How does "hits" on a website work?

[foozball3000]

If, for example, if I have multiple browsers on my PC open on a news server.. does the website pick each instance on my PC up as a hit?

Surely it can't use the IP Address, because that wouldn't work with Proxy Servers. Can anyone please educate me on this?

 

[LiamRG]

A hit is defined as follows:
A request for a file from the web server. Available only in log analysis. The number of hits received by a website is frequently cited to assert its popularity, but this number is extremely misleading and dramatically over-estimates popularity. A single web-page typically consists of multiple (often dozens) of discrete files, each of which is counted as a hit as the page is downloaded, so the number of hits is really an arbitrary number more reflective of the complexity of individual pages on the website than the website's actual popularity. The total number of visitors or page views provides a more realistic and accurate assessment of popularity.

 

[rpm]

Hi Foozball

There are many measurements of website traffic, and hits will be one to avoid - simply too inaccurate and can vary from one system to the next with a factor of 10 or more.

Better measure: Unique Visitors

This can be measured using cookies (Google Analytics, Nielsen Online and the like) or Unique IP Addresses (Typical server based systems like Awstats). I suggest that you use Google Analytics to track unique visitors (and page views for that matter): Free and accurate.

 

[LiamRG]

Hi Foozball

There are many measurements of website traffic, and hits will be one to avoid - simply too inaccurate and can vary from one system to the next with a factor of 10 or more.

Better measure: Unique Visitors

This can be measured using cookies (Google Analytics, Nielsen Online and the like) or Unique IP Addresses (Typical server based systems like Awstats). I suggest that you use Google Analytics to track unique visitors (and page views for that matter): Free and accurate.

RPM out of curiosity, have you ver compared server logs vs what google analytics?

Is there a margin of error between the two?

Regards
L

 

[Raithlin]

If, for example, if I have multiple browsers on my PC open on a news server.. does the website pick each instance on my PC up as a hit?

Not only does the server pick up every session, but every request to the server (js files, images, html) is counted as a hit.

Surely it can't use the IP Address, because that wouldn't work with Proxy Servers. Can anyone please educate me on this?

The IP address is used to lump all your hits together as a visit. Much easier to work with. Also, proxy servers have their ways of noting your visit as different from other visitors (for the server).