If you’re using Meetvisitors to track who’s coming to your site, you probably want more than just a dashboard full of numbers. Maybe you need a clean export to share with your boss, or you’re trying to slice and dice your visitor data in Excel. Whatever the reason, exporting and reporting from Meetvisitors isn’t rocket science, but it’s easy to get tripped up by hidden settings or weird CSV quirks. This guide spells it out, step by step, so you can spend less time fiddling and more time actually using your data.
Let’s get right to it.
1. Know What You Want To Export (And Why)
Before you even log in, get clear on what you actually want out of Meetvisitors. The platform tracks a lot: sessions, page views, traffic sources, visitor details, and sometimes even live chat logs. But exporting everything “just in case” usually means you’ll drown in a sea of columns you don’t need.
Ask yourself: - Are you after raw visitor lists (with IPs, timestamps, referrers)? - Do you need summary stats (like daily unique visits)? - Want to analyze conversion paths or sources? - Need data for a specific time period?
Pro tip: Jot down the top 3 things you really care about. That way, you won’t waste time exporting massive data dumps you’ll never use.
2. Navigating the Meetvisitors Dashboard
First, log into your Meetvisitors account. If you’ve lost your password, go through their standard reset process—no magic here.
Once you’re in, you’ll land on the dashboard. The layout changes now and then, but generally, you’ll see:
- Main menu on the left (look for “Visitors,” “Reports,” or “Analytics”)
- Date range selector at the top
- Various widgets with traffic summaries
Don’t get distracted by flashy charts if you just need raw data. Find the “Visitors” or “Reports” section—this is where exports typically live.
3. Setting Your Filters (Don’t Skip This!)
Meetvisitors lets you filter data before exporting. Take advantage of this, or you’ll end up with a monster file.
Common filters: - Date range: Set this first. Default is usually “last 7 days,” but you might want “last month” or a custom period. - Traffic source: Only want organic search visitors? Set the filter. - Visitor type: New vs. returning, or specific segments. - Pages: Maybe you only care about visits to certain landing pages.
Why this matters: Filtering before export saves you time wrangling data later. There’s no prize for sifting through 100,000 rows in Excel.
4. Exporting Visitor Data: Step-by-Step
Here’s the no-fluff walkthrough:
a) Find the Export Button
- In the “Visitors” or “Reports” section, look for an “Export” button. It’s usually near the top right, sometimes hidden in a three-dot “More” menu.
- If you don’t see it, check if you have the right permissions—some Meetvisitors plans restrict exports to admins.
b) Choose Your Format
Most folks want CSV, since it opens in Excel or Google Sheets. Some plans let you export XLSX or even PDF summaries. Unless you need fancy formatting, stick with CSV.
c) Select Data Fields
Some versions of Meetvisitors let you pick which columns to include. If you can, uncheck anything you don’t need—like “browser plugin versions” or “screen resolution,” unless you’re into that sort of thing.
d) Hit Export and Wait
- For small date ranges, your file downloads instantly.
- For big exports, Meetvisitors might email you a download link. Check your spam folder if it doesn’t show up within a few minutes.
Heads up: Large exports (>50,000 rows) sometimes get throttled, or fields like “Chat Logs” are omitted. If you keep running into limits, try splitting your export into smaller chunks by date.
5. Making Sense of the Exported Data
So, you’ve got your CSV. Now what?
a) Open in Your Tool of Choice
- Excel: Handles big files well, but watch for weird date formatting or leading zeros getting dropped (looking at you, zip codes).
- Google Sheets: Works for smaller exports (<1M rows), but can choke on really big files.
- Data Studio / BI tools: If you’re fancy, you can connect the CSV here for dashboards.
b) Clean Up the Data
What to ignore: Meetvisitors sometimes includes columns you’ll never use (e.g., “Flash Enabled”). Unless you’re doing a browser compatibility study from 2009, delete these.
Check for: - Duplicates (sometimes a bug, sometimes legit—like multiple sessions per user) - Timezones (export might be UTC, even if dashboard is local time) - Missing or anonymized data (privacy settings, GDPR compliance)
c) Quick Analysis Ideas
- Pivot by landing page: See which pages actually bring in visitors.
- Segment by source/medium: Are your paid campaigns working?
- Export only unique visitors: Easy with a “Remove Duplicates” in Excel.
6. Reporting: Built-In vs. Doing It Yourself
Meetvisitors touts a bunch of built-in reports, but here’s the honest scoop:
Built-in reporting is fine for: - Quick overviews (visits by day, top referrers) - Sharing screenshots with non-technical folks
Built-in reporting is NOT great for: - Custom metrics - Complex funnel analysis - Combining data from outside sources (like your CRM)
If you need more than what’s on offer, you’ll want to export and build your own reports in Excel, Google Sheets, or a BI tool.
7. Automating Exports (If You Do This All The Time)
If you find yourself exporting the same data every week, Meetvisitors’ automation options are… limited.
What’s possible: - Some plans let you schedule exports to be emailed regularly. - There may be an API, but expect to do some scripting (and don’t count on great documentation).
What’s not worth your time: - Overcomplicating things unless you truly need it. Sometimes just setting a calendar reminder to export manually is easier than wrestling with flaky integrations.
8. Common Pitfalls (And How To Dodge Them)
- Timezone confusion: Double-check the timezone in your export. It’s easy to misreport if you’re off by a few hours.
- Row limits: Big exports might get truncated. Always check the total row count matches what you expect.
- Privacy redactions: IPs or user details may be masked due to privacy settings. Don’t waste time hunting for data that isn’t there.
- Field changes: Meetvisitors sometimes changes field names or order in exports. If you have automated scripts, check them after any product update.
9. Pro Tips for Better Data
- Document your process: A quick note in your team wiki saves you from reinventing the wheel next month.
- Limit who can export: Too many hands in the data can get messy fast.
- Don’t overanalyze: Focus on actionable insights, not vanity metrics.
10. When To Contact Support
If you’re stuck—say, exports keep failing, or you can’t find a report you need—reach out to Meetvisitors support. But don’t expect miracles if you’re on a free or low-tier plan; response times and feature access vary.
Be specific in your request: Include screenshots, describe the steps you took, and mention your account type. Saves everyone time.
Keep It Simple, Iterate Often
Exporting and reporting from Meetvisitors is straightforward once you’ve done it a couple times. Don’t try to build the perfect report on your first go. Start with the basics, see what’s actually useful for your team, and tweak as you go. Most importantly, don’t let perfect be the enemy of “done.” Your goal is to get answers, not to become a spreadsheet wizard (unless that’s your thing).
If you keep things simple and stay focused on what actually moves the needle, you’ll get a lot more value out of Meetvisitors—and your data won’t just collect dust.