Understanding visitors
This guide explains the corresponding view in the Analytics App. References to periods, time zones and comparisons refer to the settings selected in that app.
Visitor identifiers and session starts
All recorded session starts in the selected period, including anonymous sessions. One visitor identifier can start multiple sessions.
Distinct visitor identifiers from Consent session starts in the selected period. Each identifier counts once, even with multiple sessions. These are browser identifiers, not reliably distinguishable people.
Consent alone does not count a visitor: a recorded Consent session start with a valid visitor identifier is required. Different devices, browsers or cleared cookies may produce multiple identifiers for the same person.
Averages and their limits
Estimate: Recorded page views divided by session starts in the same available period, including anonymous sessions. Sessions may cross period boundaries.
Estimate: Completed active page times divided by session starts in the same available period, including anonymous sessions. Ongoing or missing time measurements and sessions crossing period boundaries affect the value.
The ≈ symbol marks an estimate. These values divide period totals and do not analyse complete session journeys. Without a usable denominator, — is shown.
Average page views per session ≈ page views ÷ session starts; average active time per session ≈ active page time ÷ session startsNew and returning visitors
Breakdown of distinct Consent visitor identifiers with a session start in the available period. Returning identifiers have a session before the selected period. New visitors have no such earlier session in the available records, so they may still have visited the website previously.
Identified visitor identifiers with at least one recorded Consent session before the selected period. Multiple sessions within the period alone do not count as returning.
Share of identified visitor IDs with a recorded consent session before the selected period. Each ID counts once in the period. Only available in ConsentMode.
Returning visitor share = returning identifiers ÷ unique identifiers × 100Visit frequency and time per visitor
Number of distinct Consent visitor identifiers with one, two, three to five or at least six session starts in the available part of the selected period. Each identifier counts in exactly one group. Bars represent visitors, not session starts. Multiple sessions within the period alone do not make an identifier a returning visitor. Different browsers, multiple devices or cleared cookies can create multiple identifiers.
Consent session starts with a valid visitor ID divided by the number of those distinct IDs in the available period. Anonymous sessions are excluded.
Recorded active time in the available period per identified visitor ID with a session start in that period. Only matching consent time measurements are included, across all visits by that ID. Ongoing or missing time measurements may lower the value.
What is unavailable in Anonymous Mode?
Without a persistent visitor identifier, unique, new and returning visitors and visit frequency cannot be reliably analysed. These analyses are therefore only available in Consent Mode. Session starts and per-session estimates are also available anonymously.
Period, comparison and data availability
The selected period applies to the analyses in this app view. Daily values follow the project time zone. The comparison shows the previous period according to the setting selected in the app.
Percentage change is calculated as (current value − previous value) ÷ previous value × 100. A previous value of zero provides no valid percentage basis. Relative change differs from percentage points: a rise from 10% to 15% is a 50% increase but a difference of 5 percentage points.
Notices about missing, partially available or ongoing periods remain visible near the period summary or the affected analysis. Missing data must not be interpreted as a measured zero. Comparisons may be omitted when coverage is incomplete.
Time of day and weekly patterns
When do sessions start and page views occur? All hours use the project timezone.
Hourly bars combine events at the same hour across the selected period. The heatmap combines weekday and hour. The busiest hour has the highest count; ties show the earliest hour and list the other hours.
Visitors are counted once per hour or heatmap cell using their consent identifier. The same identifier can appear in several hours or cells, so adding these values does not give a unique visitor total. This uses session start times, not every minute of activity.
Color intensity shows counts over the full selected period, not a daily average. Weekdays can occur different numbers of times. Visitor identifiers are counted once per weekday/hour.
Page views use the server reception timestamp of stored load events. They combine both modes and cannot be split by page or mode. Older daily aggregates have no timestamp. Event counts are checked against daily aggregates; missing timestamps are not estimated.
The project timezone accounts for daylight saving time. A repeated clock hour is combined into one bucket. These distributions show the selected period without a comparison.