{"id":12643,"date":"2025-03-27T15:46:56","date_gmt":"2025-03-27T15:46:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2025\/03\/27\/what-are-pageviews-how-to-track-and-improve-them\/"},"modified":"2025-03-27T15:46:56","modified_gmt":"2025-03-27T15:46:56","slug":"what-are-pageviews-how-to-track-and-improve-them","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2025\/03\/27\/what-are-pageviews-how-to-track-and-improve-them\/","title":{"rendered":"What Are Pageviews? (How to Track and Improve Them)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Pageviews are a web analytics metric that counts each time a visitor loads or reloads a page on your website.<\/p>\n<p>Each instance of a user viewing a page is one pageview, regardless of whether the same user views the same page multiple times.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"backlinko-image__screenshot backlinko-image backlinko-has-border\">\n<div class=\"backlinko-img-placeholder\"><\/div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" title=\"GA4 \u2013 Views\" alt=\"GA4 \u2013 Views\" data-aspect-ratio=\"0.58714285714286\" src=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/app\/uploads\/2025\/03\/ga4-views.png\" loading=\"lazy\" \/><\/p><\/figure>\n<p>Tracking pageviews helps you measure traffic volume and understand which content attracts the most attention.<\/p>\n<p>But:<\/p>\n<p>Pageviews are not the most important metric you should track. I\u2019ll explain why below, but first let\u2019s clarify what they are in the context of a few other metrics.<\/p>\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_81 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2025\/03\/27\/what-are-pageviews-how-to-track-and-improve-them\/#Pageviews_vs_Users_vs_Sessions\" >Pageviews vs. Users vs. Sessions<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2025\/03\/27\/what-are-pageviews-how-to-track-and-improve-them\/#Why_Pageviews_Arent_the_Most_Important_Metric_to_Track\" >Why Pageviews Aren\u2019t the Most Important Metric to Track<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2025\/03\/27\/what-are-pageviews-how-to-track-and-improve-them\/#Pageviews_Cookies_and_Bots\" >Pageviews, Cookies, and Bots<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2025\/03\/27\/what-are-pageviews-how-to-track-and-improve-them\/#When_Pageviews_Are_Actually_Important\" >When Pageviews Are Actually Important<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-4' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-4'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2025\/03\/27\/what-are-pageviews-how-to-track-and-improve-them\/#Display_Ads\" >Display Ads<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-4'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2025\/03\/27\/what-are-pageviews-how-to-track-and-improve-them\/#Brand_Awareness\" >Brand Awareness<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2025\/03\/27\/what-are-pageviews-how-to-track-and-improve-them\/#How_to_See_Pageviews_in_Google_Analytics\" >How to See Pageviews in Google Analytics<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2025\/03\/27\/what-are-pageviews-how-to-track-and-improve-them\/#How_to_Find_Pageviews_in_GA4\" >How to Find Pageviews in GA4<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-9\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2025\/03\/27\/what-are-pageviews-how-to-track-and-improve-them\/#How_to_See_How_Many_Pageviews_Other_Websites_Get\" >How to See How Many Pageviews Other Websites Get<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-10\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2025\/03\/27\/what-are-pageviews-how-to-track-and-improve-them\/#Monitor_More_Than_Just_Pageviews\" >Monitor More Than Just Pageviews<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Pageviews_vs_Users_vs_Sessions\"><\/span>Pageviews vs. Users vs. Sessions<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><strong>Pageviews<\/strong> represent the total number of times people view your pages. If someone visits your homepage, clicks to your blog, then returns to your homepage, that counts as three pageviews.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Unique pageviews<\/strong>, on the other hand, combine multiple views of the same page during a single session. If that same visitor views your homepage twice in one session, it would count as just one unique pageview.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"backlinko-image__visual-chart backlinko-image\">\n<div class=\"backlinko-img-placeholder\"><\/div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" title=\"Pageviews vs Unique Pageviews\" alt=\"Pageviews vs Unique Pageviews\" data-aspect-ratio=\"0.70857142857143\" src=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/app\/uploads\/2025\/03\/pageviews-vs-unique-pageviews.png\" loading=\"lazy\" \/><\/p><\/figure>\n<p>In the context of analytics tracking tools, unique pageviews were a Universal Analytics metric. <strong>Google Analytics 4 (GA4) doesn\u2019t track unique pageviews.