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Sessions, visitors and pageviews explained

2 min read

The Traffic Overview section starts with six numbers. Here is exactly what each one means.

Six KPI cards: visitors, sessions, page views, average session, scroll depth and bounce rate, each with a sparkline and change versus the last period
Each card compares the period with the previous one of the same length.
MetricDefinitionGood to know
VisitorsDistinct peopleFull Tracking: persistent visitor ID. Anonymous Mode: daily non-personal hash, so one person on two days counts twice.
SessionsVisits. A session ends after inactivity.One visitor can have several sessions.
Page viewsPages loadedIncludes every page of every session.
Avg sessionAverage duration of a sessionSpam excluded, so it is not dragged down by bots.
ScrollAverage share of the page scrolledLow scroll on long pages = content too long or not engaging.
BounceShare of sessions with one page and no real engagementHigh bounce is normal on blog posts, worrying on landing pages.

Reading the trend #

Traffic Overview line chart of visitors, sessions and page views per day
Visitors, sessions and page views per day.

The percentage under each card compares the selected period with the previous period of the same length (for example the last 30 days against the 30 days before). The chart shows the three volumes day by day, so you can spot the day a campaign, an update or a problem started.

Ratios worth watching #

  • Page views per session – below 1.5 on a content site means visitors rarely go to a second page.
  • Sessions per visitor – above 1.3 shows people come back.
  • Bounce vs scroll – high bounce with high scroll means people read and leave satisfied; high bounce with low scroll means they leave at once.

Expected result #

You can explain each card and compare two periods without being misled by spam or by Anonymous Mode counting.

FAQ #

Why is Visitors almost equal to Sessions? #

In Anonymous Mode a returning visitor is recognised only within the same day, so visitors and sessions are close. Full Tracking recognises returning visitors.

Do bots count? #

No, as long as Excluding Spam is on (default).

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