18 March, 2023

10 Free Tools for Tracking Website Traffic

Content

Have you ever wondered how many people visit your website each day? Where do they come from, how long do they stay, and what content interests them most? This data is extremely important for judging the results of SEO, marketing campaigns and the customer experience. In practice, many website owners focus only on producing content and running ads and skip tracking traffic. As a result, they don’t know which strategy works or which channel brings in the best customers.

If you are also unsure where to start, don’t worry. There are plenty of free, easy-to-use and visual SEO tools that help you track website traffic in detail and accurately. In this article, MONA Media shares the top 10 popular website traffic statistics tools, so let’s take a look.

Google Analytics, the free website traffic statistics tool

Google Analytics is a useful and popular tool for checking website traffic for free, with accurate and reliable analysis provided by Google. It is a highly effective tool, especially for webmasters and SEO practitioners who want statistics on everything related to their website.

With Google Analytics, you don’t just know how many people visit your website, you also understand who they are, what they need, and how to turn them into customers.

google analytics seo tool

Steps to check website traffic for free with GA4:

  • Step 1: Go to the left menu and select Conversions.
  • Step 2: Then select All traffic to see an overview of your website’s traffic sources.
  • Step 3: Set the time range you want to check traffic for.
  • Step 4: Select Channels to see which sources your traffic comes from, such as Organic Traffic, Referral Traffic, Direct, Social, Email or Paid Search.

Pros and cons of the free website traffic statistics tool:

Advantages Disadvantages
Completely free, suitable for many businesses Cannot see competitors’ traffic
Analyzes many important metrics such as traffic sources, bounce rate and user engagement Data may be incomplete if users decline cookies
Lets you filter data by channel, country, device or demographics You need to know how to read the numbers to get the most out of it

This is also one of the key SEO tools MONA Media uses to track Marketing projects and the selected projects Website management services that we run.

With the help of many analytics tools, MONA Media can clearly see a business’s market, industry and customer profile. Combined with SEO techniques proven in practice and more than 10 years of experience, we have helped more than +2000 businesses across many industries reach the top of Google, grow sales and reach more potential customers.

|You can look at the case study SEO HCM that the MONA team was proud to work on with the business.

Kim Khí Tiến Thành, a hardware business that relied mainly on its offline store and a small number of retail customers from Facebook ads, was facing stalled growth. For a long time the number of customers barely changed, and the brand had little reach online.

Sau 10 months working with the MONA team, the Kim Khí Tiến Thành brand changed noticeably. Brand reach grew by 600%, and the website not only ranks on top of the SERP but has also improved its ranking in AI Overviews and gets many mentions from AI tools. Besides attracting organic traffic, Tiến Thành also gets quality leads and higher conversion value. See the case study to find out more.

Case study: SEO services for Kim Khí Tiến Thành

Doing SEO just to raise traffic isn’t enough, it also has to produce conversion value. To know whether your website SEO is working, you have to track it; without tracking, how do you know who your content is holding on to? If you’re not familiar with this yet, watch Huy’s new video, which covers everything about tracking the important metrics.

Alexa.com, a tool for website traffic statistics

Alexa.com used to be one of the most popular website traffic checkers for viewing website visits and gauging online reputation. It ranked websites on two main factors: traffic and Page Views.

This made it easy for users to check the traffic of e-commerce websites online, compare their ranking with competitors and understand their market position, both in Vietnam and globally.

alexa traffic statistics tool

How to view detailed website traffic:

  • Step 1: Go to the Alexa.com website.
  • Step 2: Enter the website address you want to check in the search box.
  • Step 3: View the traffic metrics the tool displays.

Comparison of the pros and cons of the website traffic statistics tool:

Advantages Disadvantages
Checks website traffic fairly quickly More data requires payment
Used to support viewing both your own and competitors’ websites Data is only an estimate
Shows several important metrics such as traffic, bounce rate, time on site and traffic sources The tool has now been shut down, so it is no longer practical to use

If you are looking for a way to view website traffic and gauge how popular your competitors are, Alexa.com is an ideal choice for you.

Similarweb.com for checking website traffic

SimilarWeb is an SEO tool highly rated by users on social networks. It is a top choice when you want website traffic statistics. 

similarweb website traffic statistics

How to view website traffic with Similarweb:

  • Step 1: Go to the Similarweb site.
  • Step 2: Sign up for an account to start using the tool.
  • Step 3: Go to Website Performance and enter the URL of the website you want to check.
  • Step 4: View the traffic results the system displays. To compare with a competitor, just enter that website’s URL as well.

