A Hit is a request to a Web server for a file (image, HTML, javascript or cascading style sheet etc). When a webpage is uploaded from a server the number of "Hits" or "Page hits" is equal to the number of files requested, therefore one page load does not always equal one hit because often pages are made up of other images and other files which stack up the number of hits counted. Because one page load does not equal one hit it is an inaccurate measure of a websites popularity or web traffic. A more accurate measure of web traffic is how many page views a web site has. Hits are useful when evaluating the requirements of your server, depending on the number and size of files which need to be transferred for one request. Servers should be tested to make sure they meet throughput targets (they should be capable of processing a certain amount of 'hits' per second). A request for a file from the web server. Available only in log analysis. The number of hits received by a website is frequently cited to assert its popularity, but this number is extremely misleading and dramatically over-estimates popularity. A single web-page typically consists of multiple (often dozens) of discrete files, each of which is counted as a hit as the page is downloaded, so the number of hits is really an arbitrary number more reflective of the complexity of individual pages on the website than the website's actual popularity. The total number of visitors or page views provides a more realistic and accurate assessment of popularity.
Recommended links
- HIT COUNTER Example of good and modern free hit counter.
References
- Domsmith.co.uk, (24th September 2005). Hit counter. Retrieved: 26th May 2007.
- Microsoft.com, (April 1999). Site server - capacity model for internet transactions. Retrieved: 26th May 2007.
- Smartcomputing.com, (June 1997). Is your web site a hit? Retrieved: 26th May 2007.
- Webopedia.com, (17th October 2002). Page view. Retrieved: 26th May 2007.
- Webopedia.com, (29th April 2004). Hit. Retrieved: 26th May 2007.
