Google Analytics

Appendix A. Google Analytics Compliance with WAA Standards

Table A-1 includes a list of all standards defined in the Web Analytics Association (WAA) metrics definitions document and Google Analytics compliance with each definition. Google Analytics is compliant with 19 of the 26 metrics. Most of the noncompliance is due to the fact that Google Analytics does not offer all the metrics that the WAA defines. You can learn more about the WAA standards on the WAA website, http://troni.me/ch5G4A.

Table A-1. Google Analytics compliance with WAA standards

Term	Compliant	WAA definition	Google Analytics definition
Page	Yes	A page is an analyst-definable unit of content.	Same as WAA.
Page view	Yes	The number of times a page (an analyst-definable unit of content) was viewed.	Same as WAA. Google Analytics refers to this metric as the pageview. A pageview is created each time the _trackPageview() method is executed. Any value passed to the _trackPageview() method will appear in the Content reports, thus making a page analyst-definable.
Visits/sessions	Yes	A visit is an interaction an individual carries out on a website consisting of one or more requests for an analyst-definable unit of content (for example, “page view”). If an individual has not taken another action (typically additional page views) on the site within a specified time period, the visit session will terminate.	Same as WAA. By default, a visit will terminate after 30 minutes of inactivity by the visitor. You can configure the inactivity timeout ...