Online Count works by uniquely identifying each visitor to your website based on information that is sent from their computer to our server in the course of normal web browsing. We then track the visitor for as long as they are active on your site.

In order for our servers to identify your visitor, you need to insert a single line of html into your web pages. This html requests a tiny text file from our servers. As a result of this request we are able to create a unique code number for that visitor. As the visitor moves around your web site we are able to track him/her using that unique code number.

When your site visitor first visits your site, we are able to identify the country they are browsing from. We do this with about 98% accuracy. This information is displayed in the active user report.

We can then create a report (an example can be found here) showing the users that have been active on your site in the last 10 minutes or so. Once your visitor has been inactive for about 10 minutes, we remove their details from our database. It should be noted that at no time is it possible to trace the identity of your visitors based on the information we keep in our database.

In addition, we keep track of the maximum visitors online on your web site at the same time for each day and the maximum online together since recording started.