<\/strong><\/p>\n<div class=\"sc-quote alert blue-box font-georgia type-normal transparent-img-bg\">\n<div class=\"media\">\n<figure class=\"sc-picture media-left hidden-sm-down\">\n            <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/app\/uploads\/2024\/06\/icon-further-reading.png\" alt=\"| Craig Hordlow\" loading=\"lazy\" title=\"| Craig Hordlow\">        <\/figure>\n<div class=\"media-body\">\n<blockquote class=\"sc-quote\">\n<p><strong>Further reading:<\/strong> <a title=\"Google Analytics 4 (GA4): The Ultimate Guide\" href=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/google-analytics-4\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Google Analytics 4 (GA4): Ultimate Guide and Tutorial<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<div class=\"media\">\n<figure class=\"sc-picture media-left hidden-md-up\">\n                    <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/app\/uploads\/2024\/06\/icon-further-reading.png\" alt=\"| Craig Hordlow\" loading=\"lazy\" title=\"| Craig Hordlow\">                <\/figure>\n<p>                                <cite class=\"sc-name media-body media-middle\"><br \/>\n                                    <\/cite>\n            <\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>A <strong>user<\/strong> is an individual person visiting your site. A <strong>session<\/strong> is a group of interactions one user takes on your site within a given time frame.<\/p>\n<p>Here\u2019s an example of how these all tie together:<\/p>\n<p>Imagine someone discovers your site through Google. They land on your homepage, check out your about page, read a blog post, go back to the homepage, then get distracted by a phone call.<\/p>\n<p>Two hours later, they return to your homepage, browse your product page, and then make a purchase through your checkout page.<\/p>\n<p>Here\u2019s how your analytics would count this activity:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Users:<\/strong> 1<\/li>\n<li><strong>Sessions:<\/strong> 2 (the initial visit and the return visit)<\/li>\n<li><strong>Pageviews:<\/strong> 7 (homepage, about page, blog post, homepage, homepage, product page, checkout)<\/li>\n<li><strong>Unique pageviews:<\/strong> 6 (the double homepage visit in the first session would count as one unique pageview)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<figure class=\"backlinko-image__visual-chart backlinko-image\">\n<div class=\"backlinko-img-placeholder\"><\/div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" title=\"Users, Sessions, Pageviews &amp; Unique Pageviews\" alt=\"Users, Sessions, Pageviews &amp; Unique Pageviews\" data-aspect-ratio=\"0.70571428571429\" src=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/app\/uploads\/2025\/03\/users-sessions-pageviews-unique-pageviews.png\" loading=\"lazy\" \/><\/p><\/figure>\n<p>Understanding these distinctions helps you interpret your data accurately and make better marketing decisions.<\/p>\n<p>For example, a high pageview-to-user ratio means visitors are exploring multiple pages on your site. This is generally a good sign of engagement.<\/p>\n<p>This is just one reason it\u2019s important to track pageviews alongside other metrics.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Why_Pageviews_Arent_the_Most_Important_Metric_to_Track\"><\/span>Why Pageviews Aren\u2019t the Most Important Metric to Track<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Pageviews tell you how many times your pages are being viewed by your audience.<\/p>\n<p>But they don\u2019t tell you:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>If those visitors had a good experience<\/li>\n<li>If they want more of your content<\/li>\n<li>If they want to buy from you<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>That\u2019s why pageviews are sometimes described as a vanity metric.<\/p>\n<p>Sure, it feels great to see that graph trending upward. But more pageviews doesn\u2019t automatically mean more business.<\/p>\n<p>Put it this way:<\/p>\n<p>Would you rather have 100K monthly pageviews with a 0.1% conversion rate, or 10K pageviews with a 3% conversion rate?<\/p>\n<p>The big number is attractive, but the math is clear: the latter gives you 3x as many conversions (300 vs. 100).<\/p>\n<figure class=\"backlinko-image__visual-chart backlinko-image\">\n<div class=\"backlinko-img-placeholder\"><\/div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" title=\"Pageviews vs Conversion Rate\" alt=\"Pageviews vs Conversion Rate\" data-aspect-ratio=\"0.68714285714286\" src=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/app\/uploads\/2025\/03\/pageviews-vs-conversion-rate.png\" loading=\"lazy\" \/><\/p><\/figure>\n<p>But what about 100,000 pageviews and a 0.3% conversion rate? You\u2019re still getting the same number of conversions, and you\u2019re reaching a much bigger audience.<\/p>\n<p><strong>I\u2019d still take the 10K visitors with the 3% conversion rate.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Why?