Web Development/The common misconception: visits vs. hits

Collecting metrics about your website usage is not only incredibly important, it's also incredibly easy to mess up. A common tripping point is the definition of hits and visits.

It is important to differentiate the terms visits and hits. A hit is when a computer requests your website. It says nothing about how somebody used a site, and hits are often made by non-human actors.

A visit is when a user uses your website for real. A visit can include multiple hits. All visits are at least one hit, but not all hits are visits.