A server file that records every request made to a site, including search engine bots.
Why a Log File Matters
Log files are crucial because they provide direct, first-party data on a website’s crawlability and technical health. While tools like Google Search Console offer a valuable perspective, they only provide a sample of Googlebot’s activity. Log files give you the full picture for all crawlers in real-time. By analyzing them, you can:
- Verify Crawl Behavior: See exactly which pages search engine bots are visiting and how often.
- Optimize Crawl Budget: Identify where bots are wasting time on low-value pages so you can redirect their attention to your most important content.
- Uncover Hidden Issues: Find server-side errors, broken links, slow-loading pages, and redirect chains that might be invisible in other tools.
- Discover Orphan Pages: Identify pages that have no internal links but are still being crawled by bots.
This data is invaluable for making strategic decisions that can improve your website’s visibility and performance.
Across Different CMS Platforms
Accessing and analyzing log files is a technical SEO task that can be performed on any CMS.
WordPress
To access log files for a WordPress site, you’ll typically need to use your hosting provider’s cPanel or an FTP client to download the files from your server. Once you have the files, you can use a log file analysis tool to filter the data for search engine crawlers.
Shopify
Shopify has a more closed system, and direct access to raw server log files is generally not provided. Instead, you would rely on data from Google Search Console and other third-party tools to infer how search engines are interacting with your site.
Wix
Similar to Shopify, Wix users don’t have direct access to server log files. The platform is designed to handle many technical SEO issues automatically, but you should still use Google Search Console to monitor for any crawl errors.
Webflow
Webflow gives you a high degree of control over your website, but direct access to raw log files may still depend on your hosting setup. If your Webflow site is on a custom server, you can access the log files directly.
Custom CMS
With a custom CMS, you have the most control and can easily access your server’s log files. The challenge lies in parsing and analyzing this raw data, which often requires a dedicated tool or a technical SEO expert.
Across Different Industries
The insights gained from log files are applicable to all industries.
E-commerce
E-commerce sites, especially those with a large number of products and faceted navigation, often have a lot of wasted crawl budget. Log file analysis can help you identify and block these low-value pages to ensure your most important product pages are being crawled and indexed.
Local Businesses
A local business can use it to ensure that its core pages (homepage, services, contact page) are being crawled regularly. It can also help you spot any issues with your Google Business Profile that may be affecting your local search rankings.
SaaS Companies
SaaS companies can use it to monitor how search engines are interacting with their blog and marketing pages. This can help you identify pages that are not being crawled and to fix any issues that may be holding them back.
Blogs
A blog can use it to see which of its articles are being crawled most often. This can help you identify popular content and to update it to be more relevant. You can also use it to find orphan pages that are not being crawled.
Do’s and Don’ts
Do’s
- Do access and download your log files regularly. This is the only way to get a 100% accurate, unfiltered view of how search engines are interacting with your site.
- Do use a log file analysis tool. A dedicated tool can help you parse, filter, and analyze the data, which is often difficult to do manually.
- Do filter for search engine bots. This allows you to focus your analysis on how search engines are interacting with your site, rather than human visitors.
Don’ts
- Don’t rely solely on Google Search Console. While it is a great tool, it only provides a sample of Googlebot’s activity and doesn’t show other search engines’ crawlers.
- Don’t ignore the data. A lack of crawling or a high number of errors in your log files is a clear signal of a problem that needs to be addressed.
- Don’t delete your old content without checking your log files. You may be deleting content that is still being crawled and indexed by search engines.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Failing to filter for search engine bots: This is a common mistake. You should filter for user agents like “Googlebot,” “Bingbot,” and “YandexBot” to get a clear picture of how search engines are interacting with your site.
- Failing to check for status codes: Status codes like “404” and “500” are a clear signal of a problem that needs to be addressed.
- Not monitoring crawl frequency: A sudden drop or spike in crawl frequency can be a sign of a problem.
FAQs
How is log file analysis different from Google Search Console?
Log file analysis provides a raw, unfiltered, and complete look at all bot activity on your site, from all search engines. Google Search Console provides a simplified, aggregated view of only Googlebot’s activity.
How do log files help optimize a crawl budget?
By analyzing log files, you can see which pages search engine bots are crawling most often. This allows you to identify low-value pages that are wasting your crawl budget and to redirect search engines’ attention to your most important content.
What information can be found in a log file?
It contains a variety of information, including the IP address of the requester, the date and time of the request, the URL of the page accessed, the server’s response code (e.g., 200, 404, 500), and the user agent (e.g., Googlebot, Bingbot).
What is an “orphan page” in log file analysis?
An orphan page is a page that has no internal links pointing to it. Log file analysis can help you find these pages, which can be a sign of a fragmented site structure.
Can log files help with a website migration?
Yes. After a website migration, log files are the best way to confirm that search engines are responding as expected. They show whether bots are discovering new URLs, encountering errors, or continuing to crawl outdated paths.