Note: if Similarweb returns no data for a website, that website’s traffic may be too low for the system to measure.

Pros and cons of the website traffic statistics tool:

Advantages Disadvantages
Free Google Chrome extension, easy for beginners The free version has quite limited features
Shows total traffic from many different sources Usually only shows data for a recent period
Simple, easy-to-use interface Deeper analysis requires a paid plan
Lets you look at competitors’ website data The advanced version is fairly expensive

With SimilarWeb, you don’t just see website traffic, you also get a full picture of where customers come from, search behavior and online brand reach.

Viewing website traffic with Jetpack

If you run a WordPress website, Jetpack is one of the plugins you shouldn’t skip. It is an ideal tool for tracking and managing website traffic quickly and accurately, even if you are not technical. With Jetpack, you can easily learn how to check website traffic without any complicated steps.

Steps to check website traffic with Jetpack:

  • Step 1: Go to Plugins, select Add New, then search for the Jetpack plugin, install and activate it.
  • Step 2: Follow the instructions to connect Jetpack to your WordPress.com account.
  • Step 3: Once connected, open the Jetpack menu and select Stats.
  • Step 4: Follow the data Jetpack provides, such as views, visitors, most-viewed posts or pages, search terms and traffic sources.

Pros and cons of the website traffic checker: 

Advantages Disadvantages
Easy to use, visual interface  Can make the website heavier if too many features are enabled
Works well with WordPress  Requires a connection to a WordPress.com account
Includes many other features such as security, social sharing and image acceleration Advanced features usually require payment
Statistics are processed on WordPress.com servers, so queries don’t put a heavy load on your site Analysis is not as deep as Google Analytics

With Jetpack, managing and analyzing traffic is easier than ever, helping you understand your readers and optimize your website effectively.

Google Search Console tool check traffic web free

Google Search Console is Google’s free website traffic checker that helps you monitor your website’s performance in search results. With it you can see key metrics such as impressions, clicks, CTR, average position, index status, crawl errors and SEO issues affecting your website.

Google Search Console website traffic statistics

Detailed steps to check website traffic for free:

  • Step 1: Go to Google Search Console.
  • Step 2: Enter your website URL and complete verification following Google’s instructions.
  • Step 3: Once verified, go to Overview or Search results to see your website’s performance.

Pros and cons of the website traffic statistics tool:

Advantages Disadvantages
Completely free Only analyzes your own website, not competitors’
Shows how many times your website appears in Google search results Does not show all traffic sources such as social, direct or referral
Provides many important metrics such as clicks, CTR, average position, backlinks and internal links Cannot check traffic from paid ads
Good for monitoring SEO results and website visibility Does not analyze user behavior in detail like Google Analytics

Over 10 months of working together, MONA had the chance to partner with Double H on a full-scope SEO strategy. Throughout, the MONA team regularly used Google Search Console to gather and analyze traffic, keeping the data objective at every stage.

Besides transparent weekly progress reports to the client, MONA also used the measured data KPI SEO to adjust and replan SEO strategy, helping the Double H website quickly climb to the top of Google. Take a look at this case study in detail.case study SEO

AWStats for checking website traffic

AWStats is one of the most detailed and visual website traffic checkers. What makes AWStats special is that you can use it online for free or download it to track anytime. Even the online version alone gives you accurate statistics and makes it easy to check website traffic quickly.

Steps to check website traffic online AWStats:

  • Step 1: Log in to your hosting cPanel.
  • Step 2: Find the Metrics section and select AWStats.
  • Step 3: If you manage several domains, select View on the domain you want to check.
  • Step 4: View and analyze the key data in the report, such as Summary, Monthly History, Days of Month or Week, Countries, Pages URL,…

Pros and cons of the online website traffic checker AWStats:

Advantages Disadvantages
Included in many cPanel hosting plans, so it is convenient to use The interface is rather dated and less visual than modern tools
Quickly shows basic metrics such as visits, countries, popular pages and browsers Data is mostly at an overview level and doesn’t go deep into user behavior
No complicated setup steps Not suitable if you need in-depth marketing or SEO analysis
Useful when you want to check traffic directly from hosting Hard to track competitors or compare multiple traffic sources in detail

If you need a solution that is both simple and effective for viewing website traffic and analyzing user behavior, AWStats is definitely worth a try.

