A website hit refers to any request made to the server hosting the website, including requests for individual elements such as HTML pages, images, stylesheets, scripts, etc. This term is often confused with a “Page view” in the context of web analytics, which actually represents a request to load a single page on a website.
Essentially, a website hit is a measure of the number of files requested from the server. This includes not just the requests for HTML webpages, but also for all the individual elements that make up a page, such as images, stylesheets, scripts, and other multimedia content.
For example, if someone visits a webpage that contains text, five images, and three stylesheets, this will count as nine hits (one for the HTML file, five for the images, and three for the stylesheets).
As SEO professionals, it’s crucial to focus on metrics that accurately reflect website performance and user engagement:
Pageviews: This metric counts the number of times a specific page is viewed or reloaded. It offers a clearer understanding of which pages are capturing user interest.
Unique Visitors: This metric tracks the number of distinct individuals who visit a site over a certain period, providing insight into the website’s reach and audience size.
Sessions: A session encompasses all interactions a user has with a website within a given timeframe, including multiple pageviews and various types of engagement. This metric offers a comprehensive view of user behavior and website interaction.