What Are Page Views?
Page views refer to the number of times a webpage is viewed over a specific period. It is one of the most commonly tracked metrics in digital marketing and web analytics.
Page views are measured by counting the times a webpage is loaded or reloaded. For example, when a person visits a webpage, it counts as a page view. If the same person refreshes the webpage, it counts as another page view. When a third person visits the webpage, it counts as another page view.
Importance of Page Views
The page view metric helps measure a webpage’s popularity. However, the metric is usually not enough to tell about a webpage’s situation on its own. So, bloggers use it along with metrics like unique page views and page visits. For instance, a popular and engaging webpage typically has high page views and visits.
The page views metric may also uncover usability and user experience issues relating to a page. For example, a high page view and a low page visit may indicate users experience difficulty accessing your content. So, they keep reloading the page until it loads the desired content.
Difference Between Page Views and Unique Page Views
The page views metric is typically assessed alongside related metrics like unique page views. The difference both metrics is explained below:
Page Views
The page views metric counts the total number of times a page is loaded. Every time the page is reloaded or revisited, it adds to the total count, even if it is from the same visitor. So, a visitor who reloads a page three times would increase the page views by three.
Unique Page Views
This metric counts how many times a specific page is viewed in different sessions. It only counts one view per session, no matter how many times the same person looks at the page during that session. A session ends after 30 minutes of no activity.