Twice recently, a client has said to me, “We get [insert big number here] hits per day. We want to double that number.” So twice recently I’ve had to help a client figure out his real goal.

First, a “hit” is any file that is requested from your web server. If you really want to double your hits, well, then double the number of files needed to render your site pages. Split your Javascripts into multiple files, load an XML file or two, split your logo into four pieces, and voila! Twice as many hits.

Now, if you mean that you want to double the number of visitors, well, then you need to raise awareness. Get a good marketing and social media strategy in place and let the good times roll. I can help you achieve a good design (which is, of course, vitally important), but design alone will not double your visits.

If you mean you want to double the average number of page views per visitor, well, then increase the number of pages it takes to complete each task on the site. Easy enough.

Of course, if what you really mean is that you want to make the site a whole lot more valuable, thereby increasing your chances of getting a lot more users, well, that’s a different story.

In that case, the goal may not be to increase average page views per session. It might be to decrease them. Google, for example, succeeds by getting you through a search task with as few clicks and pages as possible. The New York Times drives you straight to the biggest stories by putting them one-click away from the homepage (decreasing page views), but once you’re there, the goal is to get you to look through more stories (increasing page views).

Sometimes a low number of page views per session means people are having trouble finding what they need. Sometimes it means they’re finding exactly what they need very quickly and leaving without looking around the rest of the site. Sometimes it means they’re not interested in the site in the first place. Sometimes it means that 5 pages are incredibly interesting, and the other 95 are fluff.

If your site is a web application, the number of page views might be completely irrelevant because 50% of the actions on the site are performed on a single screen. In that case, information on individual files and data requests and click patterns will be more meaningful.

When you pour through whatever stats-tracking tool you’re using, don’t focus on a single number. They’re all part of a much bigger puzzle. Doubling the average page views per session might be the opposite of what’s good for your business. Doubling hits almost certainly is.

Know your goals, then figure out how the metrics fit into those goals.

Find out how people are actually using the site. Figure out if what you want and what users are getting is the right match. Ask yourself if it makes sense to drive people to more content, or if the site is more valuable by letting people get in and out quickly. Look at the numbers and figure out if they mean you’re doing things right or wrong.

Stop looking for the magic metric. There isn’t one.

Posted by Robert on June 9th, 2008