Title: New and returning visitors
Author: joshua
Published: July 21, 2022
Last modified: September 24, 2025

---

 1. [User handbook](https://docs.parse.ly/user-handbook/)
 2. [Measuring and reporting performance](https://docs.parse.ly/user-handbook/measuring-reporting-performance/)
 3. [Understanding Parse.ly calculations](https://docs.parse.ly/user-handbook/measuring-reporting-performance/calculations/)
 4. [Visitors](https://docs.parse.ly/user-handbook/measuring-reporting-performance/calculations/visitors/)
 5. New and returning visitors

#  New and returning visitors

Parse.ly categorizes [visitors](https://docs.parse.ly/measuring-reporting-performance/calculations/visitors/)
into two distinct groups for a clearer picture of your site’s engagement: new and
returning.

**New visitors** came to your site once within a 30-day window on the same device
and didn’t return.

**Returning visitors** came to your site and returned within a 30-day window on 
the same device, assuming they accepted and kept a [cookie](https://docs.parse.ly/cookies/)
from their last visit.

![The Parse.ly Dashboard can be sorted by new and returning visitors.](https://docs.
parse.ly/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2025/07/New-returning.png)

The Parse.ly Dashboard can be sorted by new and returning visitors.

## Example visitor behavior

When selecting a time period in a [Parse.ly Dashboard](https://docs.parse.ly/dashboard/)
tab, you may interrupt some visitors’ 30-day window, used to determine whether they’re
new or returning.

Consider the chart below, which demonstrates 3 visitors’ behavior on a site across
30 days:

| Day | 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 | 
| **Visitor 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 | 
| **Visitor 2** |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | N | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | 
| **Visitor 3** |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | N | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R |

N = new visit. R = return visit.

**Days 1-10**

 * Visitor 1 is logged as a returning visitor. 
   _It may appear that Visitor 1 is
   both a new and returning visitor in this time period, but that would result in
   the sum of new visitors and returning visitors being greater than the total visitor
   count._
 * Visitor 2 is logged as a new visitor.

**Days 11-20**

 * Visitors 1 and 2 are logged as returning visitors.

**Days 21-30**

 * Visitors 1, 2, and 3 are logged as returning visitors.

**Note**

Contact Parse.ly Support at [support@parsely.com](https://docs.parse.ly/user-handbook/measuring-reporting-performance/calculations/visitors/support@parsely.com?output_format=md)
with any additional questions about new and returning visitors.

Last updated: September 24, 2025