Visitors Reports
Understand who is visiting your website.
Overview
The Visitors section provides detailed information about the people visiting your website — when they visit, how often they return, where they’re located, and what technology they use.
Navigate to Visitors in the main menu to access these reports.
Key Metrics
Before diving into reports, understand these core visitor metrics:
| Metric | Definition |
|---|---|
| Visits | Total number of sessions (a visit ends after 30 minutes of inactivity) |
| Unique Visitors | Number of individual people who visited |
| Pageviews | Total pages viewed across all visits |
| Actions | Total interactions (pageviews, downloads, outlinks, events) |
| Avg. Visit Duration | Average time spent per visit |
| Bounce Rate | Percentage of visits with only one pageview |
| Actions per Visit | Average number of actions taken per visit |
Visits Overview
Location: Visitors → Overview
The main visitors report showing traffic trends over time. Use this to:
- Track overall traffic growth or decline
- Spot unusual spikes or drops
- Compare periods to identify trends
Reading the Graph
- Blue line — Current period
- Gray line — Comparison period (if enabled)
- Hover — See exact values for any date
Key Questions This Answers
- Is traffic growing or shrinking?
- What day had the most visitors?
- How does this month compare to last month?
Real-Time
Location: Visitors → Real-time
See who’s on your website right now. The real-time report shows:
- Live visitor count — Current visitors on site
- Active pages — What pages are being viewed
- Visitor details — Location, referrer, device for each visitor
- Live actions — Pageviews happening in real-time
Use Cases
- Monitor traffic during a campaign launch
- See immediate impact of social media posts
- Verify tracking is working after installation
Visitor Map
Location: Visitors → Locations → Visitor Map
A geographic visualization of where your visitors are located.
- Darker colors — More visitors from that region
- Click a country — Drill down to regions/cities
- Export — Download location data
Location Reports
Beyond the map, location reports show:
- Country — Visitors by country
- Region — State or province breakdown
- City — City-level data (when available)
Devices
Location: Visitors → Devices
Understand what technology your visitors use.
Device Type
Breakdown by desktop, mobile, and tablet. Critical for understanding how to optimize your site.
Browsers
Which browsers visitors use (Chrome, Safari, Firefox, Edge, etc.). Helps prioritize browser testing and compatibility.
Operating Systems
Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, etc. Useful for understanding your audience’s tech environment.
Screen Resolutions
What screen sizes visitors have. Informs responsive design decisions.
Device Brand & Model
Specific devices visitors use (iPhone 14, Samsung Galaxy, etc.).
Times
Location: Visitors → Times
When your visitors come to your website.
Visits by Day of Week
See which days get the most traffic. Useful for:
- Timing content publication
- Scheduling campaigns
- Planning website maintenance
Visits by Local Time
Traffic broken down by hour of day. Understand peak activity times to:
- Schedule email sends
- Time social media posts
- Staff live chat or support
Returning Visitors
Location: Visitors → Engagement
Understand how visitors return to your site over time.
Visits by Visit Number
How many visitors are on their 1st visit, 2nd visit, 3rd visit, etc. A healthy site typically has a mix of new and returning visitors.
Visits by Days Since Last Visit
For returning visitors, how many days between visits. Shows how frequently your audience returns.
Returning vs New Visitors
Simple breakdown of first-time visitors versus those who have visited before.
Visitor Log
Location: Visitors → Visitor Log
A detailed log of individual visitor sessions. Each entry shows:
- Actions — Pages viewed, events triggered
- Location — Country, region, city
- Device — Browser, OS, screen size
- Referrer — How they found your site
- Time — When the visit occurred
Privacy Note
Ghost Metrics anonymizes IP addresses and doesn’t store personally identifiable information. The visitor log shows behavioral data, not personal data.
Filtering the Log
Use filters to find specific visitors:
- By location
- By device type
- By referrer
- By actions taken
Segmenting Visitor Data
You can apply segments to any visitor report to analyze subsets of your audience:
- Mobile visitors only
- Visitors from a specific campaign
- Visitors who completed a goal
- New visitors vs returning visitors
Segments help you understand how different audiences behave differently.
Exporting Visitor Data
All visitor reports can be exported:
- Navigate to the report you want to export
- Click the export icon (download arrow)
- Choose format: CSV, Excel, XML, JSON, or PHP
- Download the file
For regular exports, consider setting up scheduled reports in Custom Reports.
Next Steps
- Behavior reports — See what visitors do on your site
- Acquisition reports — Understand where visitors come from
- Goals — Track visitor conversions