A page view is recorded each time a web page is loaded in a browser. It is one of the most fundamental web analytics metrics, providing a basic measure of how much traffic a website receives. Multiple page views can be generated by a single user during one visit as they navigate through different pages.
Page views are distinct from unique visitors and sessions. A single user visiting three pages generates three page views but counts as one unique visitor. Understanding the relationship between these metrics reveals how deeply users engage with a site. Web analytics fundamentals books on Amazon explain metric relationships.
For URL shortening services, page views on the service's own content pages (homepage, glossary, articles) indicate the effectiveness of SEO and content marketing efforts. Click counts on short URLs, while similar in concept, are tracked separately from page views because they represent redirect events rather than page loads.
Page view data helps identify popular content, track traffic trends over time, and measure the impact of marketing campaigns. When combined with other metrics like time on page and scroll depth, page views contribute to a comprehensive understanding of user engagement. Content analytics books on Amazon discuss analysis techniques.