{"id":13966,"date":"2019-06-06T09:00:50","date_gmt":"2019-06-06T06:00:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.reliablesoft.net\/?p=13966"},"modified":"2021-06-25T19:12:27","modified_gmt":"2021-06-25T16:12:27","slug":"what-are-pageviews-in-google-analytics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.reliablesoft.net\/what-are-pageviews-in-google-analytics\/","title":{"rendered":"What are Google Analytics Page Views? (Complete Guide)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Two widely used metrics in Google analytics are <em>pageviews<\/em> and <em>unique page views<\/em>. Both are used by digital marketers to measure the performance of a website or webpage over a given period of time.<\/p>\n<p>A lot of people either intentionally or un-intentionally, confuse pageviews with the number of users a website has.<\/p>\n<p>Pageviews is not the same as the number of unique users that visited a website. As you\u2019ll see below, pageviews is the total number of loads and reloads of the same page, from the same user within in a single user session.<\/p>\n<p>This means it is wrong to present the pageviews metric as the total number of visits a website received for a given period of time.<\/p>\n<p>The pageviews value will always be higher than the number of unique site visitors.<\/p>\n<p>In this post, you\u2019ll learn everything you need to know about Google analytics page views, including:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"#pageviews\">What are pageviews?<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#pageview\">What counts as a page view?<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#unique-pageviews\">What are unique page views in Google Analytics?<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#reports\">How to combine Pageviews with other metrics for more actionable reports<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 id=\"pageviews\">What are pageviews in Google Analytics?<\/h2>\n<p>The pageviews metric in Google Analytics shows the total number of pages viewed for a given period of time. A pageview is a view of a page that is being tracked by Google Analytics. A view can be the initial load of a page, a reload or a revisit to the page.<\/p>\n<p>This is the <a href=\"https:\/\/support.google.com\/analytics\/answer\/6086080?hl=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">official definition<\/a> given by Google Analytics:<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_13974\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-13974\" style=\"width: 1466px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img class=\"size-full wp-image-13974\" src=\"https:\/\/www.reliablesoft.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/pageview-definition.png\" alt=\"Google Analytics Pageview Definition\" width=\"1466\" height=\"372\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.reliablesoft.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/pageview-definition.png 1466w, https:\/\/www.reliablesoft.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/pageview-definition-300x76.png 300w, https:\/\/www.reliablesoft.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/pageview-definition-768x195.png 768w, https:\/\/www.reliablesoft.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/pageview-definition-1024x260.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.reliablesoft.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/pageview-definition-400x102.png 400w, https:\/\/www.reliablesoft.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/pageview-definition-600x152.png 600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1466px) 100vw, 1466px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-13974\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Google Analytics Pageview Definition<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h3 id=\"pageview\">What counts as a page view?<\/h3>\n<p>When a web page is loaded (or reloaded) in a browser, this counts as a single pageview.<\/p>\n<p>Here is an example to understand how a pageview and pageviews are counted.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>John visits Page A.<\/li>\n<li>While on Page A, he reloads the page (clicks the refresh button).<\/li>\n<li>From Page A he clicks a link to go to Page B.<\/li>\n<li>From Page B he clicks a link and goes back to Page A.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<table style=\"font-size: 14px; line-height: 16px;\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"226\"><\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\" width=\"132\">Page Views<br \/>\n(Page A)<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\" width=\"242\">Total Page Views<br \/>\n(User Session)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"226\">John visits Page A<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\" width=\"132\">1<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\" width=\"242\">1<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"226\">John reloads Page A<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\" width=\"132\">1<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\" width=\"242\">2<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"226\">John visits Page B from Page A<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\" width=\"132\">0<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\" width=\"242\">3<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"226\">John visits Page A from Page B<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\" width=\"132\">1<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\" width=\"242\">4<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"226\"><strong>TOTAL<\/strong><\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\" width=\"132\">3<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\" width=\"242\">4<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p>In the above scenario, Google Analytics will show 3 Page Views for Page A and 4 Page Views for John\u2019s session.<\/p>\n<h3 id=\"unique-pageviews\">What are unique Page Views?<\/h3>\n<p>\u2018Unique page views\u2019 shows the <u>number of sessions<\/u> a specific page was viewed at least once.<\/p>\n<p>In the above scenario, the total number of unique page views for page A is 1.