Term: "Session"
Definition
In web analytics and online contexts, a session represents a single visit to a website by a user, encompassing all the interactions that the user engages in during their time on the site. A session is initiated when a user arrives at the website and is considered active as long as the user continues to interact with the site without a significant break. Sessions are usually ended after a specific period of inactivity (such as 30 minutes by default in many analytics platforms), indicating the user has left the site or is no longer actively engaging with it. Alternatively, a session can end if the user closes their browser or leaves the website for another site.
Each session can include multiple page views, clicks, form submissions, or any other types of interactions a user might have with the site's content. Tracking sessions is crucial for understanding website traffic, user engagement, and the effectiveness of the site's content and navigation structure. Analytic tools use sessions to aggregate data about user behavior, such as the average session duration, the number of pages viewed per session, and the bounce rate, which measures the percentage of single-page sessions. This information helps website owners and marketers optimize the user experience, improve site content, and better meet their visitors' needs and interests.