SiteTrack Project

DownloadTrack File Download Monitor

Designed for web sites that host downloadable files and that want to be able to track data about downloads, DownloadTrack boasts a wide array of features that enable web site administrators to gather a wide array of information about the file downloads.

DownloadTrack's main feature is the ability to count the number of downloads for a specific file. This allows the site administrator to monitor the activity, popularity and usage of the web site. In addition, DownloadTrack can give downloaders a questionnaire, with the answers being either required or optional, providing an easy way for users to provide marketing and usage information. DownloadTrack also supports mirrors, and can be configured to automatically select a mirror or allow the user to choose a mirror.

Download Data Gathering

Information gathered from file downloaders can be used for a variety of purposes. For example, if a program is available for a variety of platforms, by comparing how many times each version is downloaded, it is possible to determine what platform most users of the software use. By logging the IP addresses of downloaders, it is possible to determine where most of the people who download the software are accessing the site from, and where a certain marketing campaign, for example, is getting the best results.

Downloader Feedback

Another valuable source of information is the information provided voluntarily by the downloader. Questions such as how the downloader found out about the software can help determine the effectiveness of marketing campaigns, and that information can help make the marketing more effective. Questions about the user, the industry they work in, and other demographics can also help in refining marketing.

Other types of questions such as how the user will be using the software, if they have used previous versions or if they have used competing products can help in the development of the software. This information can be used to determine an appropriate path to continue the development of a product, taking into account the needs of the end users downloading the files.

Mirrored Downloads

As programs become larger and more sophisticated, it often becomes prudent to have multiple servers that files can be downloaded from. To make this easier to accomplish, DownloadTrack can be configured to prompt the user to select a download location to get the file from. If the site already has a mirror manager, DownloadTrack can be set up to work with the existing software.

If it is not desired or necessary for the user to choose the download server, DownloadTrack also has the ability to randomly select the download server the user will be sent to.