<\/p>\n<p>In simple terms, the <em>unique page views<\/em> metric shows how many unique users visited a particular page, while the <em>page views<\/em> metric shows the total number of times a page was viewed (can include multiple views from the same user session)<\/p>\n<p><strong>How to see pageviews in Google Analytics<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Let\u2019s see how to look at pageviews in Google Analytics reports.<\/p>\n<p>Go to the AUDIENCE &gt; OVERVIEW report. You will see a table like the example below.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_13973\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-13973\" style=\"width: 1900px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img class=\"size-full wp-image-13973\" src=\"https:\/\/www.reliablesoft.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/audience-overview.png\" alt=\"Audience Overview Report Showing Pageviews\" width=\"1900\" height=\"442\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.reliablesoft.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/audience-overview.png 1900w, https:\/\/www.reliablesoft.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/audience-overview-300x70.png 300w, https:\/\/www.reliablesoft.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/audience-overview-768x179.png 768w, https:\/\/www.reliablesoft.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/audience-overview-1024x238.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.reliablesoft.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/audience-overview-400x93.png 400w, https:\/\/www.reliablesoft.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/audience-overview-600x140.png 600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1900px) 100vw, 1900px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-13973\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Audience Overview Report Showing Pageviews<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Take a closer look at USERS, SESSION, PAGES \/ SESSION and PAGEVIEWS.<\/p>\n<p>The 2009 users initiated 2114 sessions (visits to the site) and in each session they visited on average 1.35 pages, which resulted in 2863 pageviews.<\/p>\n<p>So, in this example the actual number of unique visitors was 2009 and not 2863 (Pageviews). It\u2019s wrong to say that this website got 2863 users.<\/p>\n<p><strong>How to see unique pageviews in Google Analytics<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Go to the SITE CONTENT REPORT (found under BEHAVIOUR &gt; SITE CONTENT &gt; ALL PAGES). You will see these numbers:<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_13975\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-13975\" style=\"width: 1120px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img class=\"size-full wp-image-13975\" src=\"https:\/\/www.reliablesoft.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/unique-page-views.png\" alt=\"Site Content Report - Google Analytics\" width=\"1120\" height=\"228\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.reliablesoft.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/unique-page-views.png 1120w, https:\/\/www.reliablesoft.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/unique-page-views-300x61.png 300w, https:\/\/www.reliablesoft.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/unique-page-views-768x156.png 768w, https:\/\/www.reliablesoft.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/unique-page-views-1024x208.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.reliablesoft.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/unique-page-views-400x81.png 400w, https:\/\/www.reliablesoft.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/unique-page-views-600x122.png 600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1120px) 100vw, 1120px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-13975\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Site Content Report &#8211; Google Analytics<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Notice that the UNIQUE PAGE VIEWS is less than the PAGEVIEWS. This is because a single user may have visited a particular page more than once during a single session.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"reports\">How to combine Pageviews with other metrics for more actionable reports<\/h2>\n<p>Pageviews is by itself an important metric, but when combined with other data, it can help you understand more about your website and visitor behavior.<\/p>\n<p>Here are some examples:<\/p>\n<p><strong>Create a Segment to split your Pageviews between Desktop and Mobile.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>While in the AUDIENCE &gt; OVERVIEW report, click +ADD SEGMENTS and SELECT MOBILE TRAFFIC.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_13969\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-13969\" style=\"width: 1442px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img class=\"size-full wp-image-13969\" src=\"https:\/\/www.reliablesoft.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/pageviews-mobile-traffic-segment.png\" alt=\"Pageviews from Mobile Traffic\" width=\"1442\" height=\"1206\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.reliablesoft.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/pageviews-mobile-traffic-segment.png 1442w, https:\/\/www.reliablesoft.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/pageviews-mobile-traffic-segment-300x251.png 300w, https:\/\/www.reliablesoft.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/pageviews-mobile-traffic-segment-768x642.png 768w, https:\/\/www.reliablesoft.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/pageviews-mobile-traffic-segment-1024x856.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.reliablesoft.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/pageviews-mobile-traffic-segment-359x300.png 359w, https:\/\/www.reliablesoft.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/pageviews-mobile-traffic-segment-600x502.png 600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1442px) 100vw, 1442px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-13969\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Pageviews from Mobile Traffic<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>This will show you how many pageviews you received from mobile compared to the total number of page views.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_13972\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-13972\" style=\"width: 1928px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img class=\"size-full wp-image-13972\" src=\"https:\/\/www.reliablesoft.