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Google AnalyticsHow GA measure time spend
by Joe Anucha SEODML.com
[email protected]
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GA Terms
TERMS:
Session = a visit, of 30 minute window time. If a user exit and
comes back at 31 min, it will count 2 sessions
Pageviews = everytime analytic code is loaded by the browser
(like a page hit)
User = unique visitor identified by a user agent cookie:
browser, device, screen size, ip address etc.
Session duration = total spending time for a session on site (by
adding time on page of a session together)
Time on page = spending time on each page (time spend of the
first pageview to the next)
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How GA count time spend of a session
PAGE A PAGE B PAGE C
Keypoint: GA can not count time on a one page visit. It can know
the time spend only when a visit jump from page to page. Also, the
last page of any visit will always be = 0 time because there is no
next page for GA to make time stamp.
10:00 min 20:00 min 19:00 min
THE RESULT:
User = 1 Session = 1 Session duration (time on site) = 30 min
(page A + page B without page C)
Pageviews = 3 Time on page A = 10 min Time on page B = 20 min
Time on page C = unknown
Time on page C is unknown because there is no next page to make
time stamp.
EXIT
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Avg. session duration (avg. time on site or ATOS)
PAGE A
Keypoint: To analyze on session behavior, not to analyze on user
behavior Formula of avg. session duration is: total time on site /
visits (including visit that bounce)
10:00 min
THE RESULT: User = 1 Sessions = 3 Avg. session duration = 1:08
(formular: 1:11 + 2:14 / 3 sessions (including session 1 that
bounce)
Pageviews = 3 Time on page A = 10 min Time on page B = 20 min
Time on page C = unknown
SESSION 1: A 100% bounce session - Time on site = 0 min (GA do
not know time spend if visit just one page)
EXIT
PAGE A
1:11 min 20:00 min
SESSION 2: Time on site = 1:11 min
PAGE B
PAGE A
1 min 1:14 min
SESSION 3: Time on site = 2:14 min
PAGE B
EXIT
20:00 min
PAGE B EXIT
(not count)
(not count)
This is why sometimes we see ATOS lower than ATOP is because
that ATOS has too many bounces visits in the calculation.
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Avg. time on page (ATOP)Keypoint: ATOP is to find out about a
web pages avg. time spending. (to analyze a page performance, not
user behavior) e.g. /babynaming has ATOP = 3.2 min
PAGEVIEW 1: 2:00 PAGEVIEW 2: 1:00 PAGEVIEW 3: 1:00 PAGEVIEW 4:
0:00 (exit or bounce) PAGEVIEW 5: 0:00 (exit or bounce) PAGEVIEW 6:
0:00 (exit or bounce)
Visit 1: PAGE A
Visit 2:
Visit 3:
THE RESULT: Formula avg. time on page: Time on page / (pageviews
- exits)
4 / (6 pageviews - 3 exits) Avg. time on page A = 1:3 min
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What measurement we should use for user engagementKeypoint: The
most accurate we can report engagement:
Want to know a page performance: use avg. time on page Want to
know a user engagement: use avg. session duration
Because: GA does not have avg. time per user so the closest
would be: avg. session duration So we can count 3.3 min engagement
by both users and sessions. They both work ok.
User 1:
User 2:
User 3:
session 1 = 3.3 min (reach KPI) session 2 = 5 min (reach
KPI)
session 1 = 3.3 min (reach KPI) session 2 = 1 min session 3 = 2
min
session 1 = 0 min
THE RESULT: 3 sessions reach KPI but only 2 users reach KPI