Checking website traffic with Quantcast

Quantcast is one of the tools used for website traffic statistics and user behavior analysis. Unlike many other platforms, Quantcast must be installed directly on the website to collect complete data. C

quantcast website traffic statistics

Highlights of the Quantcast website traffic checker

Steps to check website traffic online with Quantcast:

  • Step 1: Go to Quantcast and open the profile or audience data of the website you want to check.
  • Step 2: Enter the website URL or domain if the system supports public lookup.
  • Step 3: View overview metrics such as traffic, traffic trends and audience information.
  • Step 4: Analyze further data groups such as demographics, user interests or comparisons, if the website has enough measurement data.

Note: Quantcast usually gives better data for websites with its measurement tag installed. If a website is not Quantified or its traffic is too low, the data may be limited or only an estimate. 

Pros and cons of the website traffic checking tool:

Advantages Disadvantages
Can provide extra data on demographics, interests and audience characteristics, not just traffic Detailed data is usually more accurate when the website has Quantcast Measure installed
Can measure directly for websites with the tag installed, making reports more reliable For websites that aren’t Quantified, the numbers are mostly estimates
Suitable for publishers or websites that want a deeper understanding of their audience Small or low-traffic websites may not show enough data
Offers free measurement for publishers via Quantcast Measure Some advanced features or deep analysis needs still require a more specialized platform 

SEMRUSH, a website traffic checker

SEMRUSH is the SEO tools popular today for accurate website traffic statistics. It is seen as a powerful assistant for SEO practitioners, helping check rankings and website traffic (including competitors’ websites),…. With it, SEO practitioners can plan their website’s growth more effectively.

SEMRUSH traffic checking tool provides important figures for the website you want to analyze, including:

  • Total website visits
  • Number of unique visitors
  • Pages per visit
  • Bounce Rate
  • Average visit duration
SEMRUSH website traffic statistics tool

One standout advantage of SEMRush is that it can analyze traffic for several competitor websites at once. This gives you a broader view of the market and of which pages on competitors’ websites get the most traffic, so you can then optimize your own website. 

MONA Media rates SEMRush as a leading SEO tool, helping businesses monitor and grow everything on their website, from traffic statistics and backlink analysis to SEO audits and rank tracking… The free version of SEMrush lasts 7 days; if you want to get more out of the tool, you can upgrade to a paid plan.

Traffic results for the SEO services page measured with SEMRUSH

Steps to check website traffic: 

  • Step 1: Go to the Semrush website and sign up for an account.
  • Step 2: Enter the domain you want to check in the search box.
  • Step 3: View overview data such as traffic, traffic sources, time on page, pages per session and bounce rate. If you like, you can also add a competitor’s domain to compare directly.

Note: according to Semrush’s current information, the trial lasts 7 days. The Traffic & Market toolkit in free mode only shows sample domains; analyzing real domains requires a paid plan.

Pros and cons of the website traffic statistics tool:

Advantages Disadvantages
Supports market and competitor research The free version has quite limited features
Analyzes websites with many important metrics Deeper analysis requires a paid plan
Supports market and competitor research Upgrading is relatively expensive
Visual, easy-to-follow interface Upgrading is relatively expensive

Ahrefs for measuring website traffic

Ahrefs is one of the most powerful and popular SEO tools today, trusted by millions of marketers and webmasters worldwide. Every day, Ahrefs crawls more than 6 billion web pages and has more than 200 million websites in its index.

Ahrefs

Steps to check website traffic with Ahrefs:

  • Step 1:  Go to Ahrefs and sign up for an account if you want to use its in-depth analysis features.
  • Step 2:  Enter the URL or domain of the website you want to check into the relevant Ahrefs tool. For a quick look, you can use the free Website Traffic Checker.
  • Step 3:  View the metrics Ahrefs returns, such as estimated traffic, keywords bringing in traffic, backlinks, DR and UR, to evaluate website performance.

Pros and cons of the website traffic statistics tool: 

Advantages Disadvantages
Can check both your own website and competitors’ The free version is only good for a quick look; many in-depth features are still limited
Easy-to-use interface Deeper analysis requires a paid plan
Analyzes many important metrics such as traffic, backlinks, keywords, DR and UR Upgrading is fairly expensive
Helps identify the keywords and pages bringing in traffic so you can optimize SEO better Ahrefs traffic data is estimated, not direct first-party data like Google Analytics or Search Console. 

