Total Seconds Spent return different results for same pages

[#1]

Hi,

I just selected 6 pages from the page dimension for which I visualized the Total Seconds Spent (for a period in the past) = screenshot at the left.
I then created a segment based on these 6 pages and dragged above the Total Seconds Spent metric = screenshot at the right.

As you can see the results are different. Does anyone now why? Is this a bug?

Selection of 6 pages by filtering in Page dimension	Selection of 6 pages by segment

Kind regards,

Sarah

[#2 · Accepted solution]

Dear Sara,

I have taken 3 of my pages using Dimension as well as Segment. Below are the results for your understanding :

By Segment: Have created a segment for those three pages by 'HIT' container. Below is the screen grab i got:

When i added Custom Link as a secondary dimension, the result for zero.

By Dimension: Have selected the pages manually as a dimension. Below is the screen grab i got:

When i added custom link, i can see few line items with its own Total Seconds Spent.

Example : I loaded the page and didn't navigate anywhere for 30 Sec, but clicked on my chat button where i am capturing Page Name in Custom Call and exited. Since Time Spent is calculated based on the Line Item at the Server Call, Dimension will have Total Seconds Spent = 30. When you apply 'HIT' segment, the Custom Call will not be accounted and thus the visit is considered Bounce with Total Seconds Spent = 0 / Not Calculated.

Conclusion:

Dimension will add the Total Seconds Spent on s.tl() calls like Custom, Downloads and Exits.

But when you create segment by 'HIT', it only consider the s.t() calls i.e. will not include the Total Seconds Spent on s.tl() calls like Custom, Downloads and Exits.

Its your decision to take the needed based on your business requirement.

Hope this helps.

Thank You

Arun

[#3]

so that means it would count between two servercalls but on hitlevel only on pages.Right?

so in your example:

Page A --> DownloadLink --> Page B

would total seconde be counded like this:

timestamp download link - timestamp page a  --> Seconds for page a

and timestamp page b minus timestamp download link --> seconds for page a?

or how would this happen?

Thanks for your support!

[#4]

Hi Laetizia,

Not the time for the custom links is calculated but the time for the selected pages taking into account the custom links that follow.
Remember: Total Seconds Spent can only be calculated between 2 server calls, for example:

• Page A --> Page B
• Page A --> Download link
• Page B --> Exit link
• ...

That's the reason why you see custom links appearing when dragging them beneath a page. It just proves that Total Seconds Spent is also calculated in case a page is followed by a custom link instead of another page.

Hope that's clear,

Sarah

[#5]

But why does Adobe count also the time for the custom links? When looking at a page dimension I would think that only the total time for that page will be counted and not for custom links. Because the dimension page will never get triggered into a s.tl.

[#6]

Hi Arun,

Thanks for the screenshots. That's clear to me now.

Can you also tell me how we should build the segment in order to have the total seconds spent correctly calculated? (so taken into account those next hits like custom/exit/.. links).

Kind regards,

Sarah

[#7]

Hi Arun,

Thanks for your reply.
With your first sentence I understand that the Hit segment selects only the pageviews of those 6 pages and not next hits like custom links, download links, exit links,.. which means not all time spents are calculated. Correct?
However don't understand your second sentence. I should remove Custom, Download, Exit links from the segment you say... but in the first sentence you said they were already excluded from the HIT segment. 

My goal: to visualize the total seconds spent for process X (that consists out of the above 6 pages). Process X is represented by a segment. 
Question: how should I build this segment in order to have the total seconds spent correctly calculated? (so taken into account those next hits)

Kind regards,

Sarah

[#8]

Dear Sarah,

It is because the 'HIT' segment on those 6 pages will not include the instances where Custom Link, Download Link and Exit Links occur.

If you drop Custom Link or Download Link or Exit Links, the Pages report by Segment will not have any value but the Pages report by Dimension will have values.

Check it, you will understand the logic behind the calculation.

Thank You

Arun