Average pageviews per website visit

Indicator Number: 
29

Category: 

Logic Model Component: 

Data Type(s): 
Count
Short Definition: 
Captures the number of times a web page is viewed, divided by the number of site visits
Definition and Explanation (Long): 
This indicator measures the number of times a webpage is viewed, divided by the number of site visits. (See indicators 20 and 21 for definitions of pageviews and visits, respectively.)
Data Requirements: 
Quantitative data from web analytics
Data Sources: 
Web analytics software , such as Google Analytics, Piwik, and WebTrends
Frequency of Data Collection: 
Quarterly
Purpose: 
The average pageviews per visit gauges the visitor’s engagement with a website. A high pageview average suggests that visitors interact more deeply with the site. There is no specific “good” or “poor” average; rather, the site’s or page’s context determines what is a satisfactory average.
Issues and Challenges: 
"Pageviews per visit" is becoming a less useful measure on its own. In the early days of the internet, users tended to start at a homepage and browse through a site, so higher pageviews-per-visit were desirable. In the 2010s, however, the trend shifted significantly. Most users now find a specific page in a search result or posted on social media, go to the site for that one page, and then leave. This is valid user behavior and does not indicate that a website is not meeting user needs. Different types of sites will naturally have different averages. For example, an online course that leads people through content a page at a time will have higher average pageviews-per-visit than a blog. Again, the most important thing to monitor is trends over time.
Related Indicators: 
Indicators on web analytics: 19, 20, 21, 22, and 30
Sample Topics and Questions for Data Collection Instruments: 
Please give a specific example of how and what you have shared with your colleagues. (Open-ended.)
Resources: 
For more information about Web analytics, see Appendix 3 on p.83.
Indicator Snapshots: 
From January 1, 2013 to July 31, 2013, 2,606 page visits to the ICT for Ag website (ictforag.org) came from Africa, with an average of 3.15 pageviews per visit. During the month of December 2012, returning visitors to the Photoshare website (www.photoshare.org) viewed an average of 6.18 pageviews, while new visitors averaged 2.04 pageviews. Visitors to the DHS toolkit on www.k4health.org between November 1, 2012 and January 31, 2013 viewed an average of 2.72 pageviews per visit.
Pages in the Guide: 
48-49

Published Year: 

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