Skip to content
English
More support Sign in
Contact us
  • There are no suggestions because the search field is empty.

What is the difference between Total Visits and Visitor Count?

The difference between Total Visits and Visitor Count hinges on how an analytics platform tracks activity over time.

Term Professional Name What It Represents Key Insight
Visitor Count Users The number of unique individuals (unique devices/browsers) that accessed your site. Reach and Audience Size
Total Visits Sessions The total number of separate, continuous periods of activity on your site by all users. Frequency and Engagement

1. Total Visits (Sessions)

A Total Visit (or Session) is defined as a single, uninterrupted period of activity by one user on your website.

  • When a Session Starts: A session begins when a user first lands on your website.

  • When a Session Ends (Session Expiration):

    1. Inactivity: If the user is inactive (no clicks, no page views) for a set period of time (typically 30 minutes by default).

    2. Midnight: At the end of the day (e.g., a session starting at 11:50 PM and continuing past 12:00 AM will be split into two sessions).

    3. Campaign/Source Change: If a user arrives via one marketing campaign, leaves, and immediately returns via a different marketing campaign (this is rarer).

Example: A shopper visits your VDP in the morning. They leave for lunch, and then return 45 minutes later to look at the same VDP. This counts as 2 Total Visits (Sessions).

 

2. Visitor Count (Users)

The Visitor Count (or User) is the count of unique people or devices tracked over the selected time frame.

  • How it’s Tracked: Analytics platforms use a unique, anonymous identifier (a first-party cookie or a unique user ID if logged in) stored in the user's browser.

  • Uniqueness: As long as the same user/device returns to your site using the same browser and has not cleared their cookies, they will be counted as the same single Visitor, regardless of how many times they visit.

Example: The same shopper who generated 2 Total Visits in the example above is still counted as only 1 Visitor (User).

 

3. Business Implications for Automotive Marketing

The relationship between these two metrics gives marketers valuable insight into shopper behavior:

Scenario Relationship Interpretation
High Ratio Visits are significantly higher than Visitors (e.g., 5 Visits per 1 Visitor). High Loyalty/Interest: Your audience is small but highly engaged and returning often. This is common for interested shoppers in the decision phase (e.g., checking daily inventory updates).
Low Ratio Visits are only slightly higher than Visitors (e.g., 1.2 Visits per 1 Visitor). High Reach/Low Retention: Your site is attracting many new people, but they are generally not returning. You may need to focus on retargeting, email follow-ups, or improving on-site engagement.

The Core Rule: A good ratio of Visits to Visitors suggests a strong ability to drive repeat traffic, indicating either marketing effectiveness or high organic interest in your inventory and content.