Total number of pageviews

Indicator Number: 
20

Category: 

Logic Model Component: 

Data Type(s): 
Count
Short Definition: 
Captures the total number of times a page is viewed by a visitor
Definition and Explanation (Long): 
This indicator captures the total number of times a page is viewed by a visitor. Pageviews are measured when a page’s tracking code is executed on a website.
Data Requirements: 
Quantitative data from web analytics
Data Sources: 
Web analytics software, such as Google Analytics, Piwik, or WebTrends
Frequency of Data Collection: 
Quarterly
Purpose: 
Pageviews are a typical general measure of how much a website is used. In the early days of the Internet, use was measured in "hits." However, “hits" are no longer a meaningful measurement. A "hit" is a call to a web server for a specific action or element, but a modern web page is much more complex and can involve anywhere from one to hundreds of individual "hits."
Issues and Challenges: 
With pageviews, the trend is important, not the raw numbers. Watching a specific page's performance can be useful. For example, a spike in views of a specific page can indicate the success of a promotion. Web traffic varies greatly, depending on the size and scope of a website. If your site serves a small community of practice, do not compare your pageview count to a site that serves a broader audience.
Related Indicators: 
Indicators on web analytics: 19, 21, 22, 29, and 30
Resources: 
For more information about Web analytics, see Appendix 3 on p.83.
Indicator Snapshots: 
The GNH Conference website (http://www.newborn2013.com/) was first launched in January 2013. It generated 29,562 pageviews up until May 5, 2013. Between June 1, 2011 and June 30, 2012, the materials page of the film In It to Save Lives: Scaling Up Voluntary Medical Male Circumcision for HIV Prevention for Maximum Public Health Impact (http://www.aidstar-one.com/focus_areas/prevention/resources/vmmc/resource_packet) generated a total of 5,666 pageviews. The VMMC landing page, with the embedded video, generated 1,204 pageviews from 89 countries. About 20 percent of all pageviews were visits from Africa. Since MEASURE Evaluation started using SlideShare in June 2008, the project’s 229 slides have received a total 174,162 pageviews. Most of the pageviews came from the United States (35,731), Bangladesh (4,975), Ethiopia (4,460), Nigeria (2,930), Kenya (2,859), and India (2,831).
Pages in the Guide: 
40

Published Year: 

  • 2013
Last Updated Date: 
Wednesday, September 6, 2017