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Cookies allow your website to store information in variables on your visitors' browser. When a visitor browser sends a request for a page to a website, it also sends the cookie variables and values stored in the browser for that website. It's a common misconception that a webserver "reads" or "accesses" cookies in the browser. It's the other way around: the browser and visitor is in control of what information your web server gets.
Browsers can accept or reject cookies that your site sends. Many people turn cookies off entirely, which means that they set their browsers to reject most cookies that your server may attempt to store. But even with cookies disabled, most browsers still accept a certain kind of cookie, called a session cookie.
When your website sets a cookie variable on the visitors' browser, it sends an expiration date along with the variable and value. Cookies with an expiration date are persistent cookies. Cookies with no expiration date are called session cookies, and they usually get deleted when the user closes the browser. Many sites rely on session cookies for proper operation, and since the information is very temporary, most browsers that do not accept cookies will still accept at least one and usually any small number of session cookies.
Many companies are wary of placing or relying on cookies for proper site information, but even if a customer turns off cookies, you can still use them as an effective way to assist with site analysis.
During setup, Analyzer asks for the name of a Visitor ID cookie. If you are placing a visitor ID cookie on your visitors' browser, you can enter in the name of that cookie variable. Doing so will enable accurate session statistics for your reports. For most session-based reports, and especially for repeat visitor reports, Analyzer needs to be able to delineate clearly when a session starts and when one stops. Analyzer constructs a session identifier out of the IP address and the Visitor ID cookie value. If there is no Visitor ID value, Analyzer simply uses the IP address. But many users can share the same IP address, particularly from large ISPs like AOL that have internal networks. In either case, Analyzer uses the time between accesses with the same session identifier to determine sessions.
You can set up your Apache or IIS server to record cookies in the log file. There's no point in placing the cookie on the visitors' browser if your site analysis doesn't make use of that information.
You have to decide whether or not to place a session cookie or a visitor ID cookie or both on your visitors' browsers. Note that if you opt for only a session ID cookie, returning visitor information will be inaccurate and the associated reports may not be available in Analyzer.
At the present time, Analyzer only allows you to indicate one cookie variable for the visitor ID. If you decide not to put a Visitor ID cookie on your visitors' browsers, you can put the name of a Session ID cookie there. The reports for visitor tracking will be available, but they may be inaccurate.
We have provided some javascript which you may freely use on your site to set a visitor ID or session ID cookie. You can place this javascript on your web pages or at least on your site entry pages. You may also search the web for CGI functions which may help you place the appropriate cookie.
In the project editor, go to your site information and enter in the name of your visitor ID cookie, or if you decide to use session IDs instead, the name of the session ID cookie.