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Webtrends Analytics 9.x
Webtrends Analytics 8.x
Issue
What do the terms visitor session, visit, unique visitors and returning visitors mean?
Resolution
The following concepts and definitions are helpful in understanding the meaning of visitor related measures in Webtrends Reporting Service reports:
First-Time Visitor:
This indicates someone who visits your web site for the first time. A first-time visitor is counted once in the report period, when he or she first arrives. Webtrends Reporting Service defines first-time visitors as visitors without a Webtrends Reporting Service cookie.
Returning Visitor:
This indicates someone who has visited your web site at some time previous to the current report period and has returned to visit during the current report period. A returning visitor is counted once in the report period, when he or she first arrives. Returning visitors are recognized by their Webtrends Reporting Service cookie.
Unique Visitors:
These are individuals, different from any other visitors within the report period. They are counted once in a report period, when they first arrive. The sum of first-time visitors and returning visitors is the total of unique visitors for the report period.The report period can be daily, weekly, monthly, and/or yearly. Comparing Unique Visitors and Returning Visitors Visitors who visit once on every day of a week are counted as unique visitors in each daily report. They are never repeat visitors. However, in the weekly report, they are counted once as a unique visitor and six times as a repeat visitor therefore unique visitor totals in a daily report periods do not add up to the unique visitor totals in a weekly report period.
Visit or Visitor Session:
A single visit – also called a visitor session – includes all of a visitor’s activity from the first page view until he or she exits the web site or remains inactive for 30 minutes. Each time a visitor enters your web site is counted as a visit.
Average (an Arithmetic Mean):
An arithmetic mean is a simple average, that is, the total of all of the numbers in a group divided by the number of numbers in the group. It is considered a “weighted average between extremes” because it includes all of the numbers in the group, even when the range of the numbers is very large.
Standard Report Period Averages:
Reports present averages for comparative analysis. Averages in Standard Report Periods are averages of like time-slices either of all like time-slices in your data since you started or of all like time-slices in the selected report period. For example, Mondays are averaged with Mondays and the first week of the month is averaged with the first weeks of months.