Google Analytics is one of the most powerful tools marketers use to track and collect data. Businesses measure the performance of their sites by looking at the information delivered to the Google Analytics server that occurs with every online interaction. This information is crucial to monitor as it can sway the decision of what to do next. So, in this article, we will discuss the basics of what hits are and which kinds of hits does Google Analytics track? Let’s take a closer look.
Understanding The Basics of Hits on Google Analytics
Hits refer to the data collected by Google Analytics after a user has interacted with a specific website. For instance, when a visitor opens your app or site, data is collected and categorized based on different parameters before being shared with Google Analytics for processing.
Types of Hits that Google Analytics Track
Tracking hits allows marketers and business owners to see which pages people visit, where they come from, and how long they stay on a specific page. Here are the different kinds of hits tracked by Google Analytics and what they mean for your website traffic.
PageView Hit
This Google Analytics metric measures the number of times a user views a page. This covers repeat and first-time visitors on each page; therefore, it can track which specific parts of your website are popular.
Event Hit
This hit monitors a user’s activity when they perform actions such as downloading a file, clicking on a link, filling up a form, etc. However, this interaction does not necessarily lead to a page view.
You can use this information to understand what attracts engagement to your website. For instance, if you have specific goals, like having users download a PDF file, event hits can help you track these goals.
Screen View Hit
Screen views show you which content is the most viewed. This specific type of pageview is monitored on mobile devices; therefore, it’s important if you are tracking users opening an app via a mobile phone or tablet.
With these insights, you can make some changes to improve the user experience on your mobile app, such as making buttons easier to access and increasing the font size.
Social Interaction Hit
Social media platforms generate social interaction hits. These hits are recorded if a user clicks on a link to your website from Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook. It will measure social interaction, such as liking or sharing content.
You can use these hits to optimize your ad campaigns. For instance, if you have a Facebook ad campaign, you can use the social interaction hits to see how many people share or click your ad.
Exception Hit
These hits can help you track malicious activity and provide clues about where certain website errors or glitches originate. For instance, if you notice exception hits are coming from a particular IP address, you can block it to protect your site.
E-Commerce Hit
An e-commerce hit will record and show user interactions when someone orders from an e-commerce site, adds a product to their shopping cart, or confirms a purchase. You can use this information to understand which pages lead to more sales.
User Timing Hits
These hits track the time taken for a specific user action to happen on the app or website. For instance, it measures the load time for pages, images, etc.
Concluding Thoughts
So, to answer the question – “which kinds of hits does Google Analytics track?” – Google Analytics tracks 7 kinds of hits that you can view using the dashboard. You can meet your optimization goals by keeping track of these hits, which provide information such as how many people visited your page, which products are getting the most attention, or which social media platforms are generating the most leads.