Comments on: Standard Metrics Revisited: #1: Visitors http://www.kaushik.net/avinash/2006/09/standard-metrics-revisited-1-visitors.html Pluralitas non est ponenda sine neccesitate. Wed, 17 Mar 2010 23:48:52 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Jason Shttp://www.kaushik.net/avinash/2006/09/standard-metrics-revisited-1-visitors.html/comment-page-1#comment-491055 Jason S Mon, 01 Feb 2010 17:08:27 +0000 http://www.kaushik.net/avinash/2006/09/standard-metrics-revisited-1-visitors.html#comment-491055 Something is bothering me about the way Google analytics handles absolute unique visitors for the site above. I realize this 'metric' is now outdated as a modern KPI device but I need to understand something:It basically comes down to analyzing how many unique visitors or 'people' visited our site in 2009. I have read the 'hotel' example on Wikipedia using 'rooms' as an example and I also cross reference with independent audit tags via Quantast to assess site as a whole.BUT.... I am still confused (see table below). Review 2009 unique visitors:Jan No data Feb No data Mar 29,269 Apr 29,121 May 25,843 Jun 31,705 Jul 33,385 Aug 35,181 Sep 31,813 Oct 33,183 Nov 29,980 Dec 31908 ---------- TOTAL UNIQUE VISITORS: 311,388Notice that Google ADDS the montly visitors together for 2009 in the analytics program by default which surely can not be correct. In other words, there is no way that 311,388 'people' visited our site? What value would I get from this 'fake' number?I could average the results externally in excel to produce this metric: 25,949 average visitors per monthWhen presenting stats to management should I present the average?Is there a better way to get some idea of the amount of unique people that visit a site in on a yearly basis?Thanks Jason Something is bothering me about the way Google analytics handles absolute unique visitors for the site above. I realize this 'metric' is now outdated as a modern KPI device but I need to understand something:

It basically comes down to analyzing how many unique visitors or 'people' visited our site in 2009. I have read the 'hotel' example on Wikipedia using 'rooms' as an example and I also cross reference with independent audit tags via Quantast to assess site as a whole.

BUT…. I am still confused (see table below). Review 2009 unique visitors:

Jan No data
Feb No data
Mar 29,269
Apr 29,121
May 25,843
Jun 31,705
Jul 33,385
Aug 35,181
Sep 31,813
Oct 33,183
Nov 29,980
Dec 31908
———-
TOTAL UNIQUE VISITORS: 311,388

Notice that Google ADDS the montly visitors together for 2009 in the analytics program by default which surely can not be correct. In other words, there is no way that 311,388 'people' visited our site? What value would I get from this 'fake' number?

I could average the results externally in excel to produce this metric:
25,949 average visitors per month

When presenting stats to management should I present the average?

Is there a better way to get some idea of the amount of unique people that visit a site in on a yearly basis?

Thanks
Jason

]]> By: A Great Analytic Sitehttp://www.kaushik.net/avinash/2006/09/standard-metrics-revisited-1-visitors.html/comment-page-1#comment-485613 A Great Analytic Site Tue, 21 Apr 2009 21:47:32 +0000 http://www.kaushik.net/avinash/2006/09/standard-metrics-revisited-1-visitors.html#comment-485613 [...] You can learn a lot more about Visits and Unique Visitors in this post: Standard Metrics Revisited: #1: Visitors. [...] [...] You can learn a lot more about Visits and Unique Visitors in this post: Standard Metrics Revisited: #1: Visitors. [...]

]]> By: Stevehttp://www.kaushik.net/avinash/2006/09/standard-metrics-revisited-1-visitors.html/comment-page-1#comment-440138 Steve Tue, 25 Mar 2008 11:15:34 +0000 http://www.kaushik.net/avinash/2006/09/standard-metrics-revisited-1-visitors.html#comment-440138 Ok Mister Avinash. I'll bite. :-)1. It *is* about people - we just proxy for people via # of browsers. If it's not fundamentally about people, then whom are we optimising our web sites for? Number Five? ;-) (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0091949/ [1]) I know what you mean/meant but ... well... red rag to bull. :-)2. I *assume* that that Cookie Support measure is purely done via page tagging measures? ie The gif was requested, but the attached cookie in the html headers keeps changing, or is null'ed/stripped? That leaves oh so many places where cookies can and frequently are zapped. :-( Also subject to where you set the cookie - client side with JS, or server side.And none of which answers how often they get zapped either....I've always worked... backwards to compute deletion/rejection rates. Work out what IS accepted. Estimate how many... :-D *browsers* are left and call that a NUMBER. Rough but well... open to better ideas. :-)Cheers! - Steve PS Liked the context post! Nothing to say tho. Surprisingly... [1] Possibly showing my age. :-D Ok Mister Avinash. I'll bite. :-)

