Comments on: Why google analytics average times metrics are nonsense http://mark-kirby.co.uk/2007/why-do-most-of-my-visitors-spend-0-seconds-on-my-pages/ I'm a user focused mobile developer, here is where I publish advice and thoughts on building great mobile apps Wed, 15 Feb 2012 18:38:22 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Charles http://mark-kirby.co.uk/2007/why-do-most-of-my-visitors-spend-0-seconds-on-my-pages/comment-page-1/#comment-2432 Charles Tue, 31 Mar 2009 19:21:20 +0000 http://www.mark-kirby.co.uk/2007/11/16/why-do-most-of-my-visitors-spend-0-seconds-on-my-pages/#comment-2432 We are experiencing similar problems with the average time on site and what exactly it means. We currently run four CPC advertsing campaigns: Google adwords CPC Facebook CPC MSN CPC Yahoo YSM marketing CPC The average time users spend on our site has varied considerably for these four apparently reputable companies, over the last few months: facebook/CPC users 2-15 seconds Google/CPC users 1 minute MSN users 1 minute Yahoo users 10-30 seconds. I queried this with all of them and whereas Yahoo agreed to look into this and refund, facebook refused. Can anybody offer an explanation as to why when facebook users click they apparently move away from my site more than 4 times faster than google or MSN users? We are experiencing similar problems with the average time on site and what exactly it means.

We currently run four CPC advertsing campaigns:
Google adwords CPC
Facebook CPC
MSN CPC
Yahoo YSM marketing CPC

The average time users spend on our site has varied considerably for these four apparently reputable companies, over the last few months:

facebook/CPC users 2-15 seconds
Google/CPC users 1 minute
MSN users 1 minute
Yahoo users 10-30 seconds.

I queried this with all of them and whereas Yahoo agreed to look into this and refund, facebook refused.

Can anybody offer an explanation as to why when facebook users click they apparently move away from my site more than 4 times faster than google or MSN users?

]]> By: jacob smalls http://mark-kirby.co.uk/2007/why-do-most-of-my-visitors-spend-0-seconds-on-my-pages/comment-page-1/#comment-2306 jacob smalls Thu, 01 Jan 2009 04:54:11 +0000 http://www.mark-kirby.co.uk/2007/11/16/why-do-most-of-my-visitors-spend-0-seconds-on-my-pages/#comment-2306 I noticed this truthfully. I know that my site being at the top of google search for its keywords would not mean people were leaving without ever spending 1 second on the site. Thanks for the info. Makes me feel better knowing what I write is not completly ignored. I noticed this truthfully. I know that my site being at the top of google search for its keywords would not mean people were leaving without ever spending 1 second on the site.

Thanks for the info. Makes me feel better knowing what I write is not completly ignored.

]]> By: MrGamma http://mark-kirby.co.uk/2007/why-do-most-of-my-visitors-spend-0-seconds-on-my-pages/comment-page-1/#comment-1710 MrGamma Sat, 21 Jun 2008 22:04:45 +0000 http://www.mark-kirby.co.uk/2007/11/16/why-do-most-of-my-visitors-spend-0-seconds-on-my-pages/#comment-1710 Even if there was an onunload event handler introduced... it would not effect those who use tabbed browsing and leave a window open for a few extra minutes/hours... The fact that computers cannot track your eye movement across a screen will always mean that time statistics will always be sketchy at best... IN the end... they are estimates... but to tell you the truth... I think Googles estimates are way way off... Even if there was an onunload event handler introduced… it would not effect those who use tabbed browsing and leave a window open for a few extra minutes/hours…

The fact that computers cannot track your eye movement across a screen will always mean that time statistics will always be sketchy at best…

IN the end… they are estimates… but to tell you the truth… I think Googles estimates are way way off…

]]> By: overklokan http://mark-kirby.co.uk/2007/why-do-most-of-my-visitors-spend-0-seconds-on-my-pages/comment-page-1/#comment-1592 overklokan Thu, 01 May 2008 10:32:02 +0000 http://www.mark-kirby.co.uk/2007/11/16/why-do-most-of-my-visitors-spend-0-seconds-on-my-pages/#comment-1592 interesting ... but there's JS "onunload" fucntion, right? why Google is not using it? interesting … but there’s JS “onunload” fucntion, right? why Google is not using it?

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