One of the most important tools for a website owner is their web report. In fact when I am contacted to discuss redesigning an existing website, one of the first things I'll ask about is the web report. The thing that surprises me most is that many website owners have never viewed their report or they have viewed it but don't understand it.
Even though I always advise my clients of their reports and the location to view them, most people just don't refer to them that often, if at all. I highly recommend that all website owners get familiar with their reports and if needed call their webmaster to discuss the report in greater detail.
A web report is a treasure trove of information and anybody serious about marketing will have a good understanding of their report and the terms used.
There are many types of reports, but the basic terms and functionality are the same. Below are terms that are most often used in a web report and their definitions.
Term: Unique Visitors
Definition: A count of how many different people access a Web site. For example, if a user leaves and comes back to the site five times during the measurement period, that person is counted as one unique visitor, but would count as five "user sessions."
Term: Visitors / Sessions
Definition: The total number of distinct visits made to a site for a given period. A visit starts with an entry click and ends with an exit or a 20 30 minuteperiod of inactivity. Every visitor can make an unlimited number of visits.
Term: Page Views
Definition: Pageview: A single web page viewed by a human through a browser is a pageview. Technically: a file, or a combination of files, sent to a visitor as a result of that visitor's request being received by a server.
Term: Hits
Definition: The retrieval of any item, like a page or a graphic, from a Web server. For example, when a visitor views a Web page with four graphics, that's five hits, one for the page and four for the graphics. For this reason, hits often aren't a good indication of Web traffic.
Term: Entry Page
Definition: An entry page is located on your site. It is the first page through which a visitor enters your site, aka 'landing page'.
Term: Exit Page
Definition: The last page a visitor views before leaving your site.
Term: Referrer
Definition: Third party website (i.e. search engine, link, banner) through which a visitor reaches your site. Search engines are the primary example, but other sites with links leading to your site are also referrers. Examples are forums, banners, links, directories, etc..
Term: Key Phrases
Definition: Phrases used in a search engine that return your site within the search results.
Term: Key Words
Definition: Single unique words used in a search engine that return your site within the search results.
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