Session
Why it matters
A session is a convention, not a fact. The same person visiting on Monday and Friday counts as two sessions. Leaving a tab open over lunch can split one visit into two. Session counts therefore move with the timeout rule, and comparing two tools with different rules compares two definitions, not two outcomes. Sessions also count visits, not people, so one heavy user can outweigh many occasional ones.
How to apply it
- Use sessions to read broad trends in traffic and engagement.
- Check the timeout rule before comparing counts between tools.
- Read sessions beside people-based measures such as active users, Engagement rate and Bounce rate.
- When a product change alters how long tasks take, expect session counts to shift even if behaviour is the same.
- For decisions that matter, use Cohort analysis rather than raw session totals.
What it is
Analytics tools cannot see a person, only a stream of clicks, page views and events. A session is the rule they use to bundle that stream into visits. In Google Analytics 4, a session ends after 30 minutes without activity by default, and the timeout can be changed. Another tool may use a different rule, such as ending the session at midnight or when the traffic source changes.
In software, the word has a second meaning: the period a person stays logged in. The two are separate ideas, so check which one is meant.