WEB MEDIA SCHOOL session - 64 STATISTICS "What is the difference between a "hit" and a "visit"?
A "hit" is sometimes called an "impression" or a "page view". However, they are not all the same thing. Many people refer to a hit and a page view as the same thing, so it can get a little confusing. Almost always, when someone refers to a hit they are actually referring to a page view. For example, if you have a web site with an ad banner, a graph, and text copy, this page could register differently depending if you are talking about a hit or a page view. If a visitor accessed this Web page, it might technically register as three page hits--one for each item loaded (graph, text, banner), and yet only one page view. Or, depending on how the page is configured, this same scenario might come out as one hit and one page view. To keep things clear, SuperStats always uses the term "page views".
So now the question, what is a "visit"? "Visit" and "visitor" and "unique visitor" are terms that are frequently used. A "visit" can be thought of as a session. For example, I might go to sitexyz.com, and visit three pages, leave, and come back five minutes later and visit four more pages. This would be two visits. During the first visit I had three page views, and during the second visit I had four page views--for a total of two visits and seven page views.
A "visitor" is defined by a period of time. For example, if I am trying to measure Hourly Unique Visitors with the same scenario above and the two visits took place at 5:12 p.m. and 5:17 p.m., I would register as one Hourly Unique Visitor. Both of my visits occurred during the same hour. If instead my visits took place at 5:58 p.m. and 6:03 p.m., I would register as two Hourly Unique Visitors because my visits took place during different hours. Additionally, I would register as and one Daily Unique Visitor because I visited twice on the same day.
Which is better to measure? It depends on what you're trying to accomplish. Advertisers are generally more interested in page views the majority of advertising is based on a CPM or cost per thousand page views served. Investors might be more interested in the number of visitors that your site attracts each day or month.
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