Parse.ly: Data shows that the average number of visitors directly referred by the website is 4.7

According to a new study by Parse.ly, the number of times people visit a website is positively correlated with the site’s retention rate. The most loyal readers, the people who visit the site most frequently, are those who visit the site directly, such as by clicking on a bookmark or typing in the URL.

Parse.ly analyzed 1 billion visits to thousands of websites and about 8 million articles in one month in 2018. The survey found that the average visitor from direct referrals was 4.7. Social was the second highest category, with an average of only 2.7 sessions.

Data from a year ago showed that search surpassed social in terms of website referrals, but search was the least loyal referral category for readers, with an average of 2.1 sessions per visitor. This makes sense, considering that visitors from search are usually motivated by a specific purpose.

The above pattern is also reflected in separate data, looking at the share of returning users by referral source. For example, returning visitors account for 39% of direct visits and 32% of total social media traffic. On the other hand, returning visitors only account for 1/4 (23%) of total search pageviews.

Visitors referred via search averaged 2.7 page views per session, which is comparable to direct visits. This is much higher than the average page views per session for visitors referred via social media (1.7), suggesting that readers referred via social media are not as engaged with content as other readers.

These data indicate that when people use search, they are most often in the discovery phase and looking for information, which makes them less likely to return to a site through search. Therefore, it is important for sites to take steps to convert search referrals into direct referrals.

199IT.com Originally compiled from: Parse.ly Do not reprint without authorization