Pageviews

Pageview refers to every time a page is loaded or refreshed. It is the number of times a page is called for. They can help us determine what our audiences are interested in, how well our website pages are constructed for search, and what the user behavior trends are.

Pageviews give an idea about how popular a web page is, but while measuring we must keep in mind other analytics too. High page views may convey customer interaction and an individual’s interest in the page. But high pageviews might also indicate that visitors find it difficult to locate what they are actually looking for.

We can find an average or an approximation of people visiting the page but not the actual number. For example, if a person is going back and forth the page 50 times, the tool would register it as 50 pageviews while it is the same person.

HOW TO CALCULATE AVERAGE PAGE VIEWS

The total number of page views upon the total number of visits in a given timeframe.

=> Average Page Views per Visit = Page Views

                                                        ----------------------

                                                           Total Visits

How to view Pageviews on Google Analytics

1. Search Google Analytics on your browser. On the right side of the page, you will find an “Access Analytics” button. Click on that and enter your google account mail address and password if asked.
2. Click the "View Report" link which is next to the website on which you want to track page views. This displays the page for the selected website.
3. Scroll to the bottom of the page and under the “Content Overview” section, click on the “view report” link. 
4. Under the “Top Content” section, click on the “View Full Report” link. It will show the number of pageviews on each page on the website. The most viewed page is displayed first.
5. At the top of the page, you can select the time period for which you want to see the page views.
6. Next to “Show Rows”, there is a drop-down menu wherein you can select a large number and view the pageviews of multiple pages of your website at the same time.
7. On the list, you can click on any page to see a detailed report relating to the amount of time people have spent on a particular page and the bounce rate, etc. 
   

Difference between Pageviews and Unique Pageviews

Pageviews are the number of times a user lands on a page of your website. Even when the user refreshes or reloads the page, a new view is registered. If there are repeated views on the same page that are also counted. Whereas a unique pageview is different from a pageview. A unique page view combines the multiple page views if they are from the same user in a given session on the same page. It just counts it as one unique view. 

For example, in a given session, if a user visits a page 20 times and also keeps reloading it many times. The tool would count all the views as just one unique pageview. 

Another example, a user is on page A of a website then moves to page C and then page B returns to page A. Here, pageviews will be 4 but only 3 unique pageviews as page A is visited twice during a session which will be counted only once. 

Should you track pageviews instead of sessions?

Every analytical tool is important, but more desirable and targeted results can be obtained by using tools that are designed for the said purpose. More number of page views is helpful when websites increase revenue through ads. Each time a website or a page is loaded, many ads are displayed which generates revenue. For example, a user refreshes a page 10 times or 10 new visitors view the page, the ads are viewed 10 times only no matter who the user is. Therefore, merchants should focus on increasing page views. 

Sessions are useful when a deeper insight is required. For example when a user visited your website, when he/she left, which all pages they clicked etc.