What are pageviews?
Also known as a hit, pageviews are a measure of the number of times a particular web page is loaded or reloaded.
If you want a more in-depth understanding of this topic, check out the FAQ section below:
Question #1: Should I shoot for high pageviews?
No, there is no point in shooting for high pageviews. As we have seen in the previous section, it’s just a measure of how many hits a page gets. It does not actually care whether or not the hits come from the same person, which, in turn, means it is not a good measure of how popular a page is.
But why would a user keep loading the exact same page in a single browsing session in the first place?
Well, here are a couple of reasons:
- Poor website design – If people cannot immediately find what they need on your website, they are forced to go back and forth between pages.
- Bugs – If the pages on your website keep crashing or not loading properly, users might try reloading them a couple of times before giving up completely.
- Long page load times – Some users also have the tendency to reload pages that take too long to load.
Question #2: What is the difference between pageviews and unique pageviews?
The main difference between this two is what they measure.
As we have seen earlier, pageviews simply measure the total number of hits a page gets. It does not matter if the hits come from the same person.
This means that 10,000 pageviews do not automatically 10,000 people actually access a particular page. It can be just one person accessing it, say, 9,900 times, with the remaining 100 hits split between any number of other users.
In contrast, unique pageviews, as the name suggests, only count hits that come from different visitors. This means that 10,000 unique pageviews actually mean 10,000 different people accessed the page.
In terms of gauging a page’s popularity and performance, unique pageviews clearly give you a more accurate picture.
For more information on the difference, check this helpful article from the Rock Content website.
Question #3: Is it the only measure of a page’s performance?
No, unique pageviews are not at all the only measure of a page’s performance. It actually depends on what you are trying to gauge.
For example, if you want to gauge the popularity of a particular page, then it may be a good metric to use along with the number of returning visitors.
If you are looking to gauge the quality and relevance of a particular piece of content on your website, on the other hand, its bounce rate—along with the number of backlinks it has—maybe a better metric to use.
But what if you want to measure the effectiveness of a particular page on your website? Well, the conversion rate is the metric for you. The higher the number, the more effective a page is.
Question #4: How can I increase my pageviews and unique pageviews?
To increase your pageviews and unique pageviews, you should:
- Publish high-quality, relevant, valuable content. At the end of the day, the only real way to actually build and grow a loyal audience is to deliver content that your target audience would find valuable and relevant. For this to work, however, people need to come across your content first—which brings us to the next point:
- Optimise for search. No matter how awesome your content is, if your target audience cannot find it, then it would not actually do you any good. So, make it easy to find using SEO.
Get your content in front of your target audience. Aside from SEO, however, you should also actively try to get your content in front of your target audience by sharing it on social media and running ads. The former works great if you already have a loyal following. The latter only requires that you already know who your target audience is so you can properly set up the targeting of your digital ads.