Common Web And Google Analytics Terms

cropped google analytics logo

Common terms:

  • Analytics
    • Information resulting from the systematic analysis of data and statistics
  • JavaScript
    • A programming language that makes web analytics possible
  • Tracking Code
    • The JavaScript code that sends data to Google
  • Cookies
    • How your browser helps websites remember you
    • First-party cookie: personal data only accessed by domain
    • Third-party cookie: personal data accessed by multiple domains
  • Filters
    • Limit the data that makes it into Google Analytics
  • Account
    • Where each company (or business unit) stores their data
  • Web Property
    • Each domain name (or app) you would like to track uniquely
  • View (formerly Profile)
    • A specific way of looking at a web property
  • Interface
    • Where we view our analytics reports and settings

Basic Metrics in Google Analytics Interface

  • Sessions (formerly Visits)
    • When someone visits your website or app for a specific amount of time (default is 30 minutes)
    • New Sessions – A new session occurs when a Google Analytics cookie is set for the first time
    • Returning Sessions – A returning session means that the visitor cookie has been set previously
  • Users (formerly Visitors or Unique Visitors)
    • A user is counted by the number of unique cookies that have been seen over a specified period of time
  • Pageviews
    • The number of times that a page has loaded and data was sent to Google Analytics
  • Session Duration (formerly time on site)
    • The time between your first pageview and your last page view (as long as it is within a 30-minute session window)
  • Bounce Rate
    • The Number of sessions where a user views only one page (They came, they left)
  • Goals
    • Teaching Google Analytics the purpose of your website
  • E-Commerce
    • Tracking the selling of products online