New and returning visitors

In Parse.ly, we categorize visitors into two distinct groups: New and Returning visitors. This helps to give you a clearer picture of your site’s engagement.

New and returning visitors, defined

• New visitor: A visitor that came to your site once within a 30-day window on the same device and didn’t return.
• Returning visitor: A visitor that came to your site and returned within a 30-day window on the same device, assuming they accepted and kept a cookie from their last visit.

Example visitor behaviors

When you select a time period to see historical data, you’re slicing across this 30-day window. The chart below shows behavior for three visitors over the course of 30 days.

Visitor	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30
1	N	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R
2										N	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R
3																					N	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R

For Days 1-10, Visitor 1 appears to be both “new and returning.” However, to count this user as both a new and a returning visitor would result in situations where new visitors + returning visitors are greater than the total visitors. If you selected Days 1-10 as a time period, Parse.ly would mark this visitor as a returning visitor because they have returned to your site multiple times.

Following this logic:

• If you selected Days 1-10 as a time period:
  • Visitor 1 is a returning visitor.
  • Visitor 2 is a new visitor.
• If you selected Days 11-20 as a time period:
  • Visitors 1 and 2 are returning visitors.
• If you selected Days 21-30 as a time period:
  • Visitors 1, 2, and 3 are returning visitors.

More visitors guidance

The “hotel problem” and counting visitors across multiple days.

Metrics overview

Contact support@parsely.com if you have any questions about new and returning visitors in Parse.ly.