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TrackingPageviews

Pageviews

Understanding how Ghost Metrics tracks pageviews automatically.

Automatic Tracking

When you install the Ghost Metrics tracking code, pageviews are tracked automatically. Every time a visitor loads a page, data is captured and sent to your dashboard — no additional configuration required.

What’s Captured

For each pageview, Ghost Metrics automatically records:

Page Information

  • Page URL — The full URL of the page visited
  • Page Title — The HTML <title> of the page
  • Referrer — The previous page or external source

Visitor Information

  • Browser — Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge, etc.
  • Operating System — Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, etc.
  • Device Type — Desktop, mobile, or tablet
  • Screen Resolution — Visitor’s screen size
  • Language — Browser language setting

Location

  • Country — Determined from IP address
  • Region — State or province (when available)
  • City — Approximate city (when available)

IP addresses are anonymized and not stored in their complete form.

Timing

  • Timestamp — When the page was viewed
  • Time on Page — How long the visitor spent on each page
  • Generation Time — How long the page took to load

Viewing Pageview Data

Find your pageview data in several reports:

Behavior → Pages

All pages ranked by pageviews. See:

  • Total pageviews
  • Unique pageviews
  • Average time on page
  • Bounce rate
  • Exit rate

Behavior → Entry Pages

The first page visitors see when they arrive at your site. Useful for understanding which pages attract new visitors.

Behavior → Exit Pages

The last page visitors see before leaving. High exit rates on important pages may indicate problems.

Behavior → Page Titles

Pages grouped by their HTML title rather than URL. Helpful when URLs are complex or dynamic.

Custom Page Titles

By default, Ghost Metrics uses your page’s HTML <title> tag. You can override this if needed:

_mtm.push({'event': 'setDocumentTitle', 'title': 'Custom Page Title'});

This is useful when:

  • Page titles are dynamically generated and unhelpful
  • You want to group similar pages under one title
  • Your CMS produces duplicate or generic titles

Virtual Pageviews

For single-page applications or AJAX-loaded content, you may need to manually track pageviews when the URL changes without a full page reload:

// Track a virtual pageview
_mtm.push({'event': 'trackPageView'});

If the URL has changed, update it first:

_mtm.push({'event': 'setCustomUrl', 'url': '/new/page/path'});
_mtm.push({'event': 'trackPageView'});

Excluding Pages from Tracking

There may be pages you don’t want to track, such as admin areas or internal tools.

Option 1: Don’t Install Tracking Code

Simply don’t include the tracking code on pages you want to exclude.

Option 2: Conditional Loading

Use server-side logic to conditionally include the tracking code:

<?php if (!is_admin_page()): ?>
  <!-- Ghost Metrics tracking code here -->
<?php endif; ?>

Option 3: Exclude in Ghost Metrics

You can configure URL exclusions in your Ghost Metrics settings. Contact support for help setting this up.

Understanding Metrics

Pageviews vs Unique Pageviews

  • Pageviews — Total number of times a page was viewed (including repeat views in a single session)
  • Unique Pageviews — Number of sessions that included a view of that page

Bounce Rate

The percentage of visits where the visitor left after viewing only one page. A “bounce” means they didn’t interact further with your site.

Exit Rate

The percentage of pageviews that were the last in a session. Unlike bounce rate, this includes visits with multiple pageviews.

Average Time on Page

How long visitors typically spend viewing a page before navigating away or leaving the site.

Next Steps

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