Google Analytics

How GA measure time spend

by Joe Anucha
SEODML.com
joe@seodml.com

GA Terms
TERMS:

Session = a visit, of 30 minute window time. If a user exit and comes back at 31 min, it will count 2 sessions
Pageviews = everytime analytic code is loaded by the browser (like a page hit)
User = unique visitor identified by a user agent cookie: browser, device, screen size, ip address etc.

Session duration = total spending time for a session on site (by adding time on page of a session together)
Time on page = spending time on each page (time spend of the first pageview to the next)

How GA count time spend of a session

Keypoint:
GA can not count time on a one page visit. It can know the time spend only when a visit jump from page to page.
Also, the last page of any visit will always be = 0 time because there is no next page for GA to make time stamp.
Time on page C is unknown
because there is no next page
to make time stamp.

PAGE A

PAGE B

PAGE C

10:00 min

20:00 min

19:00 min

THE RESULT:
User = 1
Session = 1
Session duration (time on site) = 30 min (page A + page B without page C)
Pageviews = 3
Time on page A = 10 min
Time on page B = 20 min
Time on page C = unknown

EXIT

Avg. session duration (avg. time on site or ATOS)

Keypoint: To analyze on session behavior, not to analyze on user behavior
Formula of avg. session duration is: total time on site / visits (including visit that bounce)
SESSION 1: A 100% bounce session - Time on site = 0 min (GA do not know time spend if visit just one page)
PAGE A

EXIT

10:00 min
SESSION 2: Time on site = 1:11 min

(not count)

PAGE A

PAGE B

1:11 min

20:00 min

EXIT

SESSION 3: Time on site = 2:14 min

(not count)

PAGE A

PAGE B

PAGE B

1 min

1:14 min

20:00 min

EXIT

THE RESULT:
User = 1
Sessions = 3
Avg. session duration = 1:08 (formular: 1:11 + 2:14 / 3 sessions (including session 1 that bounce)
Pageviews = 3
Time on page A = 10 min
Time on page B = 20 min
Time on page C = unknown

This is why sometimes we see ATOS lower than ATOP is because

that ATOS has too many bounces visits in the calculation.

Avg. time on page (ATOP)

Keypoint: ATOP is to find out about a web pages avg. time spending. (to analyze a page performance, not user behavior)
e.g. /babynaming has ATOP = 3.2 min

Visit 1:

Visit 2:

Visit 3:

PAGE A

PAGEVIEW 1: 2:00
PAGEVIEW 2: 1:00
PAGEVIEW 3: 1:00
PAGEVIEW 4: 0:00 (exit or bounce)
PAGEVIEW 5: 0:00 (exit or bounce)
PAGEVIEW 6: 0:00 (exit or bounce)

THE RESULT:
Formula avg. time on page:
Time on page / (pageviews - exits)
4 / (6 pageviews - 3 exits)
Avg. time on page A = 1:3 min

What measurement we should use for user engagement

Keypoint: The most accurate we can report engagement:
Want to know a page performance: use avg. time on page
Want to know a user engagement: use avg. session duration
Because: GA does not have avg. time per user so the closest would be: avg. session duration
So we can count 3.3 min engagement by both users and sessions. They both work ok.

User 1:

session 1 = 3.3 min (reach KPI)

session 2 = 5 min (reach KPI)

User 2:

session 1 = 3.3 min (reach KPI)

session 2 = 1 min
session 3 = 2 min

User 3:

session 1 = 0 min

THE RESULT:
3 sessions reach KPI
but only 2 users reach KPI