Probabilistic modelling for clickstream analysis

Abstract. Our aim is to explore the possibility of performing site-centric clickstream analysis by means of probabilistic modelling. We consider the clickstream originating from a given Web site as a Markovian sequence taking values in the site's page-space. An extra page is added which represents the rest of the Web and is used to determine clickstream fractures (i.e. multiple visits). Different models for the memory of Web surfers and for their heterogeneity are investigated. As an example, the methodology is then applied to data originating from an e-commerce site