Understanding daily Unique visitors are different than monthly Unique visitors

Discussion in 'Traffic Analysis' started by gostats, Dec 10, 2008.

  1. #1
    Hi Everyone,

    Unique Visitors commonly a mis-understood topic in web stats/traffic discussion.

    First off, unique visitors can be defined differently: by cookies, IP hosts, a combination of cookies and IP hosts, or by more stringent panel arrangements. Each option has strenghts and weaknesses, but it is important to understand the method used when calculating a UV. For example: UV (cookies), UV (IPs), UV (panel), UV (advanced). For example at GoStats we use UV (advanced) since we look at both cookie and IP address data to make the best assumption on who is unique. When you are asking for or displaying stats, please keep in mind these differences.

    Now, it becomes more complicated if you are looking for more than just daily traffic levels. (Most quotes are monthly or weekly). When you are giving monthly unique visitor values... [continue reading >]

    I welcome your input on the article here!
     
    gostats, Dec 10, 2008 IP
  2. HSH

    HSH Peon

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    #2
    Nice. Concise and very informative.

    If it wasn't such a piuta to add the code to our 1000+ pages, I would look at gostats. For now, we are using GA and webalizer, and the two seem to match up pretty nicely...
     
    HSH, Dec 10, 2008 IP
  3. gostats

    gostats Peon

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    #3
    gostats, Dec 10, 2008 IP
  4. gostats

    gostats Peon

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    #4
    I should mention, that some people might want to insert the code into the "head" of their site for obvious tracking integrity reasons. To do so it would be as simple as replacing the standard </head> in the code I provided above.
     
    gostats, Dec 10, 2008 IP