Before more complex
analytics are used to break down the different types of pages, visit lengths
and referrers, there are foundational analytics (Moore, 2014). They are the core of web analytics and what
began it all (Kaushik, 2010, p. 36). Foundational metrics can be broken down
into the following categories:
- · Page views
- · Visits or sessions
- · Unique visitors
- · (Tiebohl, 2014)
Page views
Google defines a page view
as “an instance of a page being loaded by a browser” (Google, 2014). The metric
shows the number of viewed pages, with repeated views included. By showing how many pages are viewed by site
visitors, you can determine where they’re going and the most popular
destinations.
Visits/sessions
Visits are the number of
times your site received visitors without paying attention to repeated visitors
(Spork Marketing). This count is one of
the most basic and important pieces of information to measure (Tendenci).
The experience of the
visitor spending time on your site is called a session, according to Avinash
Kaushik, author of Web Analytics 2.0
(2010, p. 38). A visit or session begins with the very first request and ends
with the last.
Unique Visitors
Page views measure the
number of requests a site receives, but unique visitors take it a step further.
These metrics determine how many unique visitors came back to the site during a
selected period of time (Beal). When someone visits your site, a unique string
of characters and numbers are assigned called a cookie ID. No personal
information is included, but every time the visitor returns, this cookie ID
recognizes them and logs their activity (Kaushik, 2010, p. 28).
As a web metrics amateur, I’m
still learning and part of that is using Facebook Insights more and trying to
decipher information I typically ignore. I’m the administrator for two Pages.
Granted, these are small scale analytics intended to be helpful to the average
Joe with no experience (at least I assume considering I understand a lot of
what I read).
One feature is tab views.
Facebook offers many enagement stats, but they also show how many people view a
tab on Facebook on a given day. At first, I thought this was a silly thing to
monitor (considering it also tells me how many times I view the Insights tab),
but it’s useful to figure out what is pulling them to look at our Page.
For example, if I have more
views of the Timeline when I’m posting about an upcoming event, this could
represent people seeking out the information about that particular happening.
If I receive a lot of Photo tab views after posting a new album, it may help me
to see if people are looking at pictures and finding value.
At my job, unique visitors
can prove extremely helpful. My law firm specializes in personal injury. Right
now, the GM recall is a pretty big deal and more than two million owners want
answers. As the marketing coordinator, I’ve written around 15 stories outlining
the initial breaking of the recall to the announcement of the compensation fund
and growing death tolls.
Surprisingly, I don’t write
these for my own enjoyment.
The unique cookie ID
assigned to visitors could help me determine if people found my stories and the
updated information useful and returned for more as the recall unfolded. If we
checked the unique visitors from March to September (when most of the stories
were written), we could see the value people found based on how often they
returned.
Page views are essential
for the firm as well. When people come to our site, where are they going? What
do they find interesting? This, combined with the session mapping out the
navigation path, can show what visitors find most valuable on our site and what
our audience is looking for, enabling us to improve high-trafficked pages.
The three foundational
metrics provide the base of information needed to begin examining online
efforts. More complex metrics obviously exist, but you need the basics to at
least tell you how many are coming to see what you have to offer.
References
Beal, V. (n.d.). Unique
visitor. Webopedia. Retrieved from http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/U/unique_visitor.html
Google. (2014). Pageviews.
Analytics. Retrieved from https://support.google.com/analytics/answer/1006243?hl=en
Kaushik, A. (2010). Web analytics 2.0: The art of online
accountability and science of customer centricity. Chapter 3, pp. 36
&38. Wiley Publishing: Indiana.
Moore, C. (2014). Big data
and analytics- five foundational elements. Sirius Decisions. Retrieved from https://www.siriusdecisions.com/Blog/2014/Mar/Big-Data-and-Analytics-Five-Foundational-Elements.aspx
Spork Marketing, LLC.
(n.d.). What visits, visitors and page views? Google analytics for beginners.
Retrieved from http://sporkmarketing.com/376/what-are-visitors-unique-visitors-and-page-views-google-analytics/
Tendenci. (n.d.). Meaning
of hits , visits, page views and traffic sources: Web analytics definitions.
Retrieved from https://www.tendenci.com/help-files/meaning-of-hits-visits-page-views-and-traffic-sources-web-analytics-definitions/
Tiebohl, M. (2014). Lesson
2: Basic web analytics, IMC 642. WVU IMC. Retrieved from https://ecampus.wvu.edu/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp?tab_group=courses&url=%2Fwebapps%2Fblackboard%2Fexecute%2FdisplayLearningUnit%3Fcourse_id%3D_20666_1%26content_id%3D_1178118_1%26framesetWrapped%3Dtrue
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