a) To calculate Time on Page, Google Analytics compares the timestamps of the visited pages.
For example, the visitor saw page A, then page B, and then left the site.
The Time on Page for page A is calculated by subtracting the page A timestamp from the page B timestamp.
So, the Time on Page for page A is 1 minute and 15 seconds.
In order for this calculation to take place, the Google Analytics Tracking Code must be executed on both pages.
The Time on Page for page B is 0 seconds, because there is no subsequent timestamp that Google Analytics can use to calculate the actual Time on Page.
b) Now, suppose the visitor continued on to a third page before exiting.
The second page now has a Time on Page of 1 minute 10 seconds.
The Time on Site is now calculated as 2 minutes and 25 seconds.
c) For Average Time on Page, bounces are excluded from the calculation. In other words, any Time on Page of 0 is excluded from the calculation.
For Average Time on Site, bounces remain a part of the calculation.
To calculate Average Time on Site, Google Analytics divides the total time for all visits by the number of visits.
d) Some sites make extensive use of Flash or other interactive technologies.
Often, these kinds of sites don’t load new pages frequently and all the user interaction takes place on a single page.
As a result, it’s common for sites like this to have high bounce rates and low average times on site.
If you have such a site, you may wish to set up your tracking so that virtual pageviews or events are generated as the user performs various activities.
You can learn how to do this in the module on Event Tracking and Virtual Pageviews.
e) The Length of Visit report categorizes visits according to the amount of time spent on the site during the visit.
The graph allows you to visualize the entire distribution of visits instead of simply the ‘Average Time on Site’ across all visits.
You can see whether a few visits are skewing your ‘Average Time on Site’ upward or downward.
The Length of Visit report can be found under Visitor Loyalty in the Visitors section.
- From Google Analytics Lessons