1. It *is* about people – we just proxy for people via # of browsers. If it's not fundamentally about people, then whom are we optimising our web sites for? Number Five? ;-) (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0091949/ [1])
I know what you mean/meant but … well… red rag to bull. :-)

2. I *assume* that that Cookie Support measure is purely done via page tagging measures? ie The gif was requested, but the attached cookie in the html headers keeps changing, or is null'ed/stripped?
That leaves oh so many places where cookies can and frequently are zapped. :-(
Also subject to where you set the cookie – client side with JS, or server side.

And none of which answers how often they get zapped either….

I've always worked… backwards to compute deletion/rejection rates. Work out what IS accepted. Estimate how many… :-D *browsers* are left and call that a NUMBER.
Rough but well… open to better ideas. :-)

Cheers!
- Steve
PS Liked the context post! Nothing to say tho. Surprisingly…
[1] Possibly showing my age. :-D

]]> By: Avinash Kaushikhttp://www.kaushik.net/avinash/2006/09/standard-metrics-revisited-1-visitors.html/comment-page-1#comment-440046 Avinash Kaushik Mon, 24 Mar 2008 23:51:51 +0000 http://www.kaushik.net/avinash/2006/09/standard-metrics-revisited-1-visitors.html#comment-440046 <font color=blue><b>Minjae :</b></font> In Web Analytics there is no such thing as "people". It is all about "browsers", as in IE & FireFox etc. :)Cookies acceptance can be set at No at a individual browser level. Cookie deletion can be set at a browser or a system level (firewall / spyware / other "protection" software).But Web Analytics tools can help you measure some element of this. Here is my own IndexTools report for cookies. . . .<img src="http://www.kaushik.net/avinash/wp-content/uploads/2008/03/indextools_cookie_report_occams_razor.png" alt="IndexTools Cookie Disabled Report" />Hope this answers your question.-Avinash. Minjae : In Web Analytics there is no such thing as "people". It is all about "browsers", as in IE & FireFox etc. :)

Cookies acceptance can be set at No at a individual browser level. Cookie deletion can be set at a browser or a system level (firewall / spyware / other "protection" software).

But Web Analytics tools can help you measure some element of this. Here is my own IndexTools report for cookies. . . .

IndexTools Cookie Disabled Report

Hope this answers your question.

-Avinash.

]]> By: Minjaehttp://www.kaushik.net/avinash/2006/09/standard-metrics-revisited-1-visitors.html/comment-page-1#comment-439739 Minjae Mon, 24 Mar 2008 08:16:27 +0000 http://www.kaushik.net/avinash/2006/09/standard-metrics-revisited-1-visitors.html#comment-439739 Hello, Let me ask regarding to cookie deletion issue. You said "The numbers for first party cookies are a 2 – 5%". Do you mean 2-5% of people delete first party cookies? Tha't only one question about this post. :DI appreciate this post solve my long vague problem on visitors and UV. Hello,
Let me ask regarding to cookie deletion issue.
You said "The numbers for first party cookies are a 2 – 5%".
Do you mean 2-5% of people delete first party cookies?
Tha't only one question about this post. :D

I appreciate this post solve my long vague problem on visitors and UV.

]]> By: Matt D.http://www.kaushik.net/avinash/2006/09/standard-metrics-revisited-1-visitors.html/comment-page-1#comment-414950 Matt D. Mon, 11 Feb 2008 09:24:50 +0000 http://www.kaushik.net/avinash/2006/09/standard-metrics-revisited-1-visitors.html#comment-414950 Hi thereI find it really weak that Omniture's SiteCatalyst is not allowing Weekly or Monthly visitors. Once you buy their tool and get started, retag all your pages and get to the point of using it, then they disable these metrics for most reports and say it is too costly for them to provide.Matt D. Texas Hi there

I find it really weak that Omniture's SiteCatalyst is not allowing Weekly or Monthly visitors. Once you buy their tool and get started, retag all your pages and get to the point of using it, then they disable these metrics for most reports and say it is too costly for them to provide.

Matt D.
Texas

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