<\/p>\n<p>Two reasons:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Higher conversion rate means I\u2019m better catering to what my audience actually wants<\/li>\n<li>There\u2019s room to scale that 10K with a high conversion rate for even more conversions<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>If my realistic target market is 200K people per month, I can only double my audience size with the first example. With a 0.3% conversion rate, that would be a total of <strong>600 conversions each month<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>But with the 10K example and a 3% conversion rate, there\u2019s room to potentially scale my audience size by 20x. While obviously a big feat, this could eventually lead to <strong>6,000 new customers each month<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"backlinko-image__visual-chart backlinko-image\">\n<div class=\"backlinko-img-placeholder\"><\/div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" title=\"Pageviews vs Conversion Rate \u2013 Potential\" alt=\"Pageviews vs Conversion Rate \u2013 Potential\" data-aspect-ratio=\"0.84142857142857\" src=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/app\/uploads\/2025\/03\/pageviews-vs-conversion-rate-potential.png\" loading=\"lazy\" \/><\/p><\/figure>\n<p>Obviously this is a major simplification. There are factors like marketing fatigue, limits on the number of potential customers that would ever become paying customers, and limits on my own abilities to scale.<\/p>\n<p>But I\u2019d always take a smaller, more engaged audience that converts more often over a larger, less engaged one.<\/p>\n<p>In organic search, this means meeting the <a title=\"Search Intent and SEO: A Complete Guide\" href=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/hub\/seo\/search-intent\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">search intent<\/a>. For paid ads, it could be a matter of producing great creatives and landing pages.<\/p>\n<p>Conversion rates aren\u2019t the only metrics to track either. Other important ones include:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Average order value (AOV)<\/li>\n<li>Customer acquisition cost<\/li>\n<li>Customer lifetime value<\/li>\n<li>Return on ad spend (for paid advertising campaigns)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>These metrics tell you how well you\u2019re positioning your products, how targeted your audience is, and how effective your ad campaigns are. Insights you can\u2019t get from pageviews alone.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Pageviews_Cookies_and_Bots\"><\/span>Pageviews, Cookies, and Bots<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>There\u2019s another reason you shouldn\u2019t just pay attention to pageviews: you can\u2019t always trust the numbers.<\/p>\n<p>With a focus on privacy, the digital world is <a title=\"The end of third-party cookies in Chrome: in-depth overview\" href=\"https:\/\/cookieinformation.com\/resources\/blog\/end-of-third-party-cookie\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">trying to move away<\/a> from tracking measures like third-party cookies.<\/p>\n<p>Tools like Google Analytics rely on cookies and tracking codes to track pageviews, so user consent levels can affect the numbers.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"backlinko-image__screenshot backlinko-image backlinko-has-border\">\n<div class=\"backlinko-img-placeholder\"><\/div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" title=\"Analytics \u2013 Install manually\" alt=\"Analytics \u2013 Install manually\" data-aspect-ratio=\"0.82428571428571\" src=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/app\/uploads\/2024\/02\/analytics-install-manually.png\" loading=\"lazy\" \/><\/p><\/figure>\n<p>You might have 500 people visit your page in a month. But if 250 of them decline your tracking cookies, your analytics will be off by 50%.<\/p>\n<p>Not only that, but we also can\u2019t ignore the potential for bot traffic. Google Analytics does a reasonable job of filtering these out, but it\u2019s not perfect.<\/p>\n<p>So you can\u2019t always take your pageviews metric at face value.<\/p>\n<p>But which numbers don\u2019t lie?<\/p>\n<p>Your conversions.<\/p>\n<p>Bots don\u2019t tend to buy things, and even if a user denies cookies, they can still sign up to your email list, download a template, or buy your products.<\/p>\n<p>This is why <strong>your bottom line metrics are far more important to track<\/strong> than just watching your pageviews number.