Metrics explained
This section explains the key metrics and terminology you'll see in your GoodMetrics dashboard — what they mean, how they're calculated, and why they matter.
(not set)
A placeholder value shown when no data is available for that dimension.
This can happen when certain information isn’t provided (such as missing UTM parameters) or when expected attributes — like location, device details, or other audience signals — cannot be determined.
Active visitors
Visitors who have triggered a pageview, custom event, or session engagement — such as a click or scroll — within the past 60 seconds.
If someone has your website open but hasn’t taken any action in the last minute, they’ll no longer appear as active in the Realtime report. As soon as they re-engage, they’ll be counted as active again.
This ensures the Realtime report reflects meaningful activity — not just open browser tabs.
Average time on page
The average amount of time visitors spend viewing a specific page.
We calculate this by measuring the time between when a visitor lands on a page and their next pageview or interaction.
When the visitor moves to another page:
We use the time between the two pageviews.
Example: If someone visits Page A at 5:01 PM and then Page B at 5:03 PM, we record 2 minutes on Page A.
When the page is the last one they view:
We use the time between the page load and their final engagement (such as a click or scroll).
Example: If they land at 5:01 PM and last scroll at 5:02 PM, we record 1 minute.
When there’s no interaction before they leave
We record 0 seconds for that page.
Average visit duration
The average amount of time a visitor spends on your website during a single visit.
We calculate this from their first pageview to their last tracked interaction, including pageviews, clicks, and scrolls.
Example:
If a visitor lands at 2:00 PM and their final scroll is at 2:05 PM, their visit duration is recorded as 5 minutes.
If are no interactions beyond the initial pageview, we record 0 seconds for the visit.
Bounce rate
The percentage of visits where a visitor lands on your website and leaves without viewing any other pages or triggering any tracked events.
How it's calculated:
(number of single-page visits ÷ total visits) × 100
Example:
If 100 people visit your website and 60 of them leave without interacting, your bounce rate is 60%.
Completion location
The specific page URL where a custom event was completed.
Example:
If a signup event is triggered on multiple pages, the completion location shows where each signup happened.
Conversion rate
The percentage of total visits that result in a tracked conversion event.
How it's calculated:
(conversions ÷ visits) × 100
Example:
25 conversions out of 500 visits = 5% conversion rate.
Direct
Represents visits where no referrer was detected.
This typically includes visitors who:
- Enter your website URL directly into their browser.
- Access your site from a saved bookmark.
- Click a link from a source that doesn’t pass referral data (such as emails or documents).
Entrances
The number of visits that began on this page.
Each time a visitor starts a new visit and their first pageview is this page, it counts as one entrance.
Event completions
The total number of times a specific custom event was triggered on your website.
Example:
If a user clicks a play button three times in one visit, that counts as three event completions.
Event conversion rate
The percentage of visits that resulted in a specific event being completed.
How it's calculated:
(event completions ÷ visits) × 100
Example:
50 completions from 200 visits = 25% event conversion rate.
Event value
The total value associated with a specific event, based on the values passed when the event is triggered.
This represents the sum of all values recorded for that event.
Example:
If you track purchases and a visitor completes three transactions worth $30, $20, and $50, the total event value is $100.
Exits
The number of visits that ended on this page.
Each time a visitor’s final pageview of a visit is this page, it counts as one exit.
Exit rate
The percentage of visits to this page that ended on this page.
How it's calculated:
(exits ÷ pageviews) x 100
Example:
If a page receives 300 pageviews and 45 of those visits end on that page, the exit rate is 15%.
Initial landing page
The very first page a visitor lands on during their first-ever visit to your site.
It stays consistent for that visitor across all future visits.
Example:
If a visitor’s first-ever visit begins on your homepage, that page will remain their Initial Landing Page — even if they later return through a blog post, pricing page, or any other entry point.
See also: Landing Page
Initial referrer
The first referral source that brings a visitor to your site during their very first visit.
Unlike the regular referrer, which can change on each visit, the initial referrer stays the same for that visitor across all future visits.
Example:
If a visitor’s first-ever visit comes from Google Search, their initial referrer will remain google.com — even if they return later through another source, such as Facebook or Direct.
See also: Referrer
Initial UTM source/medium
The first UTM source and medium that bring a visitor to your site during their very first visit.
These values are only recorded if UTM parameters are present in the URL during that first session.
Unlike the regular UTM source and medium, which depend on the parameters present in each visit, the initial UTM source and medium stay the same for that visitor across all future visits.
Example:
If a visitor’s first-ever visit comes from a link tagged utm_source=facebook and utm_medium=social, those values will remain their Initial UTM source/medium — even if they return later by coming directly to your site.
See also: UTM Source/Medium
Learn more: UTM Parameters
Landing page
The first page a visitor lands on during their current or most recent visit. It stays constant throughout a visit, even as the visitor browses other pages on your site.
See also: Initial Landing Page
New visitors
The number of visitors who GoodMetrics identifies for the first time.
Pageviews
Counts each time a visitor loads a page on your website.
This metric increases whether the visitor is viewing the page for the first time or reloading it.
Pageviews per visit
The average number of pages a visitor views during a single visit to your website.
How it's calculated:
(total pageviews ÷ total visits)
Example:
If your website has 1,000 pageviews and 250 visits, your pageviews per visit is 4.0.
Referrer
Indicates where a visitor came from before landing on your website during their current or most recent visit.
If a visitor clicks a link to your site from another domain, that domain is recorded as their referrer. If they arrive by typing your URL directly or using a bookmark, the referrer will show as Direct.
Example:
If a visitor first discovers your site through Google Search but later returns by typing your URL into their browser, their current referrer for that session will be Direct, even though their Initial Referrer remains google.com.
See also: Initial Referrer
Returning visitors
The number of visitors whom GoodMetrics recognizes from a past visit.
Note:
If a returning visitor arrives with a different device, browser, or IP address, they will be treated as a new visitor.
Unique events
The number of distinct events triggered within a visit.
If the same event occurs multiple times during a single visit, it is counted once. When the visitor starts a new visit, that event can be counted again.
Unique visitors
The number of distinct individuals who visit your website during a selected time period.
Example:
If you're viewing a 30-day report and the same person visits your website five separate times during that period, they count as 1 unique visitor, not five.
UTM source/medium
Captures the traffic source and medium from UTM parameters in a visitor’s current or most recent visit.
These values only appear when UTM parameters are included in the page URL (for example: utm_source=google and utm_medium=cpc).
Example:
If a visitor arrives from a link tagged with utm_source=facebook and utm_medium=social, their UTM source/medium will appear as facebook / social.
See also: Initial UTM Source/Medium
Learn more: UTM Parameters
Visits
The number of sessions in which visitors browse your website.
A visit begins when a visitor first lands on your site and ends after a period of inactivity. Each visit may include multiple pageviews, events, and interactions.
See also: Visits, sessions, and activity