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/pageviews-from-mobile.png\" alt=\"Pageviews from Mobile Traffic\" width=\"1928\" height=\"776\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.reliablesoft.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/pageviews-from-mobile.png 1928w, https:\/\/www.reliablesoft.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/pageviews-from-mobile-300x121.png 300w, https:\/\/www.reliablesoft.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/pageviews-from-mobile-768x309.png 768w, https:\/\/www.reliablesoft.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/pageviews-from-mobile-1024x412.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.reliablesoft.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/pageviews-from-mobile-400x161.png 400w, https:\/\/www.reliablesoft.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/pageviews-from-mobile-600x241.png 600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1928px) 100vw, 1928px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-13972\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Pageviews from Mobile Traffic<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><strong>How many users created more than 3-page views<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>You can also go one step further and create a custom segment and see what percentage of your users created 3 or more pageviews before leaving.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_13971\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-13971\" style=\"width: 1892px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img class=\"size-full wp-image-13971\" src=\"https:\/\/www.reliablesoft.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/more-than-three-pageviews.png\" alt=\"More than 3 Pageviews Custom Segment\" width=\"1892\" height=\"1018\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.reliablesoft.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/more-than-three-pageviews.png 1892w, https:\/\/www.reliablesoft.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/more-than-three-pageviews-300x161.png 300w, https:\/\/www.reliablesoft.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/more-than-three-pageviews-768x413.png 768w, https:\/\/www.reliablesoft.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/more-than-three-pageviews-1024x551.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.reliablesoft.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/more-than-three-pageviews-400x215.png 400w, https:\/\/www.reliablesoft.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/more-than-three-pageviews-600x323.png 600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1892px) 100vw, 1892px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-13971\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">More than 3 Pageviews Custom Segment<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>If you are new to Google Analytics, read these 3 guides to get a better idea on how to use Google Analytics reports to improve your website.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.reliablesoft.net\/how-to-use-google-analytics-to-boost-your-seo\/\">How to use Google Analytics to Boost your SEO<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.reliablesoft.net\/best-google-analytics-reports-for-beginners\/\">Best Google Analytics Report for Beginners<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.reliablesoft.net\/bounce-rate\/\">What is bounce rate in Google Analytics<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div class=\"key-learnings\">\n<h2>Key Learnings<\/h2>\n<p>As a general rule of thumb, the greater number of pageviews a page receives, the better. But, that should not be confused with page popularity.<\/p>\n<p>Users might be generating more views for a page if they re-load it during the same session by going back and forth.<\/p>\n<p>For example, if you have a page with a list of links to other pages on your website, that page may have a lot more views than other pages because users might click to visit one of the internal links and then come back to the page to visit the next one etc.<\/p>\n<p>A more accurate metric in this case is the unique pageviews. This will give you a better picture on how many UNIQUE users have visited the particular page.<\/p>\n<p>If on the other hand, you want to measure how many pages (unique) users visit before leaving, you should concentrate on the PAGES\/SESSION metric.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Two widely used metrics in Google analytics are pageviews and unique page views. Both are used by digital marketers to measure the performance of a website or webpage over a given period of time. A lot of people either intentionally or un-intentionally, confuse pageviews with the number of users a website has. Pageviews is not [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":13968,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","mc4wp_mailchimp_campaign":[]},"categories":[3],"tags":[61,537,538,539],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.reliablesoft.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13966"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.reliablesoft.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.reliablesoft.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.reliablesoft.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.reliablesoft.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13966"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"https:\/\/www.reliablesoft.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13966\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":29063,"href":"https:\/\/www.reliablesoft.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13966\/revisions\/29063"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.reliablesoft.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/13968"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.reliablesoft.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13966"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.reliablesoft.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13966"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.reliablesoft.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13966"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}