<\/p>\n<div class=\"sc-quote alert blue-box font-georgia type-normal transparent-img-bg\">\n<div class=\"media\">\n<figure class=\"sc-picture media-left hidden-sm-down\">\n            <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/app\/uploads\/2024\/06\/icon-further-reading.png\" alt=\"| Craig Hordlow\" loading=\"lazy\" title=\"| Craig Hordlow\">        <\/figure>\n<div class=\"media-body\">\n<blockquote class=\"sc-quote\">\n<p><strong>Further reading:<\/strong> <a title=\"Conversion Rate Optimization: The Definitive Guide\" href=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/conversion-rate-optimization\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Conversion Rate Optimization: The Definitive Guide<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<div class=\"media\">\n<figure class=\"sc-picture media-left hidden-md-up\">\n                    <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/app\/uploads\/2024\/06\/icon-further-reading.png\" alt=\"| Craig Hordlow\" loading=\"lazy\" title=\"| Craig Hordlow\">                <\/figure>\n<p>                                <cite class=\"sc-name media-body media-middle\"><br \/>\n                                    <\/cite>\n            <\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>With that said, pageviews do matter a lot in certain contexts.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"When_Pageviews_Are_Actually_Important\"><\/span>When Pageviews Are Actually Important<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Pageviews are an important measure of your overall reach. This in itself is helpful as a site owner.<\/p>\n<p>But pageviews are particularly important in a few other cases.<\/p>\n<h4><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Display_Ads\"><\/span>Display Ads<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h4>\n<p>If you run display ads on your site, pageviews directly impact your bottom line. More eyeballs on your pages typically means more ad impressions and more revenue.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"backlinko-image__screenshot backlinko-image backlinko-has-border\">\n<div class=\"backlinko-img-placeholder\"><\/div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" title=\"Search Engine Journal \u2013 Ads on site\" alt=\"Search Engine Journal \u2013 Ads on site\" data-aspect-ratio=\"0.75142857142857\" src=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/app\/uploads\/2025\/03\/searchenginejournal-ads-on-site.png\" loading=\"lazy\" \/><\/p><\/figure>\n<p>That\u2019s because display ad networks tend to pay on an RPM basis, or revenue per thousand impressions.<\/p>\n<p>This is why news sites and entertainment blogs in particular obsess over pageviews. Their business models depend on it.<\/p>\n<h4><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Brand_Awareness\"><\/span>Brand Awareness<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h4>\n<p>When you\u2019re trying to grow your brand awareness, getting more pageviews indicates you\u2019re reaching a wider audience.<\/p>\n<p>If your goal is simply to get your brand in front of as many people as possible, it makes sense to focus on pageviews.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_to_See_Pageviews_in_Google_Analytics\"><\/span>How to See Pageviews in Google Analytics<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Google Analytics is the interface most people will likely be familiar with when it comes to tracking pageviews. They\u2019re no longer actually called pageviews, and are simply referred to as \u201cviews\u201d now.<\/p>\n<p>But for all intents and purposes, they\u2019re the same thing.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_to_Find_Pageviews_in_GA4\"><\/span>How to Find Pageviews in GA4<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Google Analytics 4 works differently from Universal Analytics, which it fully replaced in 2024. Instead of focusing on pageviews by default, it\u2019s built around \u201cevents,\u201d and pageviews are just one type of event (labeled \u201cpage_view\u201d).<\/p>\n<p>You can see your site\u2019s total pageviews on the overview page in your GA4 property. If it doesn\u2019t display by default, just click the drop-down and set it to \u201c<strong>Views<\/strong>.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"backlinko-image__screenshot backlinko-image backlinko-has-border\">\n<div class=\"backlinko-img-placeholder\"><\/div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" title=\"GA \u2013 Home \u2013 Add views property\" alt=\"GA \u2013 Home \u2013 Add views property\" data-aspect-ratio=\"0.68142857142857\" src=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/app\/uploads\/2025\/03\/ga-home-add-views-property.png\" loading=\"lazy\" \/><\/p><\/figure>\n<p>But to see pageviews by page, first click \u201c<strong>Reports<\/strong>\u201d &gt; \u201c<strong>Life cycle<\/strong>\u201d &gt; \u201c<strong>Engagement<\/strong>\u201d &gt; \u201c<strong>Pages and screens<\/strong>.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"backlinko-image__screenshot backlinko-image backlinko-has-border\">\n<div class=\"backlinko-img-placeholder\"><\/div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" title=\"GA4 \u2013 Pageviews by page\" alt=\"GA4 \u2013 Pageviews by page\" data-aspect-ratio=\"0.65857142857143\" src=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/app\/uploads\/2025\/03\/ga4-pageviews-by-page.png\" loading=\"lazy\" \/><\/p><\/figure>\n<p>You\u2019ll end up on the \u201cPages and screens\u201d report.<\/p>\n<p>This shows a graph and table of your pages with the most pageviews (again, just called \u201cviews\u201d in GA4).