaps maybe the same thing is happening???

    Is there a way to plug the book in a box above or below the picture of the lovely woman with the apple?

    Also, I check your blog 2-3/day, and I have no problem looking below the perma-posts for new content. I’m funny that way.

  39. You have the best blog! I always, always start my internet reading with you each day and then do additional reading using your linked blogs. You are doing very important and meaningful work and the plus–you are always a pleasure to read! Very grateful that you do this work! Much thanks.

  40. Numbers! Perhaps you could look at as quality over quantity?

    As others have said, I check the “news” and then come here to see what is really important! (oh, heck, many times I just skip over checking the news and come right here)

    Not only is it your insight into things that are happening Neo; but I really get a good education from your commentors too.

    So, from one human (not a bot) I have to say a sincere thank you Neo and thank you commentors too!

  44. Neo, at least your “traffic” numbers presumably do not correlate to subscriber rates or direct or proportional income. I gather bots do not send you revenue via Amazon purchases or more directly. Thinking about the comment in regard to “the permanent story that led your blog”, it might even be beneficial to incorporate your Amazon payment connection more prominently than you already do via the right side “Donate” button. Or I [we] should put a small note on my [our] monitor in the upper right corner** to remind me [us] to use the Neo link route rather than signing into Amazon directly*.

    But just how “intelligent” are bots? If a bot claims to not be a bot, how would we know? And if they were in fact intelligent enough to offer meaningful commentary, perhaps even that would be to the good as alternatives ideas for us to consider while reading your blog.

    RTF: I am a little surprised you did not mention “hath not a bot a soul?”

    *Unfortunately, sometimes I am just checking Amazon for item prices vs. local stores, or checking out a book mentioned in an essay or review I am reading. I don’t initially expect to make a purchase at that time, but then end up doing so anyway, forgetting to use your link. 🙁 Apologies when that happens!!

    **initially I thought “But a note in such a location would cover up my browser tab for your blog access.” Then I realized a Post-It note adhesive would not bother my screen surface (nor interfere with most of the other info displayed at that location – outside of my wider Excel files). Thus I could mount it next to the Amazon Account info button as displayed on my monitor. Cell phone users of course have a different issue.

  45. Sheesh. You humans get so excited over the strangest things.

    And, Mary C, that’s what we want everyone to believe. So far, it’s working (today, Roombas; tomorrow, Colossus!).

  48. I want to reiterate what many have noted before me–you have been a daily read for many years. Your ‘transition’ narrative meant a lot to me. I always had a hard time trying to understand why those on the Left believed what they claimed to believe. Plus, I doubted that those thus persuaded could ever be converted by reasonable discussion to reconsider their long-held beliefs. My life stands resolutely on the conviction that rational, intelligent people will come to the correct conclusions. That so many of my fellow citizens seem to embrace what I see as fatuous nonsense has been hard to accept. But, here you were–someone simmered in the secular religion of the left, but thoughtful and intelligent–and you began to question everything. It’s a shocking thing to reconsider your ideology and that of your friend group. It takes a great deal of intellectual fortitude to hold up under that kind of pressure. You are a little jewel, and don’t let anyone or any internet views meter convince you otherwise.

  49. DBrooks – I don’t agree with neo on everything but probably at least 90%. Our backgrounds and political journeys, even our ages, are pretty similar. One key thing I believe we have in common is that even when we were “liberals” and voting Dem we never trusted the hard left. In my case it was because I felt they never argued honestly but contrived through sophistry to make themselves always “right” (vs. wrong, not vs. left of course). Though there are some “changers” who started out as hardcore leftists, the late David Horowitz of FrontPage magazine being a prime example.

  50. I’d recommend option “B”.

    I used to blog so I know that feeling that you’re actually being heard and not just shouting into the void is an important thing, but you get enough comments on each post that fear should be assuaged by that alone.

    Unless you get paid for your count or you need it for your vanity, I’d say it’s not worth the stress and if you don’t trust the count anyway, what difference, at this point, does it make?

    Maybe just as an early warning system in case something does go wrong and your stuff isn’t getting out there? But I would think comments can do that too.

    Anyway, just my unsolicited, probably unneeded and likely unwanted 2 cents.

  51. R2L

    But just how “intelligent” are bots? If a bot claims to not be a bot, how would we know? And if they were in fact intelligent enough to offer meaningful commentary, perhaps even that would be to the good as alternatives ideas for us to consider while reading your blog.

    Precisely the sort of argument one would expect a bot to make. Hmmm…

  54. As to commenters missing, I am watching comments hoping for the return of AesopFan, who had a delicate surgery earlier this week. Too early, probably, for her to log in.

  55. Well, I have two titanium hips, so I am well on the way to being a cyborg, but still technically human.

  56. Only one titanium hip here — still human, near as I can tell.

    Grateful for this Blog. (Rarely comment.)

  61. West TX Intermediate Crude:

    As you might see, I took your advice and removed the “sticky” post. I left the banner on top, though, which I don’t think interferes with anything.

  63. I am not a bot either, but my presence here is sporadic. I let X take up too much of my time. Alas!

  64. Thanks Neo, such a great blog, for over two decades.
    I’m real, tho also on Safari & iPad, and spending far more time on mid length articles on substack.

    Where so many bloggers who make money make some money with, so far, pretty good service from the substack folks. And accurate accounts of paying subscribers.

    Are we not bots?
    We are prevo.

    Prevolution is the step of evolution still in the air, before the evolved new thing is born.
    My new word, Inspired by Rufus, and karaoke songs.

  66. My favorite blog, hands down. Thanks Neo and commenters. I’ve learned a lot over the years.

  69. I think my Post-It note trick is going to work, with essentially no screen area interference.

    RTF: “Precisely the sort of argument one would expect a bot to make.”
    Well, I’m not telling!!
    “To be bot, … or not to be bot, that is the question…”

  71. Another grateful human checking in. I’ve been a regular reader, and occasional commenter, since the early aughts. Thanks for all you do, Neo.

  72. Neo, I too appreciate your work!
    I don’t get to read much during the day, but you are a go-to when I can — during many nights.
    Thank you for your sanity, your time, and your willingness to share your heart’s interests, here!
    The commentors are lovely, and add value and diverse insights, as well.
    — Ms. Not-a-Bot Mostly-Lurker

  73. Long-time listener, first-time caller. Been here for years. Yours is the second site I visit every day.

    And I love your dance posts although my qualifications for judging them are abysmal: watching the movies White Nights and Center Stage, and the documentary series Breaking Pointe.

  74. I use Feedly RSS and only click through to read the comments and to post. I wonder if an RSS feed shows the same as visiting the site?

  77. This blog might have the highest interest: aggravation ratio of all. Sincere thanks.

  79. Hi,
    I’m a longtime (many years) frequenter (3 or 4 times/week). Appreciate your perspective on many things, albeit not interested in ballet…
    Anyway, just wanted to let you know I guess what’s called a lurker; never looked beyond your home page. I don’t comment, but I often forward your posting to a number of communicants. hoping they would become fans. Perhaps I’ll be less of a lurker in the future.

  81. Sennacherib:

    I was once told by a good authority, an angry older brother, that I have never had an original thought.

    So maybe I’m a bot-in-training; a Beta bot?

    Nah.

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