If you are looking for a tool that both tracks keywords and gives you a detailed way to check website traffic and analyze competitors, Ahrefs is definitely worth the investment.

StatCounter for checking website traffic

StatCounter is a free tool many website administrators rely on to check website traffic and analyze performance. Besides offering a quick way to check website traffic, it provides many advanced features that help you track user behavior and evaluate SEO and ad campaign results.

statcounter website traffic statistics

Highlights of the StatCounter website traffic statistics tool

Steps to check website traffic: 

  • Step 1: Go to StatCounter and create a free account. StatCounter lets you start a trial without entering a card.
  • Step 2: Select Add Project, then enter the name and URL of the website you want to track. Then install the StatCounter tracking code on your website so the system starts recording data.
  • Step 3: Go to the Dashboard to see your website’s overview metrics. Here you can follow reports such as real-time visitor activity, traffic sources, user paths and traffic trends. 

Pros and cons of the website traffic statistics tool:

Advantages Disadvantages
Automatic statistics by email The free version limits data storage capacity and how long data is kept
Click fraud protection for ads Not suitable for competitor analysis
Tracks visitor behavior Some advanced features such as Session Replay are paid add-ons, not fully included in the free plan.
Supports varied analysis If users block cookies or tracking scripts, the data may be incomplete

If you are looking for a tool that is both simple and effective for web traffic statistics and detailed user behavior tracking, StatCounter is definitely worth a try.

And if using these tools to analyze and plan strategy is a challenge for you, let SEO services of MONA Media handle it!

MONA Media's SEO services

MONA Media is an SEO agency with more than 10 years of hands-on experience and more than 2000 projects across many industries. MONA’s specialists closely follow Under the SEO trends, applying both traditional SEO and AI SEO services to help businesses hold their top Google positions while increasing their chances of appearing in AI Overviews, a search channel users are paying more and more attention to.

When you choose MONA’s full-scope website SEO service , you get benefits such as:

  • Full website audit and optimization: Makes sure the website performs well in both content and technical terms.
  • SEO Onpage – Offpage – Technical by the standard process: Every SEO element is implemented correctly to build a lasting foundation.
  • Build and expand a strategic keyword set: Increases brand reach and reaches customers at multiple stages of search.
  • Exclusive 100% unique content: SEO-ready, valuable content that is audited regularly to keep quality high.
  • Detailed, transparent reports: Updates at each stage so clients can easily follow the results.
  • Modern AI SEO: Improved ranking in AI Overviews, higher CTR and better conversions, putting your brand in front of people on both traditional Google and AI tools.

If your business wants to break through online and build lasting growth, contact MONA for a detailed consultation on full-scope SEO and AI SEO services.

Above are some of the best website traffic statistics tools based on the 3 criteria people care about most today: free, easy to use and highly effective. MONA hopes this article gives you enough knowledge to choose the tools best suited to your website.

See more:

About the author

CEO & Founder · The MONA

Founder of The MONA, who built a services company of 200+ staff with 14,000+ projects delivered. Khánh Hùng shares how he thinks about building systems that run themselves, automating a business, and the real lessons from delivering projects at MONA.

Views 2,8K
Rate this article 4,7/5 · 6 ratings

Professional website
design services

Own a website with a beautiful, 100% exclusive design and a lifetime warranty, with the ability
to expand features flexibly as your business grows, starting today!

Contact Mona

    MONA có riêng một Người "Bạn Thân" cho bạn - Người Account sẽ đồng hành, hỗ trợ, hướng dẫn, đặt đồ ăn cho bạn mãi mãi, từ đây về sau!
    MONA promises never to use your information for sale or SPAM
    Hãy để MONA kiểm tra sức khoẻ Domain của bạn

    Skillhub
    KIỂM TRA NGAY
    Đội MONA tư vấn hệ thống quản lý giáo dục trực tuyến
    Hỏi đáp giáo dục 4.0
    Tạo cuộc hẹn miễn phí với MONA để giải đáp và tư vấn mọi thắc mắc về giải pháp số hoá ngành giáo dục
    Thời lượng cuộc hẹn
    45 Phút
    Ngày và giờ
    Thứ 2, ngày 25 tháng 12, 2023
    [9:30 - 10:15]

      Chọn ngày và giờ
      Khung giờ
      Back
      Hãy cho MONA biết bạn là ai
      0:00