<\/p>\n<figure class=\"backlinko-image__screenshot backlinko-image backlinko-has-border\">\n<div class=\"backlinko-img-placeholder\"><\/div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" title=\"GA4 \u2013 Pages and Screen\" alt=\"GA4 \u2013 Pages and Screen\" data-aspect-ratio=\"0.57285714285714\" src=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/app\/uploads\/2025\/03\/ga4-pages-and-screen.png\" loading=\"lazy\" \/><\/p><\/figure>\n<p>If you scroll down, you\u2019ll see a table with page views, along with other metrics like users and information about engagement.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"backlinko-image__screenshot backlinko-image backlinko-has-border\">\n<div class=\"backlinko-img-placeholder\"><\/div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" title=\"GA4 \u2013 Pages and Screen \u2013 Table\" alt=\"GA4 \u2013 Pages and Screen \u2013 Table\" data-aspect-ratio=\"0.74285714285714\" src=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/app\/uploads\/2025\/03\/ga4-pages-and-screen-table.png\" loading=\"lazy\" \/><\/p><\/figure>\n<p>You can sort by pageviews to quickly see which of your pages are underperforming.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"backlinko-image__screenshot backlinko-image backlinko-has-border\">\n<div class=\"backlinko-img-placeholder\"><\/div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" title=\"GA4 \u2013 Pages and Screen \u2013 Least views\" alt=\"GA4 \u2013 Pages and Screen \u2013 Least views\" data-aspect-ratio=\"0.75142857142857\" src=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/app\/uploads\/2025\/03\/ga4-pages-and-screen-least-views.png\" loading=\"lazy\" \/><\/p><\/figure>\n<p>You can also search for specific pages to track their performance:<\/p>\n<figure class=\"backlinko-image__screenshot backlinko-image backlinko-has-border\">\n<div class=\"backlinko-img-placeholder\"><\/div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" title=\"GA4 \u2013 Pages and Screen \u2013 SEO Views\" alt=\"GA4 \u2013 Pages and Screen \u2013 SEO Views\" data-aspect-ratio=\"0.72714285714286\" src=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/app\/uploads\/2025\/03\/ga4-pages-and-screen-seo-views.png\" loading=\"lazy\" \/><\/p><\/figure>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_to_See_How_Many_Pageviews_Other_Websites_Get\"><\/span>How to See How Many Pageviews Other Websites Get<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Understanding how many pageviews your site gets is clearly useful. But it\u2019s even more useful when you can compare that number to your competitors.<\/p>\n<p>You can get an estimate of how many pageviews a site gets using a traffic checker, like <a title=\"Free Website Traffic Checker \ud83d\udd75\ufe0f\u200d\u2642\ufe0f\" href=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/tools\/website-traffic-checker\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">our free traffic checker tool<\/a>:<\/p>\n<figure class=\"backlinko-image__screenshot backlinko-image backlinko-has-border\">\n<div class=\"backlinko-img-placeholder\"><\/div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" title=\"Backlinko \u2013 Website Traffic Checker\" alt=\"Backlinko \u2013 Website Traffic Checker\" data-aspect-ratio=\"0.94857142857143\" src=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/app\/uploads\/2025\/03\/backlinko-website-traffic-checker.png\" loading=\"lazy\" \/><\/p><\/figure>\n<p>However:<\/p>\n<p>There\u2019s no fully accurate way to see how many pageviews another site gets without seeing its analytics dashboard.<\/p>\n<p>Measuring pageviews accurately requires you to have a pixel or code snippet on your site. If it\u2019s not your site, you can\u2019t see how many times that snippet fires.<\/p>\n<p>Other tools simply measure estimates based on various data sources. These could be their own user panels or publicly available data sources.<\/p>\n<p>Their accuracy varies widely depending on the site\u2019s size and industry. They tend to be more accurate for larger sites with more traffic (as they\u2019ll naturally just have more data to use).<\/p>\n<p>So they\u2019re best used for understanding trends, rather than absolute numbers.<\/p>\n<p>Here\u2019s an example:<\/p>\n<p>Imagine you\u2019re the owner of Mountain Bean Coffee, a brand that offers specialty coffee. And let\u2019s imagine you know from GA4 that you get 22K pageviews per month.<\/p>\n<p>You identify a few of your competitors, and you want to compare their pageviews to yours. You know you can\u2019t get 100% accurate numbers. So instead, you look for a trend by entering them all into a traffic checker tool.<\/p>\n<p>You stick your site in, and it tells you that you get 16.4K visits per month.