Associating Website Clicks with Links on a Web Page

Abstract

Objects on a web page are associated with stored records indicating historical object usage. Associations between objects and records take into account discrepancies in object identifiers resulting from authorial edits and/or differences in browser assignment of object identifiers. An object having an object identifier that differs from that of a stored record by not more than a predetermined tolerance value, and that has other indicia that match the stored record, is considered to match the stored record. Reports are generated quantifying web page object usage, for example by superimposing color shadings or other visual indicia on a representation of a web page.

1 . A method of identifying which of a plurality of user-activatable objects on a web page has been activated by a user, comprising:
 receiving a communication indicating user activation of an object in a plurality of objects on a web page, the communication comprising:
 an object identifier; and 
 additional identifying indicia for the object; 
   comparing the object identifier and the additional identifying indicia of the user-activated object with a plurality of stored records comprising object identifiers and additional identifying indicia;   determining that the object identifier and additional identifying indicia of the user-activated object do not match an object identifier and additional identifying indicia of the plurality of stored records;   responsive to determining that the object identifier and additional identifying indicia of the user-activated object do not match an object identifier and additional identifying indicia of the plurality of stored records, comparing the object identifier of the received communication to predetermined tolerance factors corresponding to the object identifiers of the plurality of stored records; and   responsive to determining that the object identifier of the user-activated object is within a predetermined tolerance factor with respect to an object identifier of a particular one of the plurality of the stored records, and the particular one of the stored records having additional identifying indicia matching the additional identifying indicia of the user-activated object:
 indicating a match between the user-activated object and the particular one of the stored records. 
   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 responsive to the object identifier and additional identifying indicia of the user-activated object matching the object identifier and additional identifying indicia of a particular one of the stored records:
 indicating a match between the user-activated object and the particular one of the plurality of stored records. 
   
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the additional identifying indicia comprises at least one of an action and a type. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising generating a report including statistics for user-activated objects. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising generating a report including a representation of the web page, and superimposing visual indicators quantifying user activations for objects on the web page. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 5 , wherein the visual indicators are color-coded. 
     
     
         7 . A method of identifying a user-activatable object among a plurality of user-activatable objects, the object having an object identifier and additional identifying indicia, comprising:
 comparing the object identifier and the additional identifying indicia of the user-activatable object with a plurality of records comprising object identifiers and additional identifying indicia;   determining that the object identifier and additional identifying indicia of the user-activated object do not match an object identifier and additional identifying indicia of the plurality of stored records;   responsive to determining that the object identifier and additional identifying indicia of the user-activatable object do not match an object identifier and additional identifying indicia of the plurality of stored records, comparing the object identifier of the received communication to predetermined tolerance factors corresponding to the object identifiers of the plurality of stored records; and   responsive to determining that the object identifier of the user-activated object is within a predetermined tolerance factor with respect to an object identifier of a particular one of the plurality of the stored records, and the particular one of the stored records having additional identifying indicia matching the additional identifying indicia of the user-activatable object:
 indicating a match between the user-activatable object and the particular one of the stored records. 
   
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 7 , further comprising:
 responsive to the object identifier and additional identifying indicia of the user-activatable object matching the object identifier and additional identifying indicia of a particular one of the stored records:
 indicating a match between the user-activatable object and the particular one of the stored records. 
   
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein the additional identifying indicia comprises at least one of an action and a type. 
     
     
         10 .- 12 . (canceled) 
     
     
         13 . A computer program product for identifying which of a plurality of user-activatable objects on a web page has been activated by a user, comprising:
 a computer-readable medium; and   computer program code, encoded on the medium, for:
 receiving a communication indicating user activation of an object in a plurality of objects on a web page, the communication comprising:
 an object identifier; and 
 additional identifying indicia for the object; 
 
 comparing the object identifier and the additional identifying indicia of the user-activated object with a plurality of stored records comprising object identifiers and additional identifying indicia; 
 determining that the object identifier and additional identifying indicia of the user-activated object do not match an object identifier and additional identifying indicia of the plurality of stored records; 
 responsive to determining that the object identifier and additional identifying indicia of the user-activated object do not match an object identifier and additional identifying indicia of the plurality of stored records, comparing the object identifier of the received communication to predetermined tolerance factors corresponding to the object identifiers of the plurality of stored records; and 
 responsive to determining that the object identifier of the user-activated object is within a predetermined tolerance factor with respect to an object identifier of a particular one of the plurality of the stored records, and the particular one of the stored records having additional identifying indicia matching the additional identifying indicia of the user-activated object:
 indicating a match between the user-activated object and the particular one of the stored records. 
 
   
     
     
         14 .- 16 . (canceled) 
     
     
         17 . A system for identifying which of a plurality of user-activatable objects on a web page has been activated by a user, comprising:
 a communication device, for receiving a communication indicating user activation of an object in a plurality of objects on a web page, the communication comprising:
 an object identifier; and 
 additional identifying indicia for the object; 
   an object comparator, coupled to the communication device, for comparing the object identifier and the additional identifying indicia of the user-activated object with a plurality of stored records comprising object identifiers and additional identifying indicia; and   a match indicator, coupled to the object comparator, for:
 responsive to determining that the object identifier of the user-activated object and the additional identifying indicia do not match an object identifier and additional identifying indicia of the plurality of stored records, comparing the object identifier of the received communication to predetermined tolerance factors corresponding to the object identifiers of the plurality of stored records; and 
 responsive to determining that the object identifier of the user-activated object is being within a predetermined tolerance factor with respect to an object identifier of a particular one of the plurality of the stored records, and the particular one of the stored records having additional identifying indicia matching the additional identifying indicia of the user-activated object: 
 indicating a match between the user-activated object and the particular one of the stored records. 
   
     
     
         18 .- 20 . (canceled)