What the import does
The log file lists every request your server answered, one per line, in the standard Apache or Nginx “combined” format. The plugin reads new lines since its last run, finds the ones from known AI bots, and adds them as bot visits with the time and page from the log. With Pro it also finds people who arrived from AI assistants. A visit already recorded as it happened is recognised and not counted twice.
The import remembers where it stopped, so running it again only reads what is new. If your server rotates the file (starts a new one), the import notices and starts from the beginning of the new file.
Where the file is
| Host or server | Typical location |
|---|---|
| Nginx on a VPS | /var/log/nginx/access.log |
| Apache on Ubuntu or Debian | /var/log/apache2/access.log |
| Apache on CentOS or Rocky | /var/log/httpd/access_log |
| cPanel | /home/<account>/access-logs/<domain> or /home/<account>/logs/ |
| Plesk | /var/www/vhosts/<domain>/logs/access_log |
| SiteGround | SiteGround keeps one compressed log per day for the last 30 days in a folder called logs, beside public_html. Open Site Tools, File Manager, download the day you want, unzip it, upload the text file to a private folder and import from there. The Statistics screen shows only the latest 300 requests, so do not use that. |
| WP Engine | Download from the User Portal under Logs; upload to _wpeprivate/ over SFTP and import from there. Not automatic. |
Pro’s Advanced settings list any readable log files it finds in the usual places on your server.
In the free plugin
Settings, Import from server access log. Paste the full path and click Import now. A message tells you how many bot visits were added.
In Pro
Pro Settings, Advanced, Log file location. Paste the path and save. The plugin tries the file straight away and tells you whether it could read it, then reads it every hour. A status line shows the last run and how many lines and visits it found.
If it says the file cannot be read
Either the path is wrong or the web server’s user is not allowed to read the file. Check the path in your hosting control panel. On shared hosts, ask support whether PHP can read the access log and, if not, whether they can copy it somewhere it can.