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Visits in Adobe Analytics vs Google Analytics
How visits are measured differentlyBalasingam-Chow Yu Hui (@yuhui)
18 January 2017
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What is a "visit"?
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“
“A visit is an interaction, by an individual, with a website
consisting of one or more requests for an analyst-definable unit of content (i.e. “page view”). If an
individual has not taken another action (typically additional page views) on the site within a specified time
period, the visit session will terminate.
Digital Analytics Association, 2007
"Website" can be used interchangeably with "app".
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Visit:● Group of hits● Same person● Same website or app● Terminates after a time period
○ Usually 30 minutes
Google Analytics uses the label "session" in place of visit. Nonetheless, it has the same meaning as "visit", so "session" and "visit" can be used interchangeably.
Simplified definition
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❏ Browser session❏ Based on the web browser.❏ Ends when the browser has quit.❏ Can last indefinitely.
❏ Business session, examples:❏ Travel: new session begins when room rates / airfares are
refreshed, e.g. every 2 hours.❏ Video on demand: session could be determined by movie / TV
episode's duration.
What a visit is not
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Adobe AnalyticsandGoogle Analytics
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More than 30 minutes between hits
Hit Hit Hit Hit Hit
9:00am 9:50am 10:30am
40 minutes
2 visits: 1 Blue, 1 Purple● Gap of more than 30 minutes between hits.
The maximum time between hits can also be customised within each tool.
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Hits from another traffic source
Hit Hit Hit Hit
11:00am 11:15am 11:30am
1 Visit: Blue + Purple● Every hit is within 30 minutes of its previous hit.
HitFacebook Bing
2 Visits: 1 Blue, 1 Purple● New visit starts when new traffic source is
detected.
15 minutes
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Hits after 12:00am
Hit Hit Hit Hit
11:40pm 12:01am 12:18am
1 Visit: Blue + Purple● Every hit is within 30 minutes of its previous hit.
2 Visits: 1 Blue, 1 Purple● New visit starts after 12:00am.
"12:00am" as determined by the GA View's timezone setting.
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Hits for more than 12 hours
2 Visits: 1 Blue, 1 Purple● New visit starts after 12 hours of continuous hits.
Hit Hit Hit
2:00pm 2:00am
Hit Hit
1 Visit: Blue + Purple● Every hit is within 30 minutes of its previous hit.
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More than 2,500 hits
2 Visits: 1 Blue, 1 Purple● New visit starts after 2,500 of continuous hits.
Hit#1
Hit#2
Hit#3
3:30am 5:00am
Hit#2,500
Hit#2,501
1 Visit: Blue + Purple● Every hit is within 30 minutes of its previous hit.
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100 hits within 100 seconds
1 Visit: Blue● Hits #101 and onwards are ignored.
Hit#1
Hit#2
Hit#3
7:10:00am 7:11:41am
Hit#100
Hit#101
100 seconds
1 Visit: Blue + Purple● Every hit is within 30 minutes of its previous hit.
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Which is correct??
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Use the data that is given to you.
"What should I do?"
If you use both tools to measure the same website / app, you will notice a small percentage difference between their respective reported visits.
(It is like how two clocks tell you different times at the same moment.)
But there is more value in the findings from each tool's reports, than in nit-picking on the differences.
Focus on what's importantInsights, not troubleshooting.
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References
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Digital Analytics Association
● "Web Analytics Definitions" version 4● Date of Approval: 16 August 2007● http://www.digitalanalyticsassociation.org/Files/PDF_standards/WebAnalyticsDefi
nitionsVol1.pdf
Adobe Analytics
● "Analytics Help and Reference > Visit"● Last referred: 18 January 2017● https://marketing.adobe.com/resources/help/en_US/reference/metrics_visit.html
Google Analytics
● "How a session is defined in Analytics"● Last referred: 18 January 2017● https://support.google.com/analytics/answer/2731565
References
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[email protected] +65 65572543 sparkline.com