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"backlinko-image__screenshot backlinko-image backlinko-has-border\">\n<div class=\"backlinko-img-placeholder\"><\/div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" title=\"Traffic Analytics \u2013 Visits\" alt=\"Traffic Analytics \u2013 Visits\" data-aspect-ratio=\"0.49571428571429\" src=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/app\/uploads\/2025\/03\/traffic-analytics-visits.png\" loading=\"lazy\" \/><\/p><\/figure>\n<p>Even though this is lower than your actual pageview count, this is your baseline that you\u2019ll use to <a title=\"Free Competitor Analysis Tool (Analyze SEO &amp; PPC)\" href=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/tools\/competitor-analysis\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">compare to your competitors<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>You pop three competitors into the same tool, and it suggests you\u2019re somewhere in the middle when it comes to traffic levels:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>MakersCoffee.com: 4.6K<\/li>\n<li>PressCoffee.com: 8.2K<\/li>\n<li>DrinkTrade.com: 303.9K<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>You can see you\u2019re driving more traffic than some competitors (like Maker\u2019s Coffee). But you\u2019re not at the level of Trade Coffee yet.<\/p>\n<p>You know these aren\u2019t the exact numbers of pageviews they get. But you can use this as a guide going forward.<\/p>\n<p>For example, imagine Press Coffee\u2019s number of visits increased to 20K while yours only rose to 18K.<\/p>\n<p>Their estimated count is still lower than your actual count. But you can probably be quite confident they are now getting more pageviews than you.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Monitor_More_Than_Just_Pageviews\"><\/span>Monitor More Than Just Pageviews<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>While pageviews can be a useful indicator of site traffic and content popularity, they\u2019re just one way to track website performance.<\/p>\n<p>For most businesses, <strong>the metrics that matter most are those that directly impact revenue and growth<\/strong>. Like conversion rates, customer acquisition costs, and lifetime value.<\/p>\n<div class=\"sc-quote alert blue-box font-georgia type-normal transparent-img-bg\">\n<div class=\"media\">\n<figure class=\"sc-picture media-left hidden-sm-down\">\n            <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/app\/uploads\/2024\/06\/icon-further-reading.png\" alt=\"| Craig Hordlow\" loading=\"lazy\" title=\"| Craig Hordlow\">        <\/figure>\n<div class=\"media-body\">\n<blockquote class=\"sc-quote\">\n<p>For more on tracking what matters to your business, check out our guide to <a title=\"How to Measure SEO Performance &amp; Results\" href=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/hub\/seo\/seo-results\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">SEO performance and results<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<div class=\"media\">\n<figure class=\"sc-picture media-left hidden-md-up\">\n                    <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/app\/uploads\/2024\/06\/icon-further-reading.png\" alt=\"| Craig Hordlow\" loading=\"lazy\" title=\"| Craig Hordlow\">                <\/figure>\n<p>                                <cite class=\"sc-name media-body media-middle\"><br \/>\n                                    <\/cite>\n            <\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>The post <a href=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/pageviews\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">What Are Pageviews? (How to Track and Improve Them)<\/a> appeared first on <a href=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Backlinko<\/a>.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Pageviews are a web analytics metric that counts each time a visitor loads or reloads a page on your website. Each instance of a user viewing a page is one pageview, regardless of whether the same user views the same page multiple times. Tracking pageviews helps you measure traffic volume and understand which content attracts the most attention. But: Pageviews are not the most important metric you should track. I\u2019ll explain why below, but first let\u2019s clarify what they are in the context of a few [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":12644,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"h5ap_radio_sources":[],"cybocfi_hide_featured_image":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12643","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-backlinko"],"featured_image_src":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/ga4-views-z1znQj-600x400.png","featured_image_src_square":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/ga4-views-z1znQj-600x600.png","author_info":{"display_name":false,"author_link":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/author\/craig\/"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12643","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12643"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12643\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/12644"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12643"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12643"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12643"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}