A unique visitor is one distinct visitor counted once during a defined period, even when that person returns repeatedly or views many pages. Analytics systems use browser cookies and device information to help recognize repeat visits. The result estimates your audience’s true size and helps separate new visitors from returning visitors. section 12.2.2
Measuring a campaign
Suppose one person visits your website several times during a campaign. Those visits may increase page views, but they still count as one unique visitor. Comparing unique visitors before and after the campaign helps show whether it attracted new people, while returning-visitor data provides a view of retention. section 12.2.2 section 12.2.1
Use the metric alongside related analytics:
- Page views measure total page loads or reloads; unique visitors measure how many different visitors viewed the content. section 12.2.1
- Unique visitors, bounce rate, and conversion rate together indicate reach, engagement, and completed actions. section 12.6.1
