How visits are measured in Adobe Analytics vs Google Analytics

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Visits in Adobe Analytics vs Google Analytics

How visits are measured differentlyBalasingam-Chow Yu Hui (@yuhui)

18 January 2017

http://www.sparkline.com



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What is a "visit"?



http://sparkline.com/



“

“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".




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




❏ 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






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.




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




Hits after 12:00am

Hit Hit Hit Hit

11:40pm 12:01am 12:18am


2 Visits: 1 Blue, 1 Purple● New visit starts after 12:00am.

"12:00am" as determined by the GA View's timezone setting.




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





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





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





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Which is correct??






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






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



http://www.digitalanalyticsassociation.org/Files/PDF_standards/WebAnalyticsDefinitionsVol1.pdf



https://marketing.adobe.com/resources/help/en_US/reference/metrics_visit.html

https://marketing.adobe.com/resources/help/en_US/reference/metrics_visit.html

https://support.google.com/analytics/answer/2731565

https://support.google.com/analytics/answer/2731565

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How visits are measured in Adobe Analytics vs Google Analytics