Returning Visitor

If you or anyone you know frequents a website, you are a returning visitor. This type of visitor is considered to be the number of unique visitors with activity consisting of a visit to a site during a reporting period and where the unique visitor also visited the site prior to the reporting period. (Reed College of Media, 2015) This metric also resides in the Visit Characterization category of web analytics. 

The way a returning visitor is calculated is that each individual is counted only once in the reporting period. It is not possible for a visitor be counted as both a new visitor and return visitor in the same reporting period, since new visitors + return visitors = unique visitors.(Web Analytics Association, 2008)

The return visitor metric, when compared with the new visitor metric, is helpful in determining the overall loyalty and affinity of visitors to the site being analyzed. Additionally, when segmented correctly, the return visitor behavior is especially helpful when compared to new visitor behavior in determining the difference, if any, between how new and presumably unfamiliar visitors utilize a web site versus the usage habits of visitors that have some level of experience interacting with the site. (Web Analytics Association, 2008)

Problems with comparing new and returning visitors

The new vs. repeat visitor metrics need to be treated with caution as well. A visitor to a website is identified as being new if the device does not already have one of the Web analytic system's tracking cookies. If the device does not have a cookie (assuming that the device does not block cookies), then it is given one. The fact that the device has a cookie means that visit gets treated as a return visit. (Mason, 2010)

The problem comes when a consumer visits the website a second time and either the device doesn't accept cookies, the user has deleted the cookie, or the user is using a new device or browser. The reality may be that the user has been to the website before, but as far as the Web analytics system is concerned, the user doesn't have a cookie on their device and so it will treat the user as a new visitor. As a result, the proportion of visitors who are considered to be new is generally an overestimate. (Mason, 2010)

What is Return Visitor Rate and can it be effective?
Return visitor rate is a metric that measures the rate of return visitors to your website. It’ll often be a good indicator of whether your marketing communications and content marketing programs are healthy. To calculate RVR, you just have to divide the number of return visitors to your website by the number of total unique visitors for a given period of time. The great thing about RVR is that the metric is easily accessible, understood, and actionable for most marketers. By referencing Google Analytics each month, you can see how your content influences your RVR.  Spend some time reviewing the most popular URLs, the content formats these pages offer, content topics that have resonated during this time period, the average time spent on the site with these pages, and shares counts and comments. (Cheng, 2015)

Taking the time to do an extensive review of all of the popular destinations on your website will benefit the site in numerous ways.  All of the content in these major traffic areas can be examined and evaluated to see what content is worth expanding across the site.  Finding ways to create depth and present content in powerful and by a variety of methods will help to keep the site fresh and keep the returning visitors interested. 

References:

Cheng, R. (2015). How Loyal Are Your Customers? This Metric Has the Answer. Contently.com. Retrieved, November 1, 2015 from https://contently.com/strategist/2015/08/18/how-loyal-are-your-customers-this-metric-has-the-answer/

Mason, N. (2010). Analytics Basics: Unique Visitors, New vs. Returning Visitors. Clickz. com. Retrieved, November 1, 2015 from http://www.clickz.com/clickz/column/1703608/analytics-basics-unique-visitors-new-vs-returning-visitors#

Reed College of Media. (2015). Lesson 2: Basic Web Analytics. ECAMPUS.WVU.EDU. Retrieved, November 1, 2015 from: https://www.ecampus.wvu.edu

Web Analytics Association. (2008, September 22). Web analytics definitions. Retrieved on November 1, 2015, from: http://www.digitalanalyticsassociation.org/Files/PDF_standards/WebAnalyticsDefinitions.pdf