Do you really understand these GA data? (Down)
Posted: Wed Feb 12, 2025 6:48 am
Continuing with our last topic of debunking Google Analytics data myths , this time we will discuss three indicators: average page dwell time , new visitors and returning visitors , and referral traffic , so that everyone can have a deeper understanding of GA.
5. Average time on page
Many people measure this data by interpreting it as: how much office 365 database time do visitors spend browsing my website? But in fact, it is not entirely the case. How to put it?
When a user opens your web page, he or she may also open many tabs at the same time, but GA cannot tell whether the user is viewing your web page or other tabs.
Also, the definition of average page dwell time in Google Analytics is actually the difference in the length of time the web page is opened in the visitor's browser, or the difference in action time when the user takes an action (triggering an event) on the web page. That is, when the user enters the website, the first page is at 10:00, then clicks on the link in the website to the second page at 10:01, and finally browses this page for two minutes until 10:03 when the webpage is closed. However, since no data will be sent back to Google Analytics when it is closed at 10:03, GA will only know that the time difference is one minute, not three minutes.
Therefore, when observing this data, we must first understand that the average browsing time may be overestimated or underestimated compared to the actual user behavior.
6. New vs. Returning Visitors
The number of new and returning visitors can sometimes be misleading because Google Analytics relies on cookies to track returning visitors, so people who are used to deleting their history and cookies will be recorded as new visitors, even though they may have actually visited your site before. In addition, visits using different devices will also be recorded as different visitors by Google Analytics. For example, if you browse the website using a desktop computer at work and browse the same website using a mobile phone on the way home after get off work, it will be counted as two visitors.
Many people find the low number of returning visitors worrying, but it's also worth considering that many new visitors are not really "new" at all. In addition, it is also possible that the business goal of your website is to make visitors willing to pay on their first visit, and the product repurchase rate is low. In these cases, you don’t need to worry too much about the low number of return visits.
5. Average time on page
Many people measure this data by interpreting it as: how much office 365 database time do visitors spend browsing my website? But in fact, it is not entirely the case. How to put it?
When a user opens your web page, he or she may also open many tabs at the same time, but GA cannot tell whether the user is viewing your web page or other tabs.
Also, the definition of average page dwell time in Google Analytics is actually the difference in the length of time the web page is opened in the visitor's browser, or the difference in action time when the user takes an action (triggering an event) on the web page. That is, when the user enters the website, the first page is at 10:00, then clicks on the link in the website to the second page at 10:01, and finally browses this page for two minutes until 10:03 when the webpage is closed. However, since no data will be sent back to Google Analytics when it is closed at 10:03, GA will only know that the time difference is one minute, not three minutes.
Therefore, when observing this data, we must first understand that the average browsing time may be overestimated or underestimated compared to the actual user behavior.
6. New vs. Returning Visitors
The number of new and returning visitors can sometimes be misleading because Google Analytics relies on cookies to track returning visitors, so people who are used to deleting their history and cookies will be recorded as new visitors, even though they may have actually visited your site before. In addition, visits using different devices will also be recorded as different visitors by Google Analytics. For example, if you browse the website using a desktop computer at work and browse the same website using a mobile phone on the way home after get off work, it will be counted as two visitors.
Many people find the low number of returning visitors worrying, but it's also worth considering that many new visitors are not really "new" at all. In addition, it is also possible that the business goal of your website is to make visitors willing to pay on their first visit, and the product repurchase rate is low. In these cases, you don’t need to worry too much about